Between Stops 6,332 3,923
Total 7,263 4,503
Countries Visited: 7 France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy
Principality: 1 Monaco
Duchy 1 Luxembourg
Trip Hero: Betsy. She never missed a beat.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Trip Summary
Between Stops 6,332 3,923
Total 7,263 4,503
Countries Visited: 7 France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy
Principality: 1 Monaco
Duchy 1 Luxembourg
Trip Hero: Betsy. She never missed a beat.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Day 20 - Nantes
591K - 366 Miles
On the road from Le Puy-en-Velay by 8:00a.m., destination...Nantes. I hate it, but it's time to end this trip and starting thinking about the next.
Mostly slab except the section between Le Puy-en-Velay and A75. But, in France, even the slabs are beautiful.
Some highway scenes.
Great trip.
On the road from Le Puy-en-Velay by 8:00a.m., destination...Nantes. I hate it, but it's time to end this trip and starting thinking about the next.
Mostly slab except the section between Le Puy-en-Velay and A75. But, in France, even the slabs are beautiful.
Some highway scenes.
Great trip.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Day 19 - Le Puy-en-Velay
208K - 129 Miles
Wonder where my speed went? According to the map and directions feature of this iPad, it should have taken me only three and one-half hours to go where it took me seemingly most of the day. I believe my first 75 kilometers took me about two hours. Then it just slowed down from there. The other neat thing about today's trip is I rode all day without once putting Betsy on cruise control. Couldn't do it, there were few straightaways...in fact, if I saw 250 meters of straight road today, I don't remember it. Isn't that great!!!!
I owe Pierre-Ives for suggesting Gorges du Tarn as a place I might enjoy. He was spot on.
You pull out of Millau and head up...and up...and up, on narrow roads with sharp turns...even some of those hard right, down-or-up-hillers I don't care for much. But that's a small price to pay for such great scenery and wonderful riding.
The Tarn River adjacent to Millau
Across the river, this guy.
Given a mountain like this, people are going to do some crazy things.
Crazy things. Like this.
Have I mentioned I don't even like how tall I am?
A final look at Millau and her bridge.
Then we go up, up, and away. Along great roads.
It can be dangerous out here though. I watched as a big BMW carrying two, slipped on pea-gravel and wound up nose-down in a sharp ditch on a sharp left-hand turn. I was no more than 100 meters behind them when they "bit" it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I inadvertently created the conditions which contributed to the accident.
I was tooling along, minding my own business when I came up behind these two big BMWs. When I did, I noticed the lead rider speed up, as if he wasn't going to allow some big-assed Harley overtake his svelte German machine. (Silly boy, Betsy isn't a Harley...but it seems most over here think she is on the highway.) There were spots of pea-gravel all along this section, and, while I have never been a fast rider, especially on sharp curves, I'm especially slow where that stuff is concerned. The only time I ever lost Besty (The first) was on pea-gravel...I really hate it. And I'm afraid of it.
Anyway, the lead rider made the turn and gunned it up the hill. The second rider was about halfway through when he gunned it to catch up with his buddy. Bad mistake. The rear tire slid, he hit the rear brake, and goodbye Heinrich. There wasn't much he could really do, other than enter the curve like a sissy. You know, like me. I did that all day. I'm sure there were several "cagers" who commented on the "fraidycat" (how does one spell that?) who was creeping around some of those turns. My response is: the operative words are "around those curves."
Some scenery from the ride.
Pulled into Le Puy-en-Velay about 4:00pm, found a room using my trusty iPad and am settled in for the evening.
I'm staying at the All Seasons Hotel, just behind that restaurant. The restaurant is a Taverne de Maitre Kanter. There is one in Nantes and I can testify they have good beer and food.
