Pedaling Through the Cotes du Rhone and Gigondas

The Cycling Mileage and Elevation Begin to Ramp up . . . 

On Monday we began the more intense phase of our cycling trip as we left the Uchaux region and headed to Gigondas and the Cotes du Rhone region and our next hotel -- Le Crillon de Brave. 

Preparing For Our Second Day or Riding

In the morning as we gathered up our bikes and listened to the two Backroads leaders, Geoffrey and Nico give us the details of the day's route, we noticed that it was extremely windy. Cycling n the wind is not easy, so some of us were a bit concerned about the toll the wind would take on us over the course of a long day. We learned that it is often windy in Provence and the wind we were experiencing is called the Mistral and is defined as "a cold dry north or northwest wind, which blows down through the Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean, and can reach speeds of ninety kilometers an hour."

Fortunately, the wind subsided after a few hours and we experienced a beautiful sunny day of cycling for the most part. We stopped in the village of Gigondas (home to some of Palmer's favorite wines) and had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

The Historic Village of Gigondas

The Countryside

After lunch, some of us opted for a longer, hillier route to our next hotel -- the route included a 1,300 foot climb up Col de Suzette.

Palmer at the top of Col De Suzette, a 1,300 Foot Climb

We covered a total of 52 miles and nearly 4,000 feet of climbing over the course of the day. When we arrived at our beautiful hotel, le Crillon de Brave, we were tired and hungry. Here is the map of the day's route:

Map of our Day Two Route - Heading Southeast From our Starting Point