Day 11 Orange to Sardonne (half-way)

Bike was safely parked outdoors close to the old forum wall; on the road at 9.


This was to be mainly a good riding day, but things didn't go that way.

Started with the fabulous Mont Ventoux, site of many Tour battles, a single mount which dominates the eastern skyline from Orange onwards.



Used the video camera for the first part of the climb, from Bedoin till the coffee shop, then switched to the Canon as I'd filled the card.

Chatted to a guy on a new R1200R who was there to carry bananas and water for a friend and his daughter, who'd caught the train down from Paris last night just to ride Ventoux. From the coffee shop up, there happened to be a race on today, so that added to the atmosphere. The casual riders and competitors mixed freely.















This would be a wonderful road, if there weren't so many pushies in the way.




My descent on the other side of Ventoux was in fact relatively free, as the last of the racers panted by the side of the road shortly after I started to descend. That left the 10 km of wonderful open sweepers for me, though I still had to be careful of non-competitors, even following one down for about 2 km as he was going almost as fast as I was.

On to Vaison-la-Romaine where I'd hoped to check out the Roman traces; and what a surprise again. Little village, but the remains of the Roman town were a couple of acres, and much better preserved than Glanum (assuming it isn't reconstructed); many house walls made of 30 cm long limestone bricks withvery thin mortar, just like the amphitheatre in Nimes.



Didn't linger as I'd spent a long time on Ventoux, but next time for sure.

By now I was well behind schedule, so had to cut out some of the good riding roads that were planned. This didn't concern me, as I've learned there's good riding almost everywhere (famous last thoughts).





So I rerouted the GPS and set off heading for the Gold ride between Mens and La Mure. At about 3.30 it started to rain in bucketloads. This was no fun as I'd already spent about 50 km on a narrow winding very bumpy road through the mountains, so then had to spend another 50 km on a narrow winding very bumpy road in pouring rain. No fun at all, and it hit so fast that I wasn't prepared, and my legs got wet and hence cold. The BMW riding pants I was advised to buy by Procycles are great, but you have to take your pants off to fit the waterproof liner. Not a good idea when it's already raining.

The path took me over the Col de Grimone at 1300 m, where the temperature dropped to 12; appropriate name for the current circumstances, but there was some great viewing to be had above the clouds/fog.


The Gold ride I was seeking would be astounding in the dry; lovely surface, well-marked edges, wide sweepers down into a gorge and along its base for about 10 km. But suffering as all these roads do from lack of speed advisory signage, and the other common problem - when you have a road down the side of a rocky valley or along a gorge, you commonly have a cliff on one side and a stone wall above ?? on the other.

The stone walls I don't mind, I'm in control of that aspect, but the winding road and the cliff create very many blind corners which I don't like at all, especially given the lack of respect paid by bikes and cars to the centre line. Also makes it impossible to practice the good riding habit of "looking through the corner". I'm think I'm too old for that sort of road, especially having been passed in 5 seconds this morning by 6 amateur Rossi's while I was sitting in a group of cars because there was nowhere to pass on the gorge road.

Coming down from the Col de Grimone into sunshine was very welcome, and then another hundred km of mainly good major roads brought me to the REAL Alps.





Only 330 km for the day, but the last half was no fun at all, as I complained above.

Tonight I'm at Sardonne, (centre of photo below), a tiny village of about 30 houses perched part-way up one of those incredible walls that rises 1000 m from the valley floor below us.



The valley floor is 720 m, Sardonne is at 1080 m Pic Blanc, the peak behind us, is 5km away and is 3330 m.


Sardonne is about 8 km from Alpe d'Huez, around the mountain, and about 500 m lower. This is what is seen from ouside the door.


I'm alone in a gite, Le Sardonnier, (like a hostel, but usually offering some meals) that sleeps 16. The owner has gone to the UK for the weekend, but left the key in the door.

Location:Sardonne