Villeplane

Distance: 34 miles. Elevation: 3708 ft.

This excursion to Villeplane was a quick straight up and down ride just to ‘see what was up there’. I’d passed the signpost to Villeplane several times in the past and when I checked it out on the map, the series of lacets climbing out of the gorge was enough to entice me. Actually there was another reason; I was hoping to get views of the wonderful Gorges de Daluis from a more elevated position.

I was familiar with the route from Entrevaux to the beginning of the climb, and in my mind it was relatively flat. In fact I climbed 1300ft on that 13-mile section. That just goes to show the scale of things round here, and what you get used to.

As can be seen from the photos, it was yet another glorious sunny day.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a view looking into the depths of the gorge, just views of the other side.

This ride was very similar to my ride to Sauze (which is just up the road from here), in as much as it starts off with loads of switchbacks and then flattens out once over the top, and ends at a small hamlet. Read about that snowy ride here.

I rode back along the flat bit to the start of the descent, and had my sandwich, looking at the view.

Then I made my way back down. Needless to say, traffic was almost non-existent.

So I didn’t get to see any spectacular aerial views into the depths of the gorge, nor any of le Pont de la Mariée, but it was still a wonderful ride, the likes of which I would willingly buy tickets for, were it in the UK!

Fuel

• 1 bidon
• 1 banana
• 1 apricot marmalade sandwich

Gallery

Click to enlarge / see slideshow

La Cola de la Teissoni