One for cyclists (mainly)

All the five-day forecasts for here for this week or so have veered on the optimistic: the temperatures and wind have been reasonably close, but the actual amount of sun has been much lower than predicted. Still, we've avoided the UK's weekend storms, and I've done 400 miles in the week without getting properly wet,  and have had enough sun to get some tan-lines, so I'll leave the complaining to the locals. (And yes, they do moan when it's not sunny and warm!) 

Today's forecast: rain in morning, clearing around lunchtime. So, after some morning shopping, off at midday for something like a 70-mile ride, with two purposes: to ride up the D70-D411 from the D93 near Aouste,  and to try the alternative road (the D202) from the Col de Lescou to St. Nazaire-le-Désert. 

The bits for cyclists:

1) The D70-D411 is a really nice little road to get up to the Saoû road,  but deliberately it is poorly signposted, to dissuade car drivers using it as a rat-run (I assume). If you use it the other way you'll easily miss it (see photo). As ever, use a map, or GPS, if you don't know your way around. You'll know I'm a map man. 

2) I wouldn't recommend the D202 from Col de Lescou as a way to get to St. Nazaire-le-Désert: the D355 is a lovely little descent, whereas the D202 is very gravelly and sketchy on the way down. If you're a col-bagger and must to the Col de Muse, much better to ascend from St. Nazaire, though still watch out for gravel on the descent to Col de Lescou. 

It actually was still a lovely ride, despite the less-than-scorching weather, my estimate of the length of the ride (it ended up being 80 miles), and the need for a rather more hasty return than anticipated. Fortunately my legs were game on this occasion.

Here's the route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7375230

The easily-missed turn

Looking back down to Col de Lescou from the Col de Muse

Weather passes by over the Roanne valley

French road signage

I like maps. I definitely like maps, and prefer them any day to GPS systems. I'll admit I've never used GPS on my bike, though I've used it on Dartmoor walks: having got over the novelty, and marvelled at its precision,  I realised that I was more concerned about reaching my waypoints than taking everything around me, despite using it with a good map. I'll still take it with me on Dartmoor, but just for safety, and not general navigation - it stays turned off, unless the need arises. And I'll not deny that a bike GPS can have its uses, particularly in unfamiliar big towns, where signage can be erratic and junctions frequent.

But round here there is simply no need for GPS: the towns are not large, and more importantly, the signage is so good that a decent map and the signs are enough.

Firstly, the maps: though I've moaned about the paper quality, the IGN 1:100,000 series is ample for cycling, though their elevation data is a bit sparse, and you have to learn to read 'between the lines' if you don't want to get caught out with more climbing than you anticipated.

Then there's the signage round here - it's pretty comprehensive, once you know where you're going. Firstly, there are the general road signs, which always give distances and road numbers. (Note: occasionally a road will have two numbers, if two 'routes' share the same road, though there's only the Grenoble to Gap road round here that I can think of that does that.) Secondly there are the incredibly useful km markers along all but the smallest roads, that give distance from the starting point of the road, distance to the next place, and sometimes elevation and % gradient for the next kilometre. And lastly, there are the river and col signs that can confirm that you're definitely where you should be.

The point is that if you use a map and your senses you'll get a much better sense of the geography of wherever you are: not just the narrow strip on which you're riding, but also the rich landscape around you. And boy, there's some rich landscape round here.

Photos below come from today's southerly ride, down to Dieulefit, across to Trente Pas, and back up to return via the Roanne Valley. A pretty awesome ride, both physically and geographically.