A day to Savour

A day to Savour

Following the recommendation of the Escapade hotel owner we took a completely different route to that in the ‘route de grande alp guide.

Down the gorge du Cians - red rock ala grand canyon - the difference is that it is 4 degrees as we leave the top of the gorge and sure it is below freezing as we drift into the ever deepening canyon of red rock - with a blue stream filling the valley bottom.

Mark stops for photos - luckily as the corner soon after tightens considerably and your truly takes two big bites of the brake to slow while Jeff D used every inch of the road to make the corner and it was only just.

Several photo stops later and we empty ot of the valley onto a shoulder of zig zags down again into the valley, but here we leave this system and climb (again on the hotel recommendation) up a increasingly narrow and beautiful valley rood - direction Pierias. Unexpected visual pleasures open around each corner and this more than makes up for the increasing steepness. - we think it exceeds 12% in places and is the steepest climbing we have done on the ride so far.

But the scenery of this tight valley more than make up for it.

A couple cars come pass with - rally signs on them and they are soon followed by a lotus, fiat, porsche, some more standard french wagons, a cadillac and others. A three day car rally / tour making its way past on one lane tar road. We all pay each other respect, But the group are very surprised with calls from some cars of ‘go kiwi’ and Jenny even more surprised to hear her name called (Jenny and Hamish stayed with friends in Grenoble the week before and by utter chance the tour stops on the col - the most remote spot we have been too - and their friends are there.)

We - the car drivers and us - exchange stories in a mixture of Frenglish / French and English, before we begin a 15km descent down a single lane tar track - scattered rocks and holes do eventually cause a problem with the Italian stallion - now referred to as the pony - puncturing and being forced into the support wagon - unable to repair or replace the tube.

This entire ride to this point - the Gorge de Cians, the climb (steep as it was) up through Pierias, the descent through ILonse down to the D2205 is rated by all as the absolute best ride of the tour so far.

The valley ride into Nice, is smooth and fast - 36-39kms hr - before we back of to 33kms so too stay as a tight peleton. Mark punctures once, then again in the final 10kms ride along the Nice waterfront.

The day is finished by a swim in the Med, before we head into the old town for dinner.