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July 18 Swiss Alps-Bedoin
We awoke this morning to SNOW!! That’s right it had snowed. We got cracking early and found an awesome cafe for coffee and croissants.
Beautiful terrain, the skiing would be awesome.
The day before really was a horror drive, below are some photos.
Tunnels provided respite from the rain.
We headed through the Swiss Alps, intersecting the tour route around the Col du Mosses and went down into Aigle. Aigle is a beautiful town and I definitely want to come back. Endless hills planted with Rhone grapes and massive mountains.
We almost went via Chamonix but given the weather we headed for the Autoroute which took us via the very wealthy Montreaux, past Geneva and then south onto the Route du Soleil.
Geneva, Lake Geneva in particular, looks AWESOME, and I must come back. The Swiss certainly are not wanting for water, that’s for sure. If there is conflict over water in the future, I hope the Swiss and French are prepared, because that is a lot of water right there.
Montreaux on Lake Geneva.
Lake Geneva.
Sunflowers are -sadface- at the rain.
Patterns.
After more tolls (we are feeling robbed at this stage), we clear the dramatic Vallee d’Isere which sees a change from very green and wet scenery to dry Mediterranean scenery, along with olives groves and a massive and immediate change in architecture from Germanic style to a more Mediterranean/Tuscan/Spanish style. The trees and landscape are profoundly different and you can see the Isere region probably has its own weather system as we go from cloud and rain to sun and dry weather literally in the space of 5km.
Vallee D’Isere.
Wow.
French Resistance hid here.
More tolls sees us on theAutoroute south along with about 812million other Euros. Everyone seems to be converging on the South of France (Provence, Drome, Riviera), and understandably so. After some incredibly frustrating and seemingly-for-no-reason bumper to bumper traffic we turn off for Carpentras and Bedoin.
Sunshine!!
Toll traffic.
Route du Soleil traffic.
Take a ticket.
Gate/door to the sun.
Sunflowers are happier here.
Castle on cliff near Montelimar.
I am immediately in love as it evokes memories of Spain for me, particularly Cordoba, Avila etc.
We spot the Ventoux, get to Bedoin with it’s 4PM 30deg temps and get on our bikes. Stupidly, we do not pack arm warmers and jackets, which I realise might be silly as soon as I see every cyclist on the descent is rugged up.
Ventoux in the distance. The Geant of Provence.
Ventoux.
Bedoin at the foot of the Ventoux.
Spanish/Moorish/Middle Eastern style.
Delightful Bedoin.
Off we go.
We punch up the hill, and I leave Michael so I can really work the legs and get some warm air into my lungs. Having slept cold and damp for a couple of nights I want to ensure my lungs are dry. It gets windier as I head up – almost gale force. I almost turn around at the Reynard but push on, not wanting to not finish it. Around a couple of corners, I almost am blown off the bike and I am getting colder.
It is a long, long climb, but not hard.
Summit
I get to the top, get some photos and then Vamos, quickensmarten. I am shivering all the way down, and the rush of warm air once I hit the forest is very welcome.
I find Michael propped up with a beer in town, so grab a beer and try and stop shivering. We meet a Canadian dude, and take off to dump our van at the free camping ground and meet back for dinner with Duane.
I have REALLY good pizza at the place below. Not cheap, but super good.
That place is opposite the Cafe le Relais du Mont Ventoux.
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