# Tandem Mania! Danube part 3.



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

So we were about 11 days into our 16 day trip leaving Vienna on our way to the former Communist country of Slovakia. It was going to be a pretty simple ride along the Danube on a bunch of levees and river trails. The real interesting thing was that we were leaving countries that had pretty much been free since WWll into countries that had been under Soviet control until just a few years ago.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland had impressed us with how neat and clean they were and how excellent the road surfaces were. It really put our normal riding area around DC to shame. In Slovakia and Hungry the infrastructure was in much worse shape, the towns were not neat and well maintained at all and the people weren't any where near as friendly as we had grown accustomed to. 

Felt just like home. We kind of enjoyed the change.

Of course at the end of the day we had our delux cruise ship to return to which eased the transition to reality quite a bit.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Although we were on a tour with 69 other tandem teams we hadn't seen them on the road. We were sort of making up our own routes in the morning by adding lots of miles and climbing and either not riding in the afternoon or getting so far behind or ahead of the group the we wouldn't see them till dinner.

Of course we were eating meals on the boat with everyone and in fact enjoying their company a lot. Seemed like it was about time we started riding with other tandems (and taking advantage of the great drafting opportunities available). So this morning we got our usual start and headed for the nastiest, most beat up climbing we had done on the trip-it was great. I mean it was GREAT! 

We had a blast climbing through vineyards and bouncing down the hills.

After lunch though we made a point of finding other teams to ride with. There were quite a few benefits; first of all we could let someone else worry about the route and set the pace, secondly we could draft and finally we had other folks to talk to. Still, at the end of the day we just had to head out on our own for some climbing to the top of the nearest hill to check out the view from a old watchtower.

The view was great and the beer was even better after a hard hot climb.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Our last day of real riding was going to take us into Budapest (pretty exotic if you ask me). The tour leaders warned everyone that the last 20 miles or so were going to be pretty hard to navigate and on the last trip they led through there lots of riders got lost.

As usual I had a plan.

But first we did our standard extra morning hill climb followed by a hard chase to catch up with the rest of the teams. The whole tour regrouped at a shopping village (Miss M took full advantage of the buying opportunity).

Since I knew that the leaders Bill and Jan McCready had been through there just a week earlier, they wern't likely to get lost and I had no intention of doing anything but suck their wheel into town.

That is what we did and it was crazy (a good crazy). Bill and Jan had loaned their road bike to another team and were on a MTB tandem. They took us over the nastiest beat up trails and roads on the way into Budapest. On the flats they were holding a steady 20mph so we wern't having any problems keeping up with their speed but the bumps were jarring fillings loose. We would pass teams that were more than happy to follow for a while but then we would take a crazy turn or hop a curb or run a light or something equally nutty and open up a gap that would never close. Still there was no way we were getting lost-I was stuck to their wheel and not about to let go. The highlight (or lowlight perhaps) was when we rode through what appeared to be the lobby of a building  . Then there was the bridge under construction where there was just no room at all for a tandem (we did slow down a bit for that one).

It was a great ride and it seemed like we blew into Budapest in no time. Let me tell you it was big fun in a whacked out city racing kind of way-just about like our standard DC commute. We liked it!


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## thebadger (Jul 27, 2002)

Part 3 looks a little more urban. Interesting pics though. Look forward to the upcoming text.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

For our last day of the trip Santana had arranged for organized bike tours of Budapest led by local bicycle tour guides. Having seen how the group rode the day before we had no intention of getting caught in the middle or back of the pack. We stuck to the back wheel of the tour guide and didn't have any problems with traffic or getting lost (Miss M reported chaos behind us).

We felt free to split from the group a few times ("Let's check out this church" and "Hey, is that a street fair?") before catching up with another group for a while. It was a great way to explore a city and we had a lot more fun than we did in Vienna.

Alas, all good things must come to an end sometime so just before lunch we took the bike apart and loaded it into the case. Still that gave us all afternoon to walk to the top of the tallest local hill. The views were great and I finally found something I wanted to buy!

