Dieppe to Nice Stage 09 on Sunday, 6th July 2025. An easier ride up above the Ardèche Gorge with some fantastic scenery and then through vineyards and sunflowers fields of the Rhône Valley, until reaching Orange. From there to Carpentras on an old rail track that has been transformed into a cycle route, with some tail winds (yay, that’s a first since Dieppe!!!). Finally, completed the course in an Airbnb in Le Beaucet with a stunning view of the Mont Ventoux. I’ve ridden up it once from Sault (the easiest ascent) and I was going to do all three main ascents last year, but I had to abandon due to high winds. It’s tempting to try it this year … … …
Today is stage nine going from Valon Pond over to Lubus which is near Capontra uh on the other side of the Ron River. Um but just before we go we we stayed overnight in this lovely place. Um it’s actually right next to the Valon Pond itself about 50 m walk. Um and it’s an old magnanerie apparently. Whatever. So I didn’t know the word magnanerie. Uh apparently it’s a silkworm factory. So, in the 17th century, they used to grow silk worms here and make silk. Um, now they’ve changed it into sort of a few hotel rooms uh etched into the side of this cliff. Um, very nicely done. Very nice place to stay. So, quite a short trip today. Um, can’t remember exactly, but something like 100 km. Uh, and not too much climbing. Uh uh this is the seventh day in a row I’ve been riding. So yeah, quite keen to keep it easy today. So just another view across the aldesh and onto this beautiful van pond. So that’s where I swam under yesterday from the beach right on the other side over to where there’s two canoes and three people on the left. And you can see how the gorge has been cut by the river here, the alesh. And you can canoe all the way down that. We’ve done it before about 40 km all the way down river. And they come and pick you up and take you back. Yeah. I’ve cycled up to the colour and you get a lovely view across to the river. Goes all the way down there. Winds around there. you can see follows back. We’re about 300 m up. The river is about 90 m at this point. So that’s 200 m down. And you can see just over there in that bit there that’ll eventually break through and you get an oxbow lake. It’s about all the geography I know. And the gorge continues down there. Gets higher and higher as we go down towards the rone. So over in the top of the picture there is the collar that’s just at about the same elevation here. You can see how the road comes down. It’s such good fun riding around downhill on those banking right over. I’m not the only one only one doing it. There are a bunch of motorcyclists having really good fun. Pretty sure they’re going faster than the speed limit. They’re enjoying themselves. That’s for sure. He’s coming into orange. This big Autri monument. So I’m riding along the Via Venia. It’s an old railway track. It goes along the valley here. Went goes from to Jeier and Kontra soon. It’s easy to get a decent speed up here. Not really putting any effort in at all. First time I got tailwind behind me for the whole route, I think, since the app and I’m enjoying it. Well, that’s the end of stage nine from Vanon Pond over to Lubusi in Province. Uh we went up above the gorge of the uh Ardesh. Beautiful views from there. Came back down the other side. It was lovely. Um then across the Ron Valley, nice and flat. the first tailwind I’ve had since DEP. So, uh I could roll pretty fast. Uh when the energy built up after a rather uh uh big lunch that I had with Joe. Um and now uh yeah, we’re finishing off in Lobos here. 105 km in all. Um uh probably about 1500 meters of climbing. Um where we’ve reached is um part of Provence which has a lovely view across to um Monontto in the background there. I think you can see it. Um and yeah, looking forward to going up that. Probably going to have a rest day and then maybe have a go at that.