Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the Mid Day Sun

We were expecting rain this afternoon and so with a planned visit to a local market being called off at the last minute there was only one thing for it, splash on the sun cream, lycra up and go for a quick spin. The fact that it was just 30 minutes before mid day was not something which even crossed this Englishman's mind.

Kitted out in my new Ventoux sleeveless jersey, or summer gilet for when I'm back home, and Ventoux sweat busting cap, it felt great cruising along quiet, smooth French asphalted roads, heading towards the mountains under a full mid day sun.

The route I had planned would first take me out to Caromb and then on to Bédoin before then returning along the same route, some 30+ miles in total. As with every great plan, however, things turned out a little different. I made good time getting to Caromb, following the directions displayed on my Garmin Edge Touring's micro screen, but on exiting the town, as I cycled through the displays to get a distance reading, shock horror,  it had never started tracking my ride! So the 'Ride Now' function may start the route guidance software but the folk at Garmin never seemed to think it would be a good idea for this to also start capturing the all important ride statistics .. oh no! there has to be another button you need to press for that  .. bah, some technology sucks!  "Why get so worked up", I hear you say, well as everyone knows, if it's not on Strava, it never happened! Once home, therefore, I had to recreate the missed route on my computer to ensure my Strava record remained complete.

Caromb seemed a nice little town, made even more welcoming by the presence of a small market. I took the opportunity to buy, for 16c, a single banana, much to the amusement of the fruit seller. Declining the plastic bag, in which my single item of fruit looked decidedly lonely, I slipped the banana into my rear left pocket, the one I use for foodstuffs. The middle pocket always holds my wallet, money and documents, and my right pocket, my phone .. for easy access when a quick picture needs to be captured.

The road to Bédoin follows the line of the mountains east and then turns north towards Mont Ventoux. Today, unlike last Thursday, its summit is shrouded in heavy cloud. I think any rider climbing today will be getting touch of natures' liquid cooling this afternoon, some of which spills down into the valley as I cycle into Bédoin. My first thoughts are whether I need to procure a Ventoux rain cape to partner my gilet, but the precipitation comes to nothing and my wallet is saved another outing.

Having failed to capture the start of my ride on the Garmin, the usual assistance it offers in being able to return me to my starting point is lost. I, therefore, stick to the route I think I know and follow the signs back to Carpentras. Before getting hunkered down to pedal into what is starting to be a brisk head wind, I pause for a selfie at the Bédoin roundabout, upon which is sited the iconic cycling sculpture found on many a Mont Ventoux post card.

The road to Carpentras is a swift one and I would have been back at the Gîte in no time at all, had I not become overly confident in my navigation skills and thinking I was further ahead than I actually was, I took a turn which had me heading back to the mountains! Despite hating to have to retrace my steps, all confidence in any sense of direction was now shattered. I could not risk attempting to cut across country to complete the hypotenuse to the triangular route I would now need to plot, so a u-turn was the only option. Once back to the roundabout at which my erroneous turn occurred, the correct path was clear to see and my inner chimps had a right 'ding dong' over how I could have made such a mistake. I had another crisis within Carpentras, where when travelling in the opposite direction, I found that none of the landmarks and turnings looked familiar. It was with pure relief, therefore, that the final roundabout marking the gateway out of the town and towards home was finally crossed and I was again speeding on familiar, freshly laid tarmac.

The final combined distance was a stone's throw short of 30 miles, how I can have come in under the original distance, with all my detours, is a mystery. That aside, it was great to have had the opportunity for another spin, these French roads are just so bike friendly. With just two more days remaining, ahead of our long drive back to the UK, I am hoping to have another ride up Mont Ventoux, weather and legs permitting, before I bid my final farewell to this wonderful location.