Tue Jun 2 : AMT Day 4 [ride] Cévennes NP → Carcassonne (4h20m 220km)
Rainy and cold and Chris is sick, but the roads were incredible. Breakfast in the Chateau was good and they opened it early at 7:30am for us. We were planning to depart at 8:15, actually moving close to 8:30, no mechanical issues today and nobody fell down.
The first sight was ...
Then the xxx Viaduct, highest bridge in the world at the time. Was nice to be inside the visitor's center when it started pouring.
Then to Rockfort to visit the cheese museum and original caves. Interesting process. The caves are super moldy. We tasted 3 version of their cheese, one aged 21 days, another about 80 days, and another 2.5 years. The young cheese was flavorful and melted in the mouth, great mouth appeal. The old cheese was crystalized and super intense. Really something of an aquired taste, but I think I like it, especially after the others warmed up my palate. The intermediate cheese was really an interpollation of the young and old.
Then a "quick lunch" which turned out to be not so quick.
Then some really great riding on D999 and xxx
Then we were nearly out of gas, so we detoured to the nearest filling station, but there was noone there and the pumps did not have self-payment options. We waited for 20 minutes or so and the guy did show up.
Then more fabulous roads through tunnels of green trees and ferns before reaching the hotel in Carcassone at about 6:35pm.
Day 3 riding Cévennes National Park → Carcassonne (276km, 6hrs riding + 5hrs stopped)
caption after the map
| Time | Minutes | km | kph avg | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:22am | 14.8 | map | ||
| 7:37am | 26.3 | 22 km | 50 kph | Departing CHÂTEAU D'AYRES (acutally 8:37am) |
| 8:03am | 3.9 | map | ||
| 8:07am | 22.4 | 20 km | 54 kph | |
| 8:30am | 2.5 | map | ||
| 8:32am | 9.6 | 8 km | 50 kph | |
| 8:42am | 0.8 | Toll Plaza to cross the bridge | ||
| 8:43am | 5.8 | 5 km | 54 kph | |
| 8:49am | 33.9 | Millau Viaduct | ||
| 9:22am | 5.5 | 1 km | 7 kph | |
| 9:28am | 8.1 | map | ||
| 9:36am | 1.4 | 0 km | 4 kph | |
| 9:38am | 21.0 | map | ||
| 9:59am | 24.8 | 27 km | 66 kph | |
| 10:23am | 3.5 | map | ||
| 10:27am | 4.3 | 1 km | 19 kph | |
| 10:31am | 57.5 | the Caves Roquefort Papillon | ||
| 11:29am | 1.4 | 0 km | 3 kph | |
| 11:30am | 8.5 | map | ||
| 11:39am | 7.6 | 4 km | 28 kph | |
| 11:47am | 67.2 | NOT quick lunch break at Les caprices de Marie | ||
| 12:54pm | 9.3 | 8 km | 54 kph | |
| 1:03pm | 2.6 | map | ||
| 1:06pm | 35.1 | 35 km | 60 kph | |
| 1:42pm | 3.6 | marking a corner | ||
| 1:45pm | 18.6 | 16 km | 52 kph | |
| 2:04pm | 1.6 | map | ||
| 2:06pm | 9.2 | 7 km | 49 kph | |
| 2:15pm | 0.8 | map | ||
| 2:16pm | 14.2 | 14 km | 58 kph | |
| 2:30pm | 2.4 | map | ||
| 2:32pm | 5.8 | 4 km | 40 kph | |
| 2:38pm | 3.4 | map | ||
| 2:42pm | 13.7 | 11 km | 46 kph | |
| 2:55pm | 0.9 | map | ||
| 2:56pm | 3.3 | 1 km | 13 kph | |
| 3:00pm | 32.3 | gas stop | ||
| 3:32pm | 20.1 | 21 km | 63 kph | |
| 3:52pm | 8.9 | map | ||
| 4:01pm | 83.0 | 67 km | 48 kph | |
| 5:41pm | 0.0 | TRIBE Hotel Carcassonne (actually 6:41pm) | ||
| 5:41pm | 0.8 | 0 km | 2 kph | |
| 10h50m | 5h42m moving | 276 km | 48.4 kph | 53% moving, 308 minutes of breaks |
In this region, we saw several metal sculptures like this one. They are really good and there are many of them in roundabouts. Super nice!
