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24-07-2015 Burgo → Burgo 78 km
for route click here
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Morning view . . . .
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. . . . s :-)
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Breakfast at 7 a.m. 'bigdog' is already at its post. Breakfast with cereals, nice, and toasted baguette − well, what can one expect at such an isolated location, a location with a GRANDIOSE view. And a clear blue sky, of course. Good start! I hand over a bag of laundry to our very nice hostess, who between the lines remarks about the route to the Col de St.-Eustache: "C'est qu'une piste". And that the altitude of the hotel is only 200 m above sea level. It certainly felt like higher, yesterday. Well we'll see what happens.
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Steep start to get
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to the D577
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View to Propiano
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Interesting 'staircase'
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Dad in his new shirt
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Beautiful views
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The other side of the shirt
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BEAUTIFUL views!
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The D577 goes up irregularly, and the condition of the road surface is quite irregular too. We pass a swimming opportunity − something to keep in mind for the (possible) way back. After 7 km it splits in a paved and an unpaved road. The first part of the piste doesn't look too bad to me; Enya is less optimistic. However, her attitude is (not for the first time): I'll survive. After 1.5 km, a bit too far to retrace our steps, she is less charmed, and her regret grows during the sequel. I give some tips how to handle a road like this: very low gears, and ride a bit harder through stretches with loose sand. That's about the biggest problem of the road; there aren't many big stones nor wheel-damaging holes, and the inclination is not too severe. 'Never did I use the word "d...d" so very often in one day', she tells me in the evening. Very, very slowly we ride up, with every now and then a foot on the ground.
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Pictures of the struggle
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. . . . .
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Every km or so (of the 8 or so in total) I wait for my suffering daughter (I hope the pain in her wrists will not come back), until the last 2.7 km (the road info is quite good!). During the last third of the climb I struggle on without pausing, letting her fight her own struggle. Well, it's not that bad, actually, but the conscience Enya is having a hard time makes it difficult to really enjoy the experience. I'm positively surprised (and happy for my daughter) to find a bar at the col − the 'real' col is in fact 2 km further.
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The road is a struggle,
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the route info is quite okay
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The col (clearly visible) is still 2.7 km to go
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The unexpected bar
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After 10 minutes, one Orezza flushed away, I start to get worried and walk down, untoward my heroine, and after a while: there she comes. The prospect of an unexpected cold drink is good news. After a short stop to spit her bile (after which her mood is cleared already) we continue for the last