Day 31 - Apt to Manosque, 27 miles

With another bank holiday in France (they have 4 or 5 just in May) most places were closed including all the Chateauxs for wine tasting that I was thinking of visiting today. So instead I would treat the short ride to Manosque as a semi-rest day and take my time. With flip flops on whilst riding, to try and even up the tan as it currently looks like I'm permanently wearing ankle socks, I set off under another blue sky day.

Picking up the old railway line then the back roads I weaved along the valley through the vineyards and soon to be fields of lavender (slightly too early for these but wow will it look even more stunning in a few weeks) it was another tough Monday morning ;-)

The highlight of the ride was the climb to Col du Montfuron before descending down to Manosque. From the windmill at the top you can see for miles. From Mont Ventoux behind me (completely clear again to rub it in), to the Alps to the north, to Gorge du Verdon to the east (destination for the next 4 days) and the French Riviera to the south. Simply stunning and a real moment to take it all in and think how far I've already travelled.

Going to be a tough day tomorrow to Aiguines with 40+ miles and over 1000 meters of climbing all with fully loaded panniers to cover and with another blue sky day predicted it's going to be a hot one. Early start tomorrow I think!Read more