Aug 31st-
Sept 10th, 2010
Luberon-verdon-lure-ventoux
This
year after looking at various options we elected to go to the Luberon area even
without the benefit of the VTT guides we used in the past. Part of the fun is in making our own
route and hoping everything works out OK.
We
consulted geoportail (www.geoportail.fr)
the site where the IGN maps are available with a zooming tool which facilitates
consultation and is as good as having the real IGN maps (even better since one
can enlarge the maps).
The
original programme was to start from Gigondas (why not?) go along the Ouveze river and reach
Brantes, ascent the Ventoux, see Roussillon and its ocre quarries, cross the
grand Luberon, the plateau du Verdon to Dignes-les-bains and Sisteron, then climb
montagne de Lure and back to Gigondas through the high plateau of Forcalquier,
and along gorges de la Nesque. Mike correctly pointed out that climbing Ventoux
on the second day of the trip was may-be ambitious and suggested we put Ventoux last, after montagne de
Lure. A sound idea.
The participants:
- Mike, one of the founding father, and the senior, of this
group who was riding a brand new Giant model. Even if he had to walk some of the steepest sections of the
route he always was right behind us and continuously displayed his great sense of humour.
- Thom, son of Mike, who was even stronger this year than
last, always ahead and riding further and longer than anybody else. His cooking talents, not to mention his
ability to fix flat tires, quickly were a basic ingredient to the success of
this trip.
- Georg, friend of Tom, who decided to buy and bring his own
bike this year. In spite of some jokes about the mudguards on his bike it was a
strong and reliable bike. Georg is also an expert cook and with Thom ensured
the intendance and cooking during the trip. How often do cyclists get omelette
aux chanterelles for breakfast?
- Jacques, the lone Frenchman among those Kiwis. His main
contribution was choosing the trip and loosing the track a few times! Writer of
the current notes.
- And the most important element: Linda who kept us company
at the beginning and the end of the trip, and as last year did carry our bags
on a few occasions. - - - - Jim, one of the original three, declaring he’d
prefer sailing his yacht and watch his horse win races decided not to come
along. A cruel disappointment and a significant loss to the team. His
forfeiture last year should have given us a hint of his giving up. We hope he changes his mind for next
year.
Day 1- Gigondas to Villes-sur-auzon (40km mostly asphalt)
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| Thom (kneeling) re-assembling his bike |
As
always part of the first day is
spent re-assembling bikes after their travel as airplane cargo. The other
priority is trying to select the absolute minimum things needed and fitting
those in the bags. Fortunately we
sleep in hotel or Band B and do not need to carry tent and sleeping gear.
We
admire the blue crystal-clear skies and the shiny sun hoping they will stay
with us all along the trip.
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| Jacques and Mike in front of Ventoux |
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| Georg and Thom in front of mur de la peste |
Gigondas
being in the valley we have to go up and
around Dentelles de Montmirail,
a good way to get the legs in shape. With the ”mistral” visibility is excellent. We go through various villages
such as le Barroux where we get a “group rate” to visit the chateau (4 instead
of 5 euros, big saving!). The castle was restored by a private individual and
one can only admire such generous people spending private money for the public
good.
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| Chateau du Barroux |
Our
destination tonight is Villes-sur-Auzon where we meet Linda who has transported
our bags. Mike thought I was
bringing the IGN 1/25,000 maps and I thought HE was, so no maps. Fortunately Mike
volunteered to go back home and get them, a long drive for him, but worth it
since we will need detailed maps.
The
chambres d’hôtes in Villes-sur-Auzon is an old building with the stone pattern
on the outside walls looking like roman ruins while the room I occupy has
frescoes all over. While
mike was getting the maps, Thom, Georg and I had al fresco dinner under a fig
tree which provided some extra to the dessert.
Day 2 – Villes-sur-Auzon to Roussillon (46 km, D+ 883m)
Great
to have good maps since we are leaving asphalt roads and taking small
tracks. We reached the “mur de la
peste” after a very steep track where we all had to push our bikes. The “mur” was built in
1721 to prevent the spread of the pleague but was quite ineffectual; all
that is left to-day are some sections
looking like any stone piles.
The
white mountain in the background is Mont Ventoux (1912m) which looks so nice under sunny skies, but can turn
quite nasty quickly under rain/snow storms.
