My Biking Blog: 100 Cols Day 19 Soubes to Ste. Croix-Vallee-Francaise 147km 2800m climbing

“The food was great again!”. Jaap our cook typed this on my blog page while I went to order a beer. But it’s true, so I will leave it in! The first two climbs of the day were Cote de St. Pierre and Cote de la Cros. This section was enjoyable as the temperature was cool and the morning air fresh and clear. Five of us (myself, Thomas, Tony, Carolyn and Joergen) decided to take a diversion of approximately 14km.
This was to the Cirque de Navacelles which is a huge natural amphitheatre created by water and chemical erosion of the rock formations in this plateau. It has created a dish-shaped gorge with the town of Navacelles at the bottom. There is a narrow gorge which follows a river to the west, however there no road access and there is only a walking trail.
The climb out of Navacelles was tough but only short (6kms) and we found a restaurant at the top in a campground where we were able to order a refreshing coke/coffee. Back on the route we were concerned we may miss the lunch truck so we set out at a brisk pace.
The big climb of the day was the Col de Minier which went on for just over 20kms. The temperature was hot but because of the time of day and the fact we were riding east there was plenty of shade on our side of the valley.
After slogging up the mountain we enjoyed a lunch stop at Col de Minier. The afternoon started with a short climb up to Mont Aigoual and great views from the observatory and lookout at the top. There was a café at the summit so it was good to have a "3 C's" stop (coke, coffee and cornetto) at 1500km.
The final climb of Col de Solperiere was a real struggle for most riders. Time was 330pm and the sun was beating down on the pavement. Sections of the bitumen were melting so it was important to watch the front wheel and avoid slipping on the surface. At the top of the final ascent a few of us found a bar/café and ordered a couple of well-earned beers.
The final descent was pretty tricky with some sharp turns and very narrow sections. Late into camp (6pm) because it was a long course (147kms) and our diversion to Cirque de Navacelles cost us an extra hour exploring the site and climbing out of the valley. Garmin link here
Fozières Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details