Setting off early
from the Malaucene aire (which was closing at 9am on Thursday to host
a motorbike trials event) just a day after cycling to the summit of Mont Ventoux neither of us felt like journeying too far
that day. Besides, the bright sunshine made the prospect of a long
drive far less appealing than some more fresh air on our bikes in the
rolling countryside of Provence. Armed with the brochures that had
been kindly given to us by Graham and Freya in Martigny right back in
June we had picked out an attractive loop that promised awesome
views.This 40 mile tour, close to the town of Sault to the south of Mont Ventoux, would take in the picturesque Gorge de la Nesque, a green and lush canyon up to 700m deep and carved deep into the Provence countryside.
Parking in
Villes-sur-Auzon to enjoy a latish breakfast, we set off at 11am to
pick our way through the rustic village and pick up the narrow road
that would wind the next 20km up the Gorge, climbing 500m to the town
of Monieux. Although an average gradient of 2.5% was far less
daunting compared to our exploits just the day before on the slopes
of Ventoux, my legs were still feeling decidedly wobbly. Plus, quite
surprisingly, the first few kilometres were also a little steeper
than I had expected at around 4% and the strong gusting wind made the
going more challenging than anticipated. Oh well, at least that meant
some flat sections must lie ahead.
Within just half
an hour we had ascended some 150m and reached the opening of the
Gorge itself, with shallow, tree lined sides deepening as they
stretched ahead towards rocky crags in the distance. To our left the
imposing summit of Mont Ventoux dominated the landscape and to the
right and behind us the flatter plains of Provence stretched away
towards the sea, covered in tiny farms, orchards and vineyards. With
the sun beating down on us we felt as though we had stepped into a
postcard and wondered if this landscape had changed at all over the
last few thousand years. It wouldn't have looked out of place for a
Roman legion to have appeared around the corner (except for the
tarmac of course).
Pedalling on up
the gentle slope, we made good progress pausing just once to apply
some sun cream. The road was relatively busy with a few dozen
cyclists waving and smiling at each other and it wasn't hard to see
why this amazing road was so popular. As the Gorge deepened the tree
lined slopes transformed into rocky overhangs and precipices. It was
magnificent. After 2 hours we reached the head of the climb and
stopped to enjoy the view right back along the Gorge and framing the
Giant Ventoux. A marvellous place to just sit and enjoy the sun,
which is precisely what we did.
At around 2pm we decided it was time to move on. The map we had outlined the way ahead towards Sault and looping back to Villes-sur-Auzon by another route, however, with tired legs we elected to take the easier option of retracing our steps instead. Not only would this be downhill all the way it had the added bonus of allowing us to enjoy the Gorge for even longer. At a leisurely pace it took just an hour to reach the motorhome and find that it had turned into a large hot box in the Provence sunshine but nothing a refreshing slice of watermelon couldn't solve as we sat pondering where to head to next. It had been another fine day in Provence.
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