We
picknicked in the forest and down through tracks amongst dry stone walls to
Abbaye de Senanque. A XIIth century Cistercian abbaye surrounded by lavender
fields. The building was under scaffolding and the roofs made of “lauzes” has
to be cleared manually, quite a task when looking at the surface to be cleaned!
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| Cleaning roof of Senanque |
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| Abbaye de Senanque (carte postale) |
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| Stone walls on the way to Gordes |
We
reached Roussillon and found rooms in hotel Rêves d’Ocres. Some confusion when we did not see Mike
arrive, he took a wrong turn and was cruising in the city (may-be looking for a
bar in fact!).
Roussillon
is a small city mostly catering to tourists visiting the carrières d’ ocre at
the edge of town, they used to be mined to provide pigment for industry. Their red, yellow colours are typical
of the region. To-morrow morning
is market day on the main square, a chance to get fresh local products.
Day 3- Roussillon to Lourmarin (49 km, 660 D+)
Market
day in Roussillon, Thom and Georg have taken responsibility for food on this
trip and enjoy cruising the market.
We took a quick tour of the carrières d’ocre in Roussillon, the colours
under morning sun are impressive and the shapes quite unusual, it could remind one
of the Grand Canyon of Colorado I guess. Easy track on the GR to Bonnieux, then some more technical
tracks (both up and down) to reach Lourmarin.
Its
castle was initially built in the XVth century and restored in the 1920 by a
French industrial. It presents a much friendlier look than most, it feels like
a pleasure castle not a military one.
We
checked in for the night at Gite du four à chaux. We have a good dinner in a formal ambiance but refined food
with good service.
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| Thom acquiring expertise in fixing flat tires |
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| Jacques on the way to Lourmarin |
Day 4 – Lourmarin to Manosque (59 km, D+ 1343)
Market day in Lourmarin, Thom and Georg
got up quite early to get some ingredients for breakfast and lunch. We are
treated to an “omelette aux girolles” (chanterelles), fruit salad, fresh bread,
a four star breakfast. It was followed by a repair session to fix Thom’s flat
tire, task at which he has become quite expert and can fix a tire in less than
5 minutes!
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| Breakfast
of champions and gourmets (thanks to Georg and Thom)
|
 |
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| Thom practicing his newly acquired skills |
In
prevision of the long climb ahead we started early and followed a long trail
going up the grand Luberon to Mourre Nègre (elev: 1,125m) and crossing the
massif from west to east. Picnic immediately after Mourre Nègre followed by a
nap. We are wakened up by randonneurs, doing on foot what we did on bike, quite
courageous of them.
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| Mike riding on Grand Luberon towards Mourre Nègre |
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| Well deserved rest after reaching Mourre Nègre (1125 m) |
Then
great fun riding the crest line when, after rounding a corner we find a team of
hand glider taking off. We helped them organize the sail and watched them
ascending, a majestic sight.
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| Riding the crest line on grand Luberon |
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| Thom riding the crest line on grand Luberon |
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| Georg down from Mourre Nègre |
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| Add caption |
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| Airborne! |
GR
9 provided fun on this technical single track and we were glad to find water in
Vitrolles, a tiny sleepy village with a fountain. Thereafter asphalt road to Manosque where the tourist bureau
found us rooms in hotel François 1er. (where I did stay a few years back and was glad to see it was
under new management and that the rooms had been refurbished!) Georg found a couscous restaurant where
helpings were so generous we could not finish the couscous to the regrets of
the restaurant owner.
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| Welcome fountain in Vitrolles |
Day 5 – Manosque to Dignes-les-bains ( 93 km, D+ 1024 m)
Again
market in Manosque (so far there has been a market in every place we stayed!).
We stopped in Intersport for spare tubes and brakes adjustments, done by
friendly staff who charged minimal rate for their work. Asphalt road with heavy
traffic until we crossed the Durance and passed the entry to the autoroute, and
then small roads on the plateau de Valensole. We noticed the complete change of landscape, flat
land, cereal fields without lavender, thyme and other odoferous plant typical
of the areas we traversed so far. We are entering mountainous territory.
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| Georg’s bike being checked in Intersport Manosque |
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| Plateau de Valensole |
We
had lunch next to an artificial lake and proceeded to Bras d’Asse on asphalt
roads. Our attempts to find an open bar for a cool beer were unsuccessful. The only bar with an open door was serving lunch to friends and could only
refill our water bottles.
The
road up to col d’Espinousse (elev 838 m.) was monotonous but the views were
grandiose. While stopping for rest, I was asked for instructions by an automobilist, in fact he
wanted to know how to use the TomTom GPS which came with the rental car, so he
could find his way back to Antibes!
