Sept 2008 - Grande Traversée du Massif Central
Clermont-Ferrand to Génolhac
Mike, Jim, Jacques
Protagonists:
Jim: - the one who needs Mars bars and coca-cola to survive mountain bike trips. He assures us it replaces training! Still as fearless as ever in the worst technical single downhill tracks.
Mike: - has been badly influenced by Jim and started to consume large doses of Coca-cola. Still as fit as ever thanks to rigorous training before our annual bike trip.
Jacques: - trying hard to resist drinking coca-cola, but enjoying the odd mars bar. Unfairly accused of blindingly following trails while there are flatter and easier routes to reach destinations.
Maps and markings:
In addition to IGN maps of the area, we used the guide: “Grande Traversée du Massif Central en VTT” published by Chamina. Overall impression is that the marking of the trail was better than in the Vosges and we only had to consult IGN maps on a few occasions. Some sections of the trail were completely unmarked especially between Auriac and la Croix de maitre Vidal.
The trip:
Meeting place was Clermont-Ferrand; Jim and I started alone in the morning while Mike was driving his wife back home and agreed to meet us in Laschamps the next day. Cool morning, clouds and greenery were a welcome sight and made a big difference compared to Torraccia where we had had a hot and rainless summer! Here green grass, blackberries, fresh morning, clouds, quite acceptable weather to bike.
Day 1: Clermont Ferrand - Chausselles (40 kms, 06h:45mn)
City streets and asphalt roads to Durtol where the trip really started. Good views over Clermont-Ferrand and an easy dirt road brought us to Volvic for sandwiches.
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| Volvic plazza |
Serious uphill immediately after Volvic, first on asphalt then on dirt track until Viallard. Then rolling through les Bressons, Grelière and ending in le Vauriat. Given the tiredness and the late hour we asked where to sleep there: nothing until Chausselles where we found an acceptable gite (gite les volcans, 63230, St Ours les Roches, tel 04 7388 9247). First comment is that it took us twice as long as what was indicated on the GTMC guide! Critical need to rethink our planning or improve our performances!!!
Timetable: Clermont-F. 10:00; Volvic 13:30-14:00; Le Vauriat 16:30; Chausselles 17:15. Total biking 6:45
Day 2: Chausselles - Pessades (47 kms, 07h:45mn)
Next morning, bright, clear and cool we had some difficulties joining the GTMC due to roads appearing on the IGN map but which were inexistent in the field! Navigated among les Puys, Puy de Dome and many others.
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Puy Chopine et Puy des Gouttes |
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| The riders |
Rough descent on roots and rocks after Col de Ceyssat to arrive at 12:00 in Laschamps where Mike had been waiting since 10:00, sorry for that! Lunch and more cycling trough the Puys, fortunately at their base and not going up and down! Good climb after Voissieux (castle) before reaching Orcival. Numerous occasions to pick fat, juicy tasty blackberries along the road providing a welcome input of fruits after all these potatoes based meals, all lacking veggies and fruits! In Orcival we visited the Roman church (in spite of one of us claiming it to be gothic!) and filled up on Mars bars. After Font-Chartoux we navigated on hope since there were few signs, but were lucky not to loose the trail and arrived in Pessade where we had a full 18 beds gite just for ourselves (Michèle Pélissier, Pessade, 63970 Saulzet-le-Froid. Tél: 04 7379 3107), restaurant le Balladou provided a good dinner as well as breakfast.
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| Gite de Pessade |
Prices in the region are good averaging 35-40 euros for dinner, bed and breakfast in gites as well as in hotels, meals ran between 11 and 13 €!!!
Timetable: Chausselles 09:00; Laschamps 12:00- 13:15; Pessade 18:00; Total biking 7:45
Day 3: Pessades - Chaumiane (40kms, 06h:00mn)
Good ride until Beaune-le-froid followed by a fast downhill to Varennes, where we missed an intersection and searched for the trail for 30 mn. Around lac Chambon and up to St Victor la rivière where we had an excellent lunch in the restaurant “le bougnat” next to the church and graveyard (Auberge du Bougnat, 4 rooms, 0033 04 73 88 6784, www.aubergedubougnat.com, info@aubergedubougnat.com). After Besse en Chandesse good climb first on road then on track; Jim decided to follow the asphalt, Mike and I climbed until the pass below Puy de Pertuyzat in very strong headwinds and arrived 15 minutes before Jim at our meeting point next to lac Pavin. Stopped over in Chaumiane gite for the night (Mme Denise Roux, Chaumiane, Compains 63610 Besse tél. : 04 7371 2105.).
