Club News April 2008

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Reflections from Les Cevennes continued

Last summer was punctuated by Kate’s short visits to Croydon for work, and with lots of visits from friends and family. I never thought I’d see it but my nearly 89 year old mum got her first passport and made her first ever trip out of England.

It’s been particularly interesting watching the wildlife coming and going. Probably the most spectacular bird is the short toed eagle, for which the French name for some reason is “Circaete Jean le Blanc” – it’s half as big again as a buzzard and feeds on snakes and lizards- which means it goes back to the middle east or Africa by the start of October. It’s a bit like a land hunting Osprey and the way it hovers, it seems like a giant slow- motion Kestrel, looking for likely candidates for lunch.

I wish I was more adept at identifying butterflies, as there have been dozens of species visiting us at various times over the summer (and autumn), some that I could pick out were Scarce Swallowtail, Great Banded Grayling, Scarce Copper and Two Tailed Pasha, plus loads of types of fritillary which are difficult to pin down as there are so many alike.

The first time I came here I thought it was cycling heaven – although anyone who doesn’t like hills might disagree. There isn’t much that’s flat, even the road from our house to St. Jean du Gard, where the nearest supermarket is, seems flat when driving the car but actually the road drops over 300 metres in 25 kilometres. As for the “proper” hills, many of these are not particularly steep, but usually quite long; 10 Km climbs are not uncommon.

The longest climb is 28 Km ( well the first 3 Km are flat), from Valleraugue to Mont Aigoual, the highest point in the area at 1565 Metres, or just over 5000 feet. Apart from L’Aigoual, there are loads of other more modest cols within reach in the 800-1000 Metre range.

The “basic” circuit from Chez Billy is just over 37 Km, but you have to be riding quite strongly to complete it in under 90 minutes. It’s best to do it clockwise, as it means that there are several easy Km to get warmed up for the climbs; if done anticlockwise the climbing comes almost as soon as you start.

The clockwise version takes you firstly down the narrow road (watch the bends), mostly downhill, for 4.2 Km where you join the D907 which follows the Valley Borgne in the directiopn of St. Jean du Gard. This is as near as you’ll get to a main road in the immediate area, and is pleasant, easy riding – still very slightly downhill for another 8.3 Km where you turn right at a crossroads (the lowest point of the circuit at 330 metres) towards Les Plantiers and the Col du Pas. Basically, apart from a couple of brief respites, it’s 15Km uphill now to the Col, although I never consider the climb proper to start until 3.5Km after the pretty village of Les Plantiers, where you turn right across the river, and head for the metal bridge at Faveyrolles, from where it is 6.7Km to the summit.

It’s a climb you have to treat with some respect; as there is a marked increase in gradient about halfway up, which depending on how hard you’ve taken the bottom of the climb, can hit you like a case of the bonk. Two or three years ago I used to treat this climb a bit like a 10 mile T.T. and on a good day could do the 6.7 Km in 21 minutes. These days I am not only less fit but also carrying a couple of extra kilos, and am happy to get to the top without blowing up, and usually take about 25 minutes! It’s a climb mainly through chestnut woodland, with occasional breaks in the trees for the views. This climb gives me a chance to zip open my top in true Greg Lemond fashion to expose my manly ( ? ) chest, or more likely my thermal undervest; whichever, it certainly helps you keep warm on the descents if your dry, even in the summer! The last kilometre of the climb is slightly less steep, and if you’re still feeling frisky you can slip it up a sprocket up to the Col du Pas (833 metres )- an unexceptional looking place apart from the rather modern looking war memorial on your left.

The next 3.8 Km is fairly level riding until the Col De L’Espinas ( 848 metres ), and here the road is like a ‘shelf’, with a drop on your right, and with quite dramatic views over the the immediate valleys (including where you’ve just climbed from ) but also further west out towards the Rhone Valley and beyond. On particularly clear days, you can see Mont Ventoux (about 100 Km ), and on clear days in the winter, the snow capped Alpes Maritimes beyond that ( at least 150 Km ). Then you’re over the Col De L’Espinas , with a brief snatch of a view of Mont Lozere to the north before you start snaking (carefully) down through more chestnut woodland towards Tourgueille, another 6Km or so all downhill back to Chez Billy.

There are also lots of off-road routes in the area, for both MTB’ers and walkers. The climbs are long and arduous, but as is often the case, there are some great views as rewards for the effort (the climbs tend to go up higher than the roads do). I could go on for longer about the mountain biking and walking but as this article is rapidly descending into a promotional piece about Chez Billy (visit www.chezbilly.fr), I’d better stop. (Richard Clark)