Kurt's Bike Trip in France - Part VII: Now in Provence

Today’s the transfer day… we leave the Alps and head southwest to Provence, to the town of Bedoin. It’s about a 4 hour drive, so I’m actually typing the beginning portion of this post whilst in the van en route to our next hotel. A lot of the drive was on the motorway (interstate) along the Rhone valley. It was a nice ride to take in the fruit orchards and sunflower fields in this region.

[Now reflecting back on the day from the comforts of my hotel room]… I arrived in the Provence-region town of Bedoin at around 12:45p. We had a leisurely lunch, and then changed into our cycling clothes for what would be a 28-mile/2-hour ride around the area. There were no big climbs today (there’s a BIG one tomorrow… the final one of the trip) but a bunch of nice gentle rollers through the countryside and small villages (Malaucène, Suzette, Caromb.) The weather was perfect and allowed for great views across hillsides and shallow valleys filled with all sorts of flora: vineyards, olive trees, fruit orchards, plant nurseries, etc. It’s a COMPLETELY different area than where we were for the last several days… In Provence (as compared to the Alps) the landscape is less rugged and mountainous (but still very beautiful), the architecture is more “Mediterranean” looking (more terra-cotta style roofs, fewer exposed external wood beams), there's the occasional chateau and monastery.

Sorry for the short write-up, but I’m tired and need to get some rest for tomorrow. Today was a nice ride for sure, and I think the pictures I’ll eventually make available will do a better job capturing and describing the area in which I rode today. In the meantime, here's the map and elevation profile (follow prior day's instructions to see the latter.)