Just the stats: 53
miles, 13.3 MPH average. Four hours of riding time. I only stopped for a total
of 51 minutes the whole day. Rain today,
52 to 67 degrees. Elevation 434 feet. We climbed 3,299 feet and descended 3,453
feet.
Calories burned on the ride - 3,730. My average heart rate during this ride was 126 bpm.
Calories burned on the ride - 3,730. My average heart rate during this ride was 126 bpm.
Today was a day of
contrasts. The first 30 miles was a cold
52 degrees and rainy, not a light drizzle, but rain. Just as I arrived at our meeting spot for
lunch, the rain stopped and the sun came out!
Part
One: I was the last one on
the road this morning. As I got ready to
ride, the rain became heavy and I decided to put on all my rain weather gear.
That involved finding my bag, locating my stuff, etc. etc. So I started late but I was ready to ride in
the steady rain. There were plenty of up
and down rolling hills and only one “cheeky climb” which was about ½ mile or so
long but it ran from between a 9 and 19 percent grade – I didn’t walk, no way.
I don’t mind riding in
the rain as long as I am dressed properly, and I was. I enjoyed the solitude, praying through the
ACTS acronym, remembering praise songs and just being grateful for blessings as
they flowed like water.
In the rain I ride purposely
slow because falling on a slippery wet road hurts and lasts a long time. So I ambled along at a slow 11.3 mph average,
in the pouring rain, getting sore hands with all the breaking I had to do
going down hill, all the while keeping up a pleasant conversation with my
friend.
Part
Two: Just as I arrived at the lunch stop, the rain stopped and the
sun came out. I pealed off my rain gear, got water, filled my bottle with
Perpetuem and was on the road in less than ten minutes. I had another 23 miles to go and I was ready
to grind it out.
What I didn’t know was
that our lunch stop was at our highest point of the day. The descent from the lunch was at least three
miles long – in glorious sunshine, hitting speeds of 35 + mph on dry roads!
This long descent just kept on giving – all the way to Les Eyzies.
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| This sign means crossroad ahead |
FYI:
Les Eyzies is a small town made famous by the many pre-historic cave paintings
that can be found in the valley.
That
last 23 miles was glorious! Not all down
hill, not by any stretch of the imagination, but what a thrill. There were long ups and downs all the way
into Sarlat on great smooth roads. What
a day of contrasts.
As you can see - the landscape has changed.
I
copied this: Sarlat is arguably the jewel in the Dordogne’s crown. Sarlat has
one of the best preserved networks of medieval streets in the whole of Europe. In fact, Sarlat was the first old town
granted protective status in the whole of France.
I’ll
let the pictures tell the story.
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| Our hotel |
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| Pool |
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| Courtyard |
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| Courtyard - see the bike clothes hanging out? Gypsies!
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1 comment:
Part 3: God is good all the time!
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