A little stroll round town after dinner and vacation drew to a close.......


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Good bye for now.*

I suspect we will be back.


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## mrrun2fast (Apr 14, 2003)

Your pics rock!!! There are some classics in there. Thanks!


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Wow. Nicely done.


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## dingster1 (Jul 2, 2006)

Nice!!!


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

Great pictures M. -- glad to see that you finally got rid of that red, black and white thing stuck to your lense in the very first pictures!!

Budapest is a great city.

Now that you have tested the waters, you need to plan a real bona-fide on-your own exploration of France and Italy!!

Cheers


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*What I learned.*

Europe is wild!

Organized tours are a great way to see a new place for the first time. Once you have learned the way things work you won't need them again.

Everyone rides.

Hard to find a bad meal or snack (unless you visit McDonalds which are all over the place).

Burger King sells beer!

I sure like the way they decorate their buildings-although graffiti and the homeless are still a problem in the cities.

That tandem is the best bike we have ever owned. Which kind of hurts as I do love my Waterfords.

Having Miss M for a stoker is like having a turbo boost on the back of the bike. Power to spare and always willing to go a little further, harder or faster!

Oh yes, one other thing we learned is that after a couple weeks and 1,000+ miles on a tandem single bikes are hard to ride. I had troubles balancing without a stoker and Miss M actually had to steer. Took a couple of days before we felt safe on the things!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Since it is your idea and all.......*



philippec said:


> ...Now that you have tested the waters, you need to plan a real bona-fide on-your own exploration of France and Italy!!....


I'm thinking it is time for you to lay out a route for us in France-something where we can ride a bunch without traveling a lot.

Say for late next Spring........ 

We will bring our drinking pants! :thumbsup:


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

Love all the pics but that "through the lobby" thing is just a classic.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

OK,

What level of mountains do you want with that order? None, medium, high?
What level and type of cultural distractions? Medieval, Rennaissance, ?
What level of wet weather tolerance?
What kind of wine do you prefer to drink? 
0-10 on the rural-ometer -- pick a number (0 city, 10 just you and the cows baby!)
What kind of lodging? 
Do you need en-suite facilities?
Budget per day?


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

Wow, I have now decided that when the wife and I hit Europe it will be on 2 wheels. Not so sure about the tandem thing since there is a 17 inch height difference but definitely want to go by bike. Thanks for sharing.


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

philippec said:


> OK,
> 
> What level of mountains do you want with that order? None, medium, high?
> What level and type of cultural distractions? Medieval, Rennaissance, ?
> ...


I have a feeling the only one they might care about is the wine question. 

Nice pics. Looks like a great trip.


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## carter1 (Aug 5, 2004)

very nice trip, glad you had fun.
do you think you'll do another guided trip?
c


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Great three part report MB1. If Phillipec is planning a tour you oughta just be RBR tour leader.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

philippec said:


> OK,...


What level of mountains do you want with that order? None, medium, high?
*Don't much care but a mix would likely be nice.*

What level and type of cultural distractions? Medieval, Rennaissance, ?
*We like to ride.*

What level of wet weather tolerance?
*Just so we can ride every day. We have no problems with fenders and rain jackets. Don't much care to break out the wetsuits and snorkels.*

What kind of wine do you prefer to drink? 
*Tasty*

0-10 on the rural-ometer -- pick a number (0 city, 10 just you and the cows baby!)
*3-7*

What kind of lodging? 
*Clean with running water.*

Do you need en-suite facilities?
*What the heck is that? You talking toilets and showers? Ya, we would like that....*

Budget per day?
*$100-$200US for the both of us.*


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

carter1 said:


> ...do you think you'll do another guided trip?...


Oh, sure. This was our third Santana trip in 10 years and we have enjoyed them all. Might go with another group but the Santana groups are fun to be with and since almost everyone is part of a family or a couple a lot of the foolishness that goes with group tours is avoided.

