Day 3 - Loop ride from Rocamadour
Peter and I are true flatlanders and the climbing is what drives us to train for these trips - while it may sound onerous to hear that at times we are climbing for 10 or 15 minutes in our lowest gears, it has such magnificent payoffs at the top that we look forward to the challenge.
Rocamadour (Google it to see lots more) is an incredible pilgrimage site - you descend 2K to enter it and then are require to climb 2k to leave! This was all made worthwhile on our loop ride.
Gorgeous cattle in the countryside.
Always a black sheep in the herd.
Our highlight on this day was a visit to the caves of Padirac. Trust me, descending into this wonder of the world was like inhabiting an alternate universe. We spent about 2 hours in this subterraneanian river that included a boat ride and views of formations dating back 50,000 years. Pictures were not allowed when in the deep grotto, so do look it up!
The decent into the caves.
We made it out alive, and slightly damp, but very impressed!
After a lunch break, we saddled up and rode 10K to the medieval town of Carennac. I will let the pictures do the talking.
Peter is in architectural and sketching heaven!
The remaining 32k of cycling took us through the heart of the Dordogne River valley and we actually crossed the river twice on our way - follow along with our photos:
Arriving back in Rocamadour, we decided to forsake naps and showers and instead ascended the 216 steps of the Grand Escalier that bring you up to "pilgrimage central" and amazing views across the valley:
Another vertiginous view - we climbed all the way to the top!
Day 3 ended with a birthday cake celebration for one of our fellow tourers Sue - I loved it as we ate dessert before having dinner! Life is short, eat dessert first was the motto of the moment.
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