Phil had warned us last night storms were forecast today, so we needed to be ready for wet weather again, after all, it is autumn and we are in the mountains. The weather did not disappoint - we were in for some rain.
The morning climb out of Privas was rather humid, but since rain was likely, I opted for winter tights. It made the start of the day somewhat hot, but I kept drinking to offset my sweating. About 15 km into the ride; which started with nearly a 30 km climb to 1100 meters; we went into the clouds. It soon turned to rain, but it was not a cold rain like a few days ago, so things weren’t that bad. On the descent, once we were out of the clouds, we were rain-free again for a bit. The roads in the Ardeche region still continue to remind me of a paved version of the Capitol Forest back home only here there are a series of ornate bridges placed in what seems like random places as they go over nearby valleys and streams.
One of the major challenges for the day was the Col de Ardechoise. It is a popular sportive climb in this region. Once I arrived at the climb, it started to rain again. Soon it began to pour, but clouds did look brighter at times, so I held off putting on the hardshell jacket. At this point, my winter tights were a good choice this morning. I was not cold, just very wet. Thunder and lightning were also becoming prominent. As I pressed upwards on the climb, hints of blue started to appear and I held out hope for something special at the top. I was not disappointed. The clouds parted and there were blue skies. Autumn colors dotted the backdrop of scenery everywhere. You could not have scripted a better reward at the top of a climb. My iPhone was out of my pocket quite a bit up until lunch as I stopped to snap photos. Once I caught up with Phil he mentioned to me how dark the clouds were behind us. He had not been kidding, the weather we left below looked ominous and foreboding.
Lunch was again at a cafe stop and warm food and coffee was just right. Phil’s plan for cafe lunch stops has been right on the mark this trip. Everyone is always thankful for them, warming up a bit and changing base layers on days like today when we are higher up makes quite a difference.
Jen and I before our 40 km descent after lunch
From lunch there were a few rolling hills but mainly a 40 km descent. From there we hit some more true Ardeche forest roads where chestnuts seem to be everywhere on the ground, creating obstacles to be avoided.
We again had the reward of a smooth 8 km descent down to Privas on the road we have descended the past few days now. It is quite welcome at the end of a day to have such a smooth descent.
Once again I was able to duck into a local Privas Boulangerie for a pre-dinner snack. French bakeries cannot be beat!
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