lundi 11 juillet

I’m already sluggish when I roll north out of Langeac on the D590 across the two-arched bridge over the Allier. My previous two rides started west and south.

It’s three in the apres-midi; my thermometer says 32 degrees; the traffic volume is greater than on any other road ridden so far.

I can hear the tar, sticky in the heat, sucking at my tyres. I seem to be sinking into treacly ooze, shifting to lower and yet lower gears. Four clicks out the 590 heads east to Le Puy and the road surface of D114 to Chavaniac-Lafayette is fine. My legs begin to find some rhythm.

Chavaniac-Lafayette is shuttered against the heat for mid-afternoon siesta. I top up my bidon at the spigot in the town centre: most towns have fresh water from a pipe somewhere, if you look for it.

The rest of the ride is forgetable; the panoramas of previous days are absent as I stay closer to the valley of the Allier. There’s a pleasant descent to Lavoute-Chilhac, but the town seems less romantically ancient than it did the other day: not less ancient, but less romantic, full of canoeists and yellow polystyrene craft.

This day certainly has panoramas: I begin it by walking up the Chemin de Malsan to Volmadet, high avove Langeac. At the top I am treated to 360-degree views over vast hazy distances.

Every square metre of France has a name; every farm, every road, street, chemin (path) and goat-track is sign-posted. With a reasonable map, and a Michelin is more than reasonable, any reasonable man can land himself reasonably exactly on the spot he set out for.

The day is warm early and I’m sweating bullets at the top of Volmadet. And I continue sweating when I descend and walk into the centre ville. My little epicerie is closed today; there’s no knowing when any particular shop in France will be open or shut.

It’s time to check my travel money card at the retrait—the ATM. The first choice the screen offers is five languages. Imagine such a thing in multicultural Australia. I ask for €150 and the machine delivers, apologising if I’m not satisfied with the note denominations, two 50s, two 20s and a ten.

I buy two postcards and L’equipe at the maison de la presse (newsagent) and tomorrow’s ticket for the scenic train ride.

Voila.

[51.3kms @ 22.5 kph. Montage 607m, MxA 728m, max grade 7%]