Cycling the Cingle du Tremolat
Yesterday being Sunday it was bike-ride day.
Each week the other members of our little cycling team come up with a route a little bit longer and a little bit tougher than the one before. I have no say in the matter because they have lived here all their lives and know every road, viewpoint, distance and weather condition, and I’m completely clueless.
So my input is warmly welcomed, and then ignored without further ado.
This weeks trip started off like any other - passing through a couple of classified ‘most beautiful villages in France’ and a medieval bastide town or two, before descending to the Dordogne River.
My first excitement of the day - during the descent I momentarily had 60kmh showing on my speed monitor, a personal record. Doesn’t sound fast? Trust me, on a bike it seems fast.
As we tootled along it became apparent that we were headed towards Tremolat, home of one of the finest viewpoints in the Dordogne (across the Cingle de Tremolat)…and a hill that cyclists talk about in hushed and reverent tones, because of its length and steepness. There was a severe danger this would spoil my morning.
As we approached the hill the prunes got handed around. These are the equivalent of an energy bar in this parts, and since two of the team have their own prune orchards there is plenty of friendly rivalry about which prunes will be most beneficial. If you’ve never tried ‘half-dried pruneaux d’agen’ your life has been sadly empty.
As it turned out, the hill to the viewpoint was no better or worse than many of the other hills in the region, which was a bit disappointing but a bit of a relief as well. A bit like setting off to climb Mount Everest and finding it only took the morning and you had the afternoon free to do something else.
If you are visiting the Dordogne this year, you should visit the Cingle de Tremolat viewpoint. A great view over an enormous bend in the river, the view is so wide that it is like looking through a distorted wide angle lens. Impossible to photograph well, unfortunately. In two weeks time it will be choc-a-bloc with tourists but yesterday we had it all to ourselves.
So, another day, another myth dispelled, and another day to remember why I’m so pleased to be living here. Jealous? You should be.
