My strongest recollection of the Auvergne comes from Canteloube’s “Songs
of the Auvergne” sung by Victoria de Los Angeles. He collected local folk songs
in the early 20th century. Listen if you have the chance
(https://youtu.be/omuJLzFyRYg) – enchanting!
Our bicycles were stored overnight in the garage below our smart hotel close to the centre of Aubusson.
 |
| Claire relaxing during the briefing |
Our briefing meeting was held in the garage as a light drizzle
descended. There was much talk concerning attire – Leggings or knees revealed?
How many layers? Whether to deploy the rain jacket now or store in the day bag
until the ‘brew stop’?
Interestingly, like Crozant the night before, this hotel was also run by
Dutch owners. They offered the fantastic service of washing and drying our
laundry.
The drizzle diminished and we cycled out in glorious early morning
sunshine, steadily climbing up into the Auvergne.
More red-coloured muscular cattle
Rachel with her route notes - a useful compliment to the Garmin
This higher terrain was cooler...
...with sweeping agricultural land, more cattle for beef and
dairy, forests for logging and a volcanic backdrop.
 |
| Garmin boys - me left, Bruce right. Despite Bruce being 14 years older, he was a hard man to follow when leading a peloton! |
Local cheeses include Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal, Fourme d'Ambert and
Saint-Nectaire (my evening Raclette). In the evening we had light and very
fruity Sauvignon served in a pichet. The most common Red is from the Gamay grape
variety; and the mineral water, Volvic.
Our lunch was the best yet at Restaurant Verneugheol.
Excellent veggie option and a tasty home made apple and custard tart.
It was a very soggy ride from lunch to the afternoon brew stop.
 |
| Elise, fully decked for wet weather. |
I
Isabelle working from within the van to avoid the rain, supplying much needed hot tea.
Rod, my cycling companion for the last big climb.
The long road awaits
Despite its rural associations, both Michelin and Dunlop are from the Auvergne. It’s also well known for
commercial and biomedical research.
After a 5 mile continuous alpine ascent, we reached the summit. The
temperature had dropped to 2 degrees. Rod and I had ascended relentlessly for
~40 minutes. My Garmin cycle computer showed where we were on this steep
ascent. Rod did not want to know!
Finally, a rapid descent into our destination for that night, Le
Mont-Dore, a large mountain village, spa and ski resort, now popular for
outdoor activities all year. Here, the Dordogne river begins beneath the Puy de
Sancy.
Important statistics
Road kill - one macerated, black cloth with white trim
Map
 |
| The elevation component does not do last 5 mile climb justice. I'd never done a 40 min relentless ascent before. |
No comments:
Post a Comment