Timetable: Pessade 09:00; St Victor 12:30-14:00; Besse 14:30-15:00; Montcyneire 16:40; Chaumiane 17:00. Total biking 6:00
Day 4: Chaumiane - Neussargues (59kms, 07h:10mn)
Asphalt road until Escouailloux, followed by steep climb until Cureyre where we entered the monts du cezalier, empty high plateaux for raising cattle. Passed Brion la Motte and stopped in la Godivelle for a snack, but the gite was closed and there were no other places to eat. Pedaled to “lac d’en haut” and cycled through fields and fences to lac de St-Alyre, passed Jassy and Boutaresse without places to eat. After Boutaresse long regular climb until col de Chamaroux and then through plateaux. Beautiful landscapes, huge skies, no cars, just plateaux and sky!
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| Plateau du Cezalier |
Passed Buron de Paillassere-bas without realizing it and enjoyed the ride until Pradiers. That was the best part of the trip so far for me as far as landscapes go.
Had lunch in Allanches and followed road D39 to Maillargues, Chalinargues, Moissac (where we could visit the church of Moissac, opened by luck for other visitors!) and Neussargues where we settled in the one and only hotel in this city of 1000 people (hotel des voyageyurs, 2 Rue Commerce 15170 Neussargues-Moissac, tel:04 7120 5205). It was mostly frequented by truck drivers who got up at 3-4:00 in the morning but was quite adequate and reasonably priced.
Timetable: Chaumiane 09:00; Godivelle 11:00-11:20; Buron 14:00; Allanches 14:40-15:40; Neussargues 17:30. Total 7:10
Day 5: Neussargues - Paulhac (50 kms, 05h:15mn)
Solid climb after Neussargues and after that pleasant through le Cezalier, passing Savignac, Roueyreand arriving at St Flour on D40. Passed private chateau du Saillant and visited église d’Andelat with the, classic for the region, open steeple with four bells.
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| Chareau du Saillant |
Found a bike shop (cantal cycles) to repair bike that Jim was using (front wheel was out of true and causing problems with brakes. Guy fixed it, and we had lunch. When starting the wheel supposedly repaired was much worse than before with gears all loose and strange noises. Guy said he could not fix it and sent us to the other bike shop on the route to Bellegarde. There the guy tightened up the cassette (which the previous repair guy did not check) and we had as good a bike as a new one (Jim lost his only excuse to be slow though!!).
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| The competent bike shop in St Flour (no photo of the bad one!) |
Kept on the asphalt road to le Pirou along the A75 autoroute, until Ruynes en Margeride, Clavières (a city among others in the region destroyed by the Germans as retaliation against the maquisards of Mont Mouchet), Auzenc and finally after a fast downhill on the asphalt Paulhac en Margeride where we had reserved a gite (restaurant auberge le bon accueil, Tél: 04 6631 7346 ).
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| Gite de Paulhac en Margeride |
There was a rally of Harley-Davidson from Toulon-Marseilles area and it was fun to hear those tough looking bikers talk with a southern accent; they were quite nice in fact.
Timetable: Neussargues 09:15; St Flour 11:00-15:00; Paulhac 18:30. Total 5:15
Day 6: Paulhac - Giraldes (50 kms, 06h:15mn)
Cloudy and rainy morning. We ordered a take out picnic to free us from finding lunch places and took off with raincoats under rain. We also reserved rooms in chambers d’hôte le Giraldes. A little past Vachellerie hard climb in rocks and roots to reach D48, in fact most of the climb had to be done on foot. Rain stopped but there was fog and mist and it was rather cool. Plenty of mushrooms gatherers around. We stopped to admire the church of Chanaleilles with its typical 4 bells open steeple.