I was happy to oblige.
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| Picnic near artificial lake by Brunet |
We
followed the Bleone river to Dignes-les-bains where we found a gite. While enjoying a beer we met some VTT
riders who told us there was no problem in reaching route departementale D17
after Melan. I was reassured for
tomorrow since I had been preoccupied by that section of the trip, the map
showing only zigzagging footpaths normally not adequate for bikes.
I
decided to go to Decathlon , the only open sport shop on a Saturday afternoon,
to check on a noisy rear wheel on my bike. Nothing serious said their bike
repair man. We had dinner downtown
(such as it is) Dignes in a brasserie, rode back on bike trail to the gites and
fell sound asleep after this long day.
Day 6 – Dignes-les-bains to Sisteron (58km, D+ 1268m)
No market this morning in Dignes but our “cooks” managed to
prepare another luxurious breakfast with fritatta di verdura, cereals, fresh
fruit salad and croissants! We had
time to clean, lubricate and check the bike before the difficult day ahead.
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| Cleaning duties |
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| Cleaning duties (bis) |
We
passed through Champmercier and followed dirt tracks to col de Peipin (elev
904m), then to le Thoard where we
had a complement to our breakfast. The village had a pleasant atmosphere, it is
also the last inhabited place of any size until Sisteron.
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| Le Thoard |
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| Pushing |
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| Carrying |
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| Landscape after Le Thoard |
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| Rest
after technical single track down Ravin de la Marine
|
After
the technical single track down ravin de la Marine with many hairpin curves and
very steep sections, a good fast
dirt road brought us to pont de la reine Jeanne and to Vilhosc. The river
Vançon seems a popular place for picnicker and swimmers especially on a hot
Sunday afternoon. The ride down to
Sisteron was easy on asphalt roads.
We decided to try the same hotel (Tivoli) where we stayed last year.
There was no problem in obtaining rooms and we had dinner in the same fancy
restaurant (“le Cours”) as last year.
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| Pont de la reine Jeanne |
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| Sisteron |
Day 7: Sisteron to St Etienne-les-Orgues (60km; D+: 1626m)
Easy
start on asphalt roads until the
bridge on Jabron river; then we followed GR6, a decent track with some hard
passages where some of us had to push our bikes. We joined the asphalt road (D53) much to the pleasure of Mike
who paid his respects to the asphalt god (see photo).
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| Mike so happy to be on an asphalt road! |
Then
a slow tedious climb on the D53 all the way to sommet de Lure (alt 1826m.)
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| The team on sommet de Lure |
The summit is all rocks and very scarce vegetation, with a
meteorological station. The view is stunning and we could see where we came
from and where we are going as well as Mont Ventoux. Hopefully the clouds will not bring too much rain for the
Ventoux ascent to-morrow.
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| Top of montagne de Lure (note the landscape!) |
Coming
down was fun if tricky on loose rock tracks, much to the amusement of some
tourists impressed by our skills (or lack of…)
More
technical trails and some poor map reading on my part brought us to St
Etienne-les Orgues.
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| Down montagne de Lure |
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| Mike ducking under a fallen tree |
We
spotted a bar for a well deserved beer and when parking our bikes, Mike noticed
his luggage was missing, having probably fallen when he took a spill, a few
kilometers before the village. Thom offered to go with him to retrieve the bag
while we started to investigate accommodations. The sky was definitively turning grey and threatening. All
possible places to sleep in the village were either full or closed and someone
suggested “gite des Vignauds” a
few kilometers outside town. The
owners were pleasant and managed to put all of us in a room and even to feed
us, a not so simple task considering all shops were closed and they did not
expect 4 hungry guests. The dinner
was fine under a fig tree in the
company og the other guests (mostly Belgian). The room was adequate and became even more so when Georg
noticed we could pick figs right out of the bathroom window!
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| Dinner under a fig tree |
The
refuge was really appreciated when it started raining hard during the night.
Fortunately the downpour stopped in the morning and we started riding under
cloudy skies.
