Étape 10: Valence to Avignon (150km)

The longest ride of the tour was mostly a smooth and fast ride down along the Rhône, though there was some drama in the final few km!

I forgot to mention that last night just as we arrived in Valence two French cyclists came over to us looking for help. Despite the language barrier we were able to supply the required allan key which helped them fix their saddle and smooth over diplomatic relations between France and the UK (especially post-Brexit!)

It was much easier to escape Valence this morning, with the French celebrating Ascension this meant that the roads were mostly quiet. It was another hot one though with temperatures pushing 30C by the afternoon. A keen breeze however kept it bearable, especially as (at around 15 gusting 25 to 30) it was a lovely tailwind.

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The route crisscrossed the Rhône with occasionally some very vulnerable looking bridges ( see above ) that required much care and attention to cross safely. We made good progress however and found a much needed oasis within the desert by means of a wonderful outdoor café in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, where we able to refresh ourselves.

Out south towards Orange we saw bamboo plantations and Lavender fields, and then the route came to an abrupt end where a reservoir had been created! Some quick re-routing was required but eventually we picked up on the fast D roads again, taking us past Mark’s favourite Châuteauneuf-du-Pape, and into Avignon where we are this very warm evening.

In a final moment of drama my back tyre had a blowout just a few km before reaching Avignon (probably the heat and stressful 1100km cycle), fortunately I was not going fast and we were able to temporarily fix it so I could bike into Avignon. However this does mean we need to find a bike shop tomorrow in order to find a more permanent fix and procede to our final destination Marseille!​

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