Having a wobble!

Friday 15th September 2017 - Malaucene.

A short journey to Malaucene at the foot of Mont Ventoux to have a recee of the great mountain.  The first thing to notice was that the town is 'cycling central'.  There are cycle shops for buying and hiring bikes and equipment.  Lots of 'mamil's' (middle aged men in Lycra) everywhere.  To be fair there were plenty of ladies and lots of age groups but all in Lycra.  We continued on to Bedoin before driving up the route.  It appears to be 21km of hell!  I didn't even enjoy driving it.  The road is steep, narrow and filled with cyclists and a dangerous sprinkling of motorcyclists making stupid overtakes at speed!!  To say I was frightened before attempting the ride I am now petrified.

Some of the road art.

There is long steep wooded section before you reach this barren area up to the summit.

We stopped at the top for magnificent views.

The top was not far above freezing.  We needed padded coats on.....and today wasn't very windy.  Note to self - take arm and leg warmers and a warm top.

We drove down the route direct to Malaucene.  I decided that I would try to cycle the reverse of the route we drove.  The road seemed a little wider from this direction and there is no extended wooded area so I will get better views, even though I will probably only be looking at the tarmac in front of my bike.  It is also shorter but consistently a little steeper from the start.  I can't say I am looking forward to it.  I have been quiet all day.

I had planned to do some cycling today but having consulted the weather I am resting today and going for it tomorrow.  I feel completely unprepared.  So, we nipped to the shops in town to buy some energy bars and Jaffa cakes.  I wonder how many I need to eat to get to the top.  Janice is being my support team and will drive up to various points to give me encouragement, food and drinks.

There are two large Aire de Camps for motorhomes in Malaucene so we will stay local tonight.  Janice  has banned me from having alcohol tonight and is preparing a nice pasta meal to boost my energy reserves. We might have a little walk so I can enjoy my legs tonight whilst I still have use of them!

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