Day 8: St Etienne-les-Orgues to Sault: 51kms, D+: 1200m
We
started on the GR “tour de Lure”, a rocky trail where we had to push and ride
on wet tracks with sticky mud. When reaching Ongles, Mike decided he preferred
to ride on the asphalt road and let us have fun on tracks. We agreed to meet in
Sault at hotel d’Albion where Linda would meet us. We got lost on the mountain and managed to reached Banon
(famous for its goat cheese wrapped in walnut leaves) for lunch. We selected a
welcoming restaurant and whom do we see finishing his meal: Mike! We had a quick meal on the terrace and
where glad to have a hot chocolate to warm us and give us energy before the
final stretch to Sault. Weather
did improve and it became sunny on this high plateau (alt 700 m approx.) Had an enjoyable ride on small road and
found Mike and Linda in hotel d’albion.
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| Results of heavy rains |
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| Nice tracks on the way to Sault |
Day 9: Sault-Ventoux-Lyon or Sault-Ventoux-Gigondas (77km,
D+: 1477)
Because
Georg and Thom had to be in Lyon St Exupery airport by 14:00 we split the team,
with Georg and Thom riding up Ventoux followed by Mike and Linda in their car
carrying the gear. It did rain
during the night and a heavy fog was reducing visibility downtown Sault. I woke
up at 6:00 and heard them leave but decided to wait till the fog lift.
From their pictures and their email I understand it was a cool and foggy ride. They paid their respects to Mr. Simson the rider who died on Ventoux during a tour de France, and did reach the top as evidenced by the photo.
From their pictures and their email I understand it was a cool and foggy ride. They paid their respects to Mr. Simson the rider who died on Ventoux during a tour de France, and did reach the top as evidenced by the photo.
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| Fog on the Ventoux |
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| Fog on the Ventoux |
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| They did it! (alt 1912m) |
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| They did it! (alt 1912m) |
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| Ready to fly |
I
had a sunnier, if not easier, ride to the top, meeting riders of all
nationalities and all of us fighting a strong mistral which made for slow and
hard going (2 hours for the first 20 kms, but over 1 hour for the last 6!). It
was good to reach the top, too bad visibility was near zero on the top and that
it was cold.
I
went down to Bedoin on “route des graviers blancs”, a pleasant ride on the
south side of the mountain, thus protected from the mistral and with a warm
sun. The road was as rocky as last year.
I took small roads and tracks to reach Gigondas where the Gite des Dentelles
(where we stayed the first night of our trip) provided me with a room. The gite
was full of young kids from Belgium spending a week in the area, a lot of
activity but not too much noise, sleep was not a problem for me. My friend Dominique was not in Pernes and
I decided to enjoy riding in the dentelles de Montmirail for the next two days
before catching the train to Paris to meet Betsy.
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| Mont Ventoux typical landscape |
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| Mont Ventoux in the fog, fortunately sunny below it. |
Dentelles de
Montmirail
After
the Ventoux I spent two days on my own riding this mountain range. Gigondas was
a good base being located fairly centrally and offering a good accommodation at
a cheap price. The one drawback is
the limited number of interesting eating places unless one goes to Beaume-de-Venise
(and still….). Sablet (north of Gigondas) could also be a good base.
Day 10: Southern part of Dentelles (32 km D+ 1149)
First
day I went to Lafare following the GR de pays, then to la Roque-Alric (lunch in
front of the mairie) to Suzette and Chateau Neuf Redortier. The trip back took me past Chapelle St
Cristophe and Col du Cayron and to Gigondas.
Day 11: North and north-west sector of Dentelles (44 kms, D+
1239)
The
second day I went to Pas de l’Aigle, Chateau Neuf Redortier, north on GR4
passed Les Chastelas (nearby the
private estate of La Verriere, great looking from the road), wanted to see the “Centre National d’Art
Contemporain” on the way to Crestet but it was abandoned, Went through les Traverses, Crestet to
Vaison-la-Romaine. My idea was to have lunch in Vaison but it was so touristy I
decided on a picnic in the forest instead. The castle of Vaison is impressive as well as the old part
of town (la haute ville), it would be worth a visit but not during the summer
months.
After
Vaison I followed the GR de Pays but had to back off due to trees across the
track and took a dirt road on the crest of bois communal de la Peyre to Seguret
(the streets in the village are forbidden to cyclists I was pleasantly told by
a bar keeper, I did not see the sign since I entered through a small track),
then the GR4 to Fontaine des Fées Romane, Dufrene and Gigondas (we took that
track with Derek in 1995!).
Those two days were so pleasant, beautiful landscapes,
mistral weather: clear sunny skies, cool perfect riding temperatures, few
people, no luggage to carry and reasonably challenging tracks. Definitively worth another visit though
a full week spent there could be too much.
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