My Biking Blog: 100 Cols Day 17 Léran to St. Pons-de-Thomieres 144km 2000m climbing

Sunday 28 June 2015

100 Cols Day 17 Léran to St. Pons-de-Thomieres 144km 2000m climbing

With a relatively (NO days are easy on Bike-Dreams trips!) easy day ahead we left this morning feeling that it would be a great day to enjoy some coffee stops and sight-seeing in the tourist city of Carcassone. After a few rolling hills and 66kms we arrived at Carcasonne in good time and the group I was riding with decided to take a wander through the Cite Carcasonne. This is a medieval castle and fortress which has been restored and rebuilt in various incarnations over the last several hundred years. It is certainly an amazing structure which sits imposingly above the surrounding valley and commercial centre. The site itself is UNESCO protected and remains as it was at the end of the last reconstruction in the late 1700’s. The streets are packed with souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. So it has become somewhat of a tourist trap and the buses arrive regularly and unload their loads of French and overseas visitors.
After our brief tour of the “walled city” we headed to lunch just outside Carcasonne alongside the Canal Deux-Mers which passes through the city on the way between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. After lunch we rode an exposed valley road towards our destination at St Pons-de-Thomieres.
The last two cols of the day were tough enough although not that steep. Col de Salette at around 900m and the relatively short ride up to Col du Croix Jubilee. In camp the temperatures were in the mid-30s and some went the pool for a dip. Others braved the cold mountain stream nearby.
This area in southern France is close to the coastal locations of Narbonne and Perpignan. There are many steep gorges and mountains in behind the coast and it is an area that can be very hot in the summer months. We certainly experienced that today.
A great meal of pork chops and vegetables with apple sauce complimented with green peppers (very hot) was enjoyed by all. Tomorrow we expect another hot day so all the jackets and arm-warmers have been packed into the bottom of the luggage bags. Garmin link here
Léran Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details