Day 157: Bonnieux (Drive/Cycle)

After doing the black, grey and fresh water chore, it was breakfast time. After breakfast it was drive time, about 2hrs30min, to the Aire at Bonnieux.

Twenty minutes later, just after 1pm, it was cycling time!

The cycling was in the southern area of the Luberon and, the route was cobbled together from two routes, one from a book of French Cycle Routes, the other an Internet find. It was quite an enjoyable route but, not spectacular: yesterday's ride has set the bar pretty high!

The first village I passed through was Lacoste:

 

Followed by Ménerbes (Partisan monument at the entrance to the village):

Next up were Oppéde-Le-Vieux and Oppéde:

  Shortly thereafter followed by Goult and Saint-Pantaléon  

I didn't cycle through Gordes, but my route did offer me a fine view of it (indeed I think it is also popular for the tourists to photograph and visit - the vantage point was mobbed with a coach load of German speakers)

Gordes was also about a third of the way up the "big" climb of the day (almost 9 kilometres in length). It starts of gently, saving the best till last when the 10% gradients kick in! It didn't help that the reported Garmin (navigational aid) temperature was, at that time, 40.4°C! The highest temperature experienced this year. Indeed, I think the last time I was cycling in temperatures over 40°C was whilst cycling in America, a decade ago! By the time I reached the Coll I looked as though I'd just stepped out of a shower!

Back to the villages, the next one was Murs, with nothing much of interest but, it does have a town clock, which was ahead of time by about twenty minutes:

Next I rolled into Roussillon, where I was pleased to find a Artisan Glacier. So, given the unbearable heat, I thought it prudent to have THREE scoops of ice cream (Lavender, which initially tasted a bit too much like the smell! But, after the second spoonful, I was hooked! The others were Raspberry and Pistachio ... yumyum). All consumed in the shade of a big tree.

Back on the bike, and just around the corner, I came across some artist painting. So I photographed what they were painting.

  Roussillon also liked as though it was a wee tourist trap.

With about 10 miles to go I road into Gargas and shortly there after passed through the outskirts of a town could Apt. No photos taken, both were nondescript, so need!

Finally, it is always good to end a ride at the end of a descent. Today, the descent was about 300 metres in length, which was at the end of a nearly four kilometre climb! So it goes. The time was approaching 7 o'clock and it was about 34°C in the van. It is now midnight and it is 25.2°C!

• Distance driven: 79 miles
• Distance cycled: 91 miles
• Weather: Gorges of Verdon Mostly cloudy and cool. Southern Luberon, bloody hot, with some cloud. But, forecast to be cooler tomorrow with the potential for som rain.
• Location: Google Maps

Today's route: