Gorges de l'Ardèche - Belvédère du Serre de Tourre
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Three day’s excellent touring in Provence, Dévoluy, Ardèche and the Cévennes plus the Pôle Méchanique circuit. My CBR600RR running great. Variety of roads, marvellous spring views and friendly, family-run hotels with fantastic food.
Day 1
Glorious dawn in Marseille and some fine weather days ahead. Leaving the kamikaze scooters of Marseille, but riding chest on tank battling a strong Mistral. Stop at my usual bike shop... dreams of a new bike.
Lovely lovely Provence... clear sky, fresh growth on the trees, flowers at the side of the road.. “Oh to ride in Provence now that Spring is here” (apologies to poet Robert Browning).
Onwards to Dévoluy, leaving the warmth and clarity of the South after my stop at the Col du Festre (1441 m.). Crossing the Route Napoléon at Corps, the mountains swathed in cloud. Snails and ravioli at a favourite hotel, a Dauphiné speciality, followed by Provence lamb.
Massif du Dévoluy
Col du Festre (1441 m.)
Le défilé de la Souloise
Les Ravioles du Royans et leurs escargots de Bourgogne. Domaine Palon, 2018, AOC Gigondas
Day 2
Leaving Corps as the sun warmed the fog from the valley, L'Obiou (2789 m.) peering imperiously over the Route Napoléon. Back over the the Col du Festre and gladly enjoying the warmth of Provence.
The D994 from Serres to Nyons is a tangential road through the Baronnies Provençales, so not an arterial route to Paris. But it's well made and light on traffic. Big sweeping curves, fifth or sixth gear mostly. Concentration 100% so forget the distractions of the world not directly visible in the visor. Lean, brake maybe, apex and accelerate. Repeat.
Eventually a stop to de-layer, rest and picnic. Onwards across the Rhône at Pont-St-Esprit and continuing along the north rim road of the gorges of the Ardèche. It's an epic ride, a variety of curves and inclines, again full concentration for the 26 km on to the rock bridge just before the town of Vallon Pont-d'arc.
Massif du Dévoluy
L'Obiou (2789 m.)
Les Baronnies Provençales
Crossing the Rhône at Pont-St-Esprit - strong Mistral
North rim road - Gorges de l'Ardèche
Gorges de l'Ardèche - Belvédère du Serre de Tourre
Gorges de l'Ardèche - Pont-d'arc (rock bridge)
Mousse de truite sur crique d’Ardèche, gel d’herbes with a glass of Grenache Gris
Day 3
Riding through the Cévennes to the Col de Jalcreste (831 m.) on the N106, the road from Nîmes to Clermont Ferrand and Paris; a wide, well-graded primary route that’s been left behind by the autoroutes.
The col is om the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and also a point where the weather changes. Grey clouds and drizzle were coming in so I turned and enjoyed the road back down on the brakes, not the revs.
A chance chat at lunch suggested that I call in at the Pôle Méchanique down at Alès, on the club bike racing day. The practice sessions I saw were historic bikes, track versions of bikes all too familiar to me. A reminder of how the coverage on TV is so close-up I can’t see the lines the riders take, compared to watching by eye. Then straight back to Marseille to outrun the incoming weather.
Col de Jalcreste, Cévennes
Pôle Méchanique