Everyone has a lot in common (so you have plenty to talk about) and few if any folks are trying to hook up.

Makes for very relaxed evenings.


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

Thanks for taking us along MB1. I enjoyed the trip reports.


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## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

Very well done. Thanks for the time and effort to put that all together for the rest of us to enjoy.

I see a book in your future - MB1's guide to europe on two wheels


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

MB1 said:


> What level of mountains do you want with that order? None, medium, high?
> *Don't much care but a mix would likely be nice.*
> 
> What level and type of cultural distractions? Medieval, Rennaissance, ?
> ...


Given that I have ridden with MB1 and Miss M and have traveled in France with Philippe, I am very interested to see how Philippe responds. I have some ideas, But, I want to see what the master serves up first. 

Philippe did not ask one relevant question: How do you feel about renting a car as opposed to taking public transportation? As one would expect for a man who does not have a driver's license, Philippe can get to the most remote corners of France by public transportation. For example, my journey home this summer started off by bike, then I transferred to a bus, then to a train -- with a stopover in Toulouse to watch the TDF, then to a night train in a sleeper compartment, then to another train for the final leg to the airport. On the other hand, if you do not mind driving, you can get to those remote places on your own schedule and without having to carry your bike and baggage on your back through train and bus stations. Besides the usual hassles of driving, drawbacks to driving in France are: (1) it is very hard to rent an automatic transmission auto; (2) fuel in very expensive; (3) road tolls are very expensive (like 20 or 30 Euros for a trip on an Autoroute) and (4) you can get from Paris to the vicinity of the Alpes or the Pyrenees much faster by train than you can by driving.

One thing about which I have more expertise than Philippe is how to get from home in the US to France and back. I used to be a big proponent of flying to the largest airport in France closest to one's ultimate riding distination (i.e., Lyon or Geneva for the Alpes, Toulouse for the Pyrenees). The last two trips, I have flown in and out of Paris and taken the train from Paris to the riding destination. After lost luggage on transfers through London enroute to regional airports, missed and cancelled planes on transfers in the US and other vagaries of plane travel, my recommendation would be to get a direct flight from the Dulles to Paris and then take the train from there. This summer, I went directly from the French train system to CDG (Paris airport) and it worked very well.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

I'm working something up. Lasr questions, how long a stay and would you rather have a point-to-point itinerary (and carry your gear) or one or do loops out of aone or two central lodgings ... I recommend the latter, you can get many +150 km ries w/out having to double over routes


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

philippec said:


> I'm working something up. Lasr questions, how long a stay and would you rather have a point-to-point itinerary (and carry your gear) or one or do loops out of aone or two central lodgings ... I recommend the latter, you can get many +150 km ries w/out having to double over routes


Probably leave DC on a friday afternoon which gets us into a Euro airport Saturday morning. Fly out the following Sunday.

The problem with carrying our gear is that we will have a case for the tandem (figure the thing is slightly larger than a standard S&S case). Plus Miss M doesn't mind a bit of luxury.

Loops are good and we don't mind some overlap, it is nice to get to know an area and riding the same good route a couple of times is always good as you get to notice things you missed the first time.

150k is a good distance on vacation. We can always add more by going shopping and/or getting lost and the like.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

MarkS said:


> ....Philippe did not ask one relevant question: How do you feel about renting a car as opposed to taking public transportation? .....


I can drive a stick no problem but cars are *NO* fun on vacation or otherwise. We would rather ride our bikes.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

MB1 said:


> The problem with carrying our gear is that we will have a case for the tandem (figure the thing is slightly larger than a standard S&S case). .


When I went to France in July, I unpacked my bike at the Paris airport and stored my Trico Iron case there -- there is a service called bagagesdumonde that has a kiosk at the airport and will store bags. The storage charges for my bike case for 13 days were 90 Euros. If you take your bike on the TGV (high speed French trains) rather than the slow regional trains, you will need a "housse" for your bike, which is a soft covering that you can carry with a shoulder strap -- I have one that I can lend to you, but I am not sure that the tandem will fit into it. On regional trains, you can take your bike without disassembling it.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

OK -- see how seriously I take this assignment: I'm heading down south to Provence to scout out some routes for you!

