Biking on the crest of the Luberon

In July if you want to cycle in Provence you need to choose the early morning or evening, avoiding the heat of midday. I left in the late afternoon to attack the steepest slopes of the Luberon.

The forestry road climbs at well over 10%, over picturesque valleys and cliff edges, while the great expanse of the Rhône valley rolls out into the horizon.

Sunset before descending...

Three days later I came back, cycled the grueling 6km up to the ridge, and continued farther atop the plateau, hovering at around 700m with terrific vistas. And this on a road forbidden to motorized traffic where I saw no one. This reminded me why I try and train my cycling legs: as a general rule of thumb, the harder the haul, the better the reward at the top...

The picture below, atop the plateau, would be the last for my little Canon camera. After taking this last shot I attempted to shoot a video while descending, hit a pot-hole, lost balance...