According to legend, Le Puy-en-Velay was one of the earliest Bishoprics founded, circa 250A.D. and gathering importance throughout the middle ages. Later, around 1100A.D., an alter to the Virgin Mary was erected on Mons Anicius, a previously sacred pagan religious site and became one of the main starting points for a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in western Spain. Among those who have paid homage at Le Puy-en-Velay are Charlemagne (772 and 800), Robert II (1029), Louis XIV (1245), Charles VI (1394), and Francis I (1533).
In 1860 a bronze statue, Notre-Dame de France (The Virgin Mary) was dedicated on a hill overlooking the town.
A beautiful morning shot of Le Puy-en-Velay
I owe Pierre-Ives for suggesting Gorges du Tarn as a place I might enjoy. He was spot on.
You pull out of Millau and head up...and up...and up, on narrow roads with sharp turns...even some of those hard right, down-or-up-hillers I don't care for much. But that's a small price to pay for such great scenery and wonderful riding.
The Tarn River adjacent to Millau
Across the river, this guy.
Given a mountain like this, people are going to do some crazy things.
Crazy things. Like this.
Have I mentioned I don't even like how tall I am?
A final look at Millau and her bridge.
Then we go up, up, and away. Along great roads.
It can be dangerous out here though. I watched as a big BMW carrying two, slipped on pea-gravel and wound up nose-down in a sharp ditch on a sharp left-hand turn. I was no more than 100 meters behind them when they "bit" it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I inadvertently created the conditions which contributed to the accident.
I was tooling along, minding my own business when I came up behind these two big BMWs. When I did, I noticed the lead rider speed up, as if he wasn't going to allow some big-assed Harley overtake his svelte German machine. (Silly boy, Betsy isn't a Harley...but it seems most over here think she is on the highway.) There were spots of pea-gravel all along this section, and, while I have never been a fast rider, especially on sharp curves, I'm especially slow where that stuff is concerned. The only time I ever lost Besty (The first) was on pea-gravel...I really hate it. And I'm afraid of it.
Anyway, the lead rider made the turn and gunned it up the hill. The second rider was about halfway through when he gunned it to catch up with his buddy. Bad mistake. The rear tire slid, he hit the rear brake, and goodbye Heinrich. There wasn't much he could really do, other than enter the curve like a sissy. You know, like me. I did that all day. I'm sure there were several "cagers" who commented on the "fraidycat" (how does one spell that?) who was creeping around some of those turns. My response is: the operative words are "around those curves."
I stopped and helped them up, and, with a couple of cage drivers, we pulled the bike out of the ditch. I believe the wife was a little more hurt than she let on, but I know there was no serious damage done to either of them. The Beemer appeared a little embarrassed about the entire thing. I don't think the Beemer rider screwed up. There are just some situations that develop out here you can do little about. My way is to err on the side of caution. Worked so far. (You'll notice you see no "one-handed" pictures of pea-gravel road.)
A little Garmin sample of some of the road today.
You can believe that everyone of those switchbacks were hairpin curves and sloping sharply.
I probably ran through fifty or sixty like this.
Some scenery from the ride.
Pulled into Le Puy-en-Velay about 4:00pm, found a room using my trusty iPad and am settled in for the evening.
I'm staying at the All Seasons Hotel, just behind that restaurant. The restaurant is a Taverne de Maitre Kanter. There is one in Nantes and I can testify they have good beer and food.
According to legend, Le Puy-en-Velay was one of the earliest Bishoprics founded, circa 250A.D. and gathering importance throughout the middle ages. Later, around 1100A.D., an alter to the Virgin Mary was erected on Mons Anicius, a previously sacred pagan religious site and became one of the main starting points for a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in western Spain. Among those who have paid homage at Le Puy-en-Velay are Charlemagne (772 and 800), Robert II (1029), Louis XIV (1245), Charles VI (1394), and Francis I (1533).
In 1860 a bronze statue, Notre-Dame de France (The Virgin Mary) was dedicated on a hill overlooking the town.
