e2e.bike

Cycling adventures across Yorkshire, Britain and beyond

Menu
  • End to Ends
    • Britain
    • Ireland
    • France
    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Belgium
    • Netherlands
    • Luxembourg
    • Denmark
    • Austria
    • Switzerland
    • Czechia
    • Slovakia
    • Poland
    • Latvia
    • Cuba
    • Sri Lanka
    • Taiwan
    • Isle of Man
    • Faroes
    • Liechtenstein
  • Coast to Coasts
  • Yorkshire Ridings
  • Others
  • Writings
Menu
← PreviousNext →

France 13: Mende to Villefort

Posted on 20 September 20152 April 2021 by Rob Ainsley

An easy day today, the first half uphill in the Lot valley, the second half one long downhill.



I slipped out of Mende – which is something of a mountain biking hub – this morning via the Old Town, where several shops have the same pro-cycling-message sticker in their window (pic). Not that this passer-by looked too pleased about it.



After twenty miles of so of climb, on a lovely sunny but fresh day, I reached the col marking the watershed between the Atlantic and the Med (pic). It would have felt more remote and thrilling, had it not been for the Carrefour supermarket half a level k up the road.



Clearly, then, it’s all downhill from here. Maybe. But the next 25km from the watershed to my destination of Villefort certainly was: many miles here and there without pedalling. And it was all a nice shallow gradient, enough to freewheel, but steady enough that you could enjoy the view (pic).

I’ve no idea what’s going on with this milestone, referencing Albert Einstein (pic). Who, famously, is quoted routinely as saying he ‘thought of [relativity] while riding my bike’.

Sadly, I’ve seen well-informed comment that says he never owned a bike during the time he worked on his ground-breaking theories.

I didn’t have any grand theoretical insights as I freewheeled down 15 miles to Villefort. I was only thinking of a nice cheap hotel, dinner, and a glass of wine. All of which I duly got. QED.

Miles today: 36
Miles since St Malo: 706

Previous
←   France 12: Entraygues-sur-Truyère to Mende
Next
France 14: Villefort to St Martin d’Ardèche →

You are here

e2e.bike > End to Ends > France > France 13: Mende to Villefort

Recent Posts

  • Germany 9: Kassel to Beverungen 14 September 2025
  • Germany 8: Bad Hersfeld to Kassel 13 September 2025
  • Germany 7: Kothen to Bad Hersfeld 12 September 2025

Random Posts

  • Britain 12: North Ferriby to Helmsley16 June 1997
    I grew up here in Ferriby, and it was a small world. …
  • Peaks 2: High Peak Trail26 February 2025
    With heavy rain forecast for this afternoon, I just did a short …
  • Humber Bridge: Still a world-beater for bikes1 September 2009
    Stats define us: dress size, batting average, salary. And when suspension bridges …

Search e2e.bike

Find me

        
Facebook • Bluesky • Linked In • Email
© 2025 e2e.bike | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme