Mostly Bikes ⨯ Me

D1 and Sun.

2026-02-18

Into the pines on the D1. Sandwich outside the church in Monieux and coffee in Gordes. The descent through Venasque bests the climb, but it's good both directions.

Luberon. Murs. Rain.

2026-02-13

Riding roads to the southwest that we hadn't explored. The sky darkened about half way through. Not thunderstorm dark, that dull featureless dark that says "This will come slowly, and it will go slowly" And it did. Now I need do go shove towels in my shoes.

Montbrun-les-Bains

2026-02-11

The D217 and D1A, high above the valley, are silent, just the occasional bird chirp. The trunks and branches of the evergreens on the south side of the road are covered in undisturbed lichen. It's still winter, certainly, but hints of spring are starting to appear in the warmer bits of the gorges. Climbing out of Veaux, a small patch of purple flowers are just starting to bloom.

Perpignan to Beziers.

2026-02-06

A contrast in major disasters versus minor disasters. The 1999 Aude floods washed entire villages down river. The rusting husks of vehicles remain piled at the bottom of the gorges around Tautavel. To the north, burn scars. The solitary yellow cylinder is a fire hydrant. As for minor disasters, a road closure diverted traffic into the villages between Narbonne and Beziers. A quieter route through the vineyards dead ended at a marsh, forcing a longer than expected day. The weather looks good tomorrow, but Sunday has snow forecast along our route. We need to be home Monday, so we’ll grab an afternoon train along the coast tomorrow.