A beautiful morning shot of Le Puy-en-Velay
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Day 18 - Millau
406K - 251 miles
"Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?" - Chicago 1969
Boy, I don't. Last few mornings I've managed to ignore my 5:00am waking, roll over and go back to sleep; sleeping until 7:30, 8:00am. It's really pretty neat. Perhaps I could do this full time? I don't know, but I didn't leave the hotel until around 9:30am and the sky didn't fall. I didn't even see it tremor.
Rode all slab today, having rode much of the route off-slab yesterday. I'm doubling back, today. Heading for the Millau Valley, home to the world's tallest bridge at 1,125 feet high (Millau Viaduct). Of course, to we Europeans, it doesn't seem that high because we deal in meters, and it's only 343 meters...see? I told you, much shorter.
Some of the scenery on the road between Grenoble and Avignon.
Coming in to Millau now.
The Millau Viaduct
Millau, nestled down in the valley comfortably.
Betsy at Millau
I gotta say it didn't seem that high; either on it, or under it. (Ya think I'm getting taller?) But it is, as Oddball said, one "fine, motha-loving bridge."
(Okay, trivia fans, name the movie, and who played Oddball.)
The sensation of height isn't so much on the bridge. It's much more impressive from below, or far away, as in the town of Millau. But it is a fine, motha-loving bridge.
The town of Millau is very nice as well. Looks like a summer and winter destination spot, with plenty to do at either time of the year. Sort of weird thing I noticed while walking around, all the stores have put winter wear on the shelves. It's 77 degrees F. right now, the high was in the mid-80s, and they are laying in gloves, lambskin coats (I managed to resist that one...you know how I love lamb), and woolen scarves. I'll never understand the retail fashion business.
In any event, this is a nice place, and I like the bridge. It really is an engineering marvel.
Tomorrow, a little east and north. Getting close to home and the (sad) end of this trip. Man, I hate it when that happens. I have really enjoyed this. But, then, I say that about all of them, don't I?
Day 17 - Grenoble
August 16th
284K- 176 Miles
Another short ride day. Got up and on the road by about 9:30am, heading for Grenoble, via Avignon.
Avignon was less impressive than I thought it would be, but I didn't give it much of a chance. Too many people, to few parking places, and a bike loaded down with gear restrict me considerably. I pulled through, took a picture of the surrounding wall, and boogied to Grenoble.
The Rhone River. The Rhone river valley is home to a large part of the wine industry here. The southern region, surrounding Avignon, is most famous for its Côtes Du Rhône and Châteauneuf-de-Pape vintages.
Turned north and east out of Avignon, mostly on the N7 highway, two-lanes, winding through many small villages. It was a fun ride. About thirty kilometers out of Grenoble I elected to get back on slab to both make time and insure a smooth ride.
Starting to see mountains.
This is the small city near Grenoble called Echirolles. This is actually where I stayed the night.
The French Alps at Grenoble.
Each peak is distinctive.
Spent a pleasant evening, early to bed, and managed to sleep in after refusing to get up at 5:00am when I first woke up.
284K- 176 Miles
Avignon was less impressive than I thought it would be, but I didn't give it much of a chance. Too many people, to few parking places, and a bike loaded down with gear restrict me considerably. I pulled through, took a picture of the surrounding wall, and boogied to Grenoble.
The entire old city is surrounded by these protective walls.
The Rhone River. The Rhone river valley is home to a large part of the wine industry here. The southern region, surrounding Avignon, is most famous for its Côtes Du Rhône and Châteauneuf-de-Pape vintages.
Turned north and east out of Avignon, mostly on the N7 highway, two-lanes, winding through many small villages. It was a fun ride. About thirty kilometers out of Grenoble I elected to get back on slab to both make time and insure a smooth ride.
Starting to see mountains.
This is the small city near Grenoble called Echirolles. This is actually where I stayed the night.
The French Alps at Grenoble.
Each peak is distinctive.
Spent a pleasant evening, early to bed, and managed to sleep in after refusing to get up at 5:00am when I first woke up.
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