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| Eglise de Chanaleilles |
Did not see any bisons at the bisons park near Ste Eulalie. Passed la Croix du bas a center for cross country skiing, where we were passed by three horsemen galloping on their horses. The whole area around the col de la Croix de Bor had been turned into a desert due to the attack of Dendroctonus micans a coleoptere which devastated the epicea plantations. A muddy, wet, rocky, rootsy road around the col des Trois Soeurs made for a difficult passage lasting until Croix de la Bessiere. Thereafter a good, if rocky and treacherous sometimes, descent with many mud puddles until Giraldes where a fire in the fireplace welcomed us (l'ousta de Bally, M. et Mme Valy, Tel : 04 6647 9362 or 06 1541 0670, email: loustadebaly@yahoo.fr).
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| Chambre d’hôtes « le Giraldes” |
Very nice family style stay where we could put our wet clothes to dry and give a thorough washing down to the bikes (covered with mud). Restful night.
Timetable: Paulhac 09:15; le Sauvage12:30-13:30; Croix du Bas 15:00 Giraldes 16:30. Total 6:15
Day 7: Giraldes – MontLo (ski resort Mont Lozere) (57 kms, 07h:25mn)
Cool morning with strong cold westerly wind. Seems wind is always a head wind! Good climb after Giraldes and flattish afterwards with families of mushroom pickers. We passed on top of the dam of lac de Charpal (originally created to bury WWI explosives, but the site proved inadequate, and the dam is now used to supply drinking water to 30 % of the population of Lozère). Mud puddles and rocks in the climb before Laubert. Easy ride afterwards past chateau privé du Felgeas. Chateau du Tournel an abandoned fort (XII-XIV century) and a technical difficult single track descent to Bagnols where we had a welcomed lunch. This was followed by a hard climb to Auriac which continued on unmarked track to la Croix de maitre Vidal. It was good to see again these barren plateaux and open views. We had been there before and followed the good road, with plenty of wild raspberries, to hotel Montlo near chalets du Mont Lozère tel:04 6645 8130.
We each had a room in the hotel with very helpful owner and wife (jean-guy and Cathy Chevallier, unfortunately they sold out and the new management in 2011 is not as nice). Clear crisp sharp night with so many stars but cold announcing a beautiful day.
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| Montlo hotel (Mt Lozere in background) |
Timetable: Giraldes 09:15; Bagnols 13:20-14:45; Croix Vidal 17:00; Montlo 18:00. Total 7:25
Day 8: Montlo - Genolhac (35 kms, 04h:15mn)
Cold morning 4°C and frost on the ground but plenty of blue skies and sunshine. Hotel owner suggested a different track than the one we had taken last time from Mas de la Barque to Chalets du Mont Lozère and we followed his suggestion. First Mike and I biked to the top of sommet de Finiels (1699 m) and then down the northern road to Chalet de l’aigle.
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| On Mont Lozère |
We then took the asphalt road which had a 1000 m descent over 12 km to Genolhac where Jim and I took the train to Clermont-Ferrand to retrieve my car.
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| Riding down to Genolhac |
The train ride was stunning though narrow gorges, single track railways along gorges de l’Allier. Nice dinner at “hotel des commercants” right next door to our hotel and a 08:00 departure for Torraccia.
Timetable: Montlo 09:00; picnic 30 mn; Genolhac 13:45. Total 4:15
Day 9:
Longish drive but without major traffic problems. It was hot during the day and also when we arrived in Torraccia which had not seen any rain since I left two and a half weeks earlier!
Overall conclusion:
A nice trip thanks to no real drenching rain, cheap food and lodging, beautiful landscapes and an easy-to-follow well marked trail. As usual Jim and Mike good companions though Jim needs to slow down on Mars bars and increase training!! Could have lasted 10-14 days. Use Chamina guide for Grande Traversée des Pré-Alpes (a.k.a. chemins du soleil ) for next year (see expemag article)? Try using a backpack which could fit on the luggage carrier, and bring fewer things !
Total: 380 kms in 51 hours or 7,5 km/h.
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