I'll be back in 1.5 weeks and will have some suggestions.

Cheers


Philippe


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

philippec said:


> OK -- see how seriously I take this assignment: I'm heading down south to Provence to scout out some routes for you!


Now that sounds like a tough assignment. Cycling in Provence for me is heaven on earth. The perfect combination of challenging climbs (Ventoux), interesting cities (Arles, Aix-en-Provence), perfect villages (all through the Luberon: Bonnieux, LaCoste, Rousillon, Gordes, etc etc etc), great food and bottomless pichets of red wine.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

philippec said:


> OK -- see how seriously I take this assignment: I'm heading down south to Provence to scout out some routes for you!
> 
> I'll be back in 1.5 weeks and will have some suggestions.
> 
> ...


MB1 should send you his credit card number. It is only fair and equitable that he pay for the scouting trip. :thumbsup:


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

philippec said:


> OK -- see how seriously I take this assignment: I'm heading down south to Provence to scout out some routes for you!
> 
> I'll be back in 1.5 weeks and will have some suggestions.
> 
> ...



You are a good man!

(I never believed any of those things MarkS told us about you.  :blush2:  )


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## M.J. (Jan 28, 2004)

great reports - thanks

Slovakia is one of my favourite countries to cycle in and Budapest one of my favourite cities to visit

you guys would dig riding in France - it sets a benchmark for cycling 

which Santana model is that?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

M.J. said:


> ...which Santana model is that?


Beyond with S&S couplers.


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

MB1, I really enjoyed reading your tandem reports from the old world. Gives us something to plan for in 17 years when the little one has left the nest.

A few questions hopefully you haven't had to answer twice:

Were many couples riding MTB tandems or similar style with flat/city handlebars? Do you think the upright position has any benefits on tour?

Were you happy with the V-brakes and did you ever consider a drum brake (which is frequently cited as necessary for long descents)?

How was the learning curve with the tandem? Did you follow Bill's philosophy that "the stoker is never wrong"?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Were many couples riding MTB tandems or similar style with flat/city handlebars? Do you think the upright position has any benefits on tour? 
*There were a few couples with flat-bar tandems on the tour. They were generally more casual riders although Jan and Bill demonstrated that just because you have flat bars doesn't mean you can't move right along. Miss M and I are very comfortable riding on dirt roads so we had no issues with any of the surfaces we encountered on the trip. It is really only an issue for the captain anyway as most stoker bars are either flat or bullhorns.*

Were you happy with the V-brakes and did you ever consider a drum brake (which is frequently cited as necessary for long descents)? 
*We had a stock bike with V-Brakes on the front and a disc on the rear. I agree that a tandem likely needs some sort of heat sink brake for long downhills. Our setup worked very, very well.*

How was the learning curve with the tandem? Did you follow Bill's philosophy that "the stoker is never wrong"? 
*I've been riding tandems for 30+ years and Miss M and I were riding tandems together before we got married so we didn't have any sort of learning curve. I'd amend Bill's statement to "A captains #1 responsibility is to keep the stoker safe and happy."*


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Amazing. I need a vacation like that.

re: the Coop photo. :thumbsup:


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Very nice MB1. I know when I did my first (and only) guided tour for the two weeks in Italy it was wonderful. My thing is that when I'm on vacation I only want to ride, and having all hotels and luggage transfer taken care was great. When we went I hadn't had all that much travel experience and was pretty nervous about getting lost so I pretty much stuck with the guide's plan. I've traveled so much in the last year and been to so many places where I couldn't speak the language or read anything that it no longer bothers me and I'll definitely be doing a lot more exploring. If all goes well maybe next year.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

I'm back - here's a teaser.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

philippec said:


> I'm back - here's a teaser.



Vaison-la-Romaine and Gorges de la Nesque? Where is Le Geant de Provence? Or are you saving that for your next installment?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

philippec said:


> I'm back - here's a teaser.



Hmmmmmm.......... :idea: 

O.K. I think that will work. :thumbsup:


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

Looks wonderful, great pictures and report. What a wonderful way to see Europe. I love the comment about having turbo boost;-)
Thanks for sharing.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

MarkS said:


> <strike>Vaison-la-Romaine</strike> <b>Gordes, Le Barroux</b> and Gorges de la Nesque? Where is Le Geant de Provence? Or are you saving that for your next installment?


Fixed! and the Geant is right there staring at you in the middle of some of those shots! Did not go up this time though, I was up in June in the fog, rain and cold during a cyclosportive -- and the morning I planned to go up last week saw similar conditions + thunder and lightning over the last 6 km -- so I rode elsewhere -- this was my family vacation after all, not the TDP!

I'll post a full report later.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

MB1 said:


> O.K. I think that will work. :thumbsup:


You bet it will work. No better place to go touring on your bicycle to my mind. And a couple more teasers from the same area... (but you can't go unless you like good food and cheap red wine)


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

oarsman said:


> .... (but you can't go unless you like good food and cheap red wine)


Boones Farm?


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Boones Farm?


Unclear on reference  I take it Boones Farm has good food and cheap red wine. Bet the food and wine would taste even better beneath a full moon in the shadow of the Palais des Papes in Avignon... (have we convinced you and MrsM to book your tickets yet?)


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Gotta love Wikipedia*



oarsman said:


> Unclear on reference  I take it Boones Farm has good food and cheap red wine. ....


You gather wrong. Boones Farm is the choice of high school girls everywhere..... 

_Boone's Farm is a flavored wine or malt beverage product produced in Modesto, California by E & J Gallo Winery. The beverage is available in a variety of flavors. Boone's farm beverages are often located in the cold box area of convenience stores._


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

MB1 said:


> You gather wrong. Boones Farm is the choice of high school girls everywhere.....
> 
> _Boone's Farm is a flavored wine or malt beverage product produced in Modesto, California by E & J Gallo Winery. The beverage is available in a variety of flavors. Boone's farm beverages are often located in the cold box area of convenience stores._


Oh dear... you probably would be thrown in jail in France if you were seen drinking that.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

oarsman said:


> Oh dear... you probably would be thrown in jail in France if you were seen drinking that.


Do they still use the Guillotine?


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

philippec said:


> Fixed! and the Geant is right there staring at you in the middle of some of those shots! .


Well, at least I correctly identified the Gorges de la Nesque. I have had many memorable rides in France, but I have to say that the day that I descended from Mont Ventoux to Sault through fields of lavender and spelt followed by the Gorges de la Nesque was one of the most spectacular rides that I have done. I'm looking forward to the rest of your report.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Do they still use the Guillotine?


The death penalty may still be on the books for such a heinous offence....


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## thebadger (Jul 27, 2002)

*Sault lavender fields in '04*



MarkS said:


> Well, at least I correctly identified the Gorges de la Nesque. I have had many memorable rides in France, but I have to say that the day that I descended from Mont Ventoux to Sault through fields of lavender and spelt followed by the Gorges de la Nesque was one of the most spectacular rides that I have done. I'm looking forward to the rest of your report.


The fields were quite a pleasant surprise while descending Ventoux into Sault


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

thebadger said:


> The fields were quite a pleasant surprise while descending Ventoux into Sault



Thanks for the pictures. The fields are quite spectacular to see -- and they smell good, too. :thumbsup: I was there in mid-July 2006. From your pictures, it looks like you might have been there at the end of June or beginning of July. When I was there, people were harvesting the fields, so I am not sure how late into the season the fields are full of lavendar. In any event, it also was a pleasant surprise for me and a very nice treat after climbing Mont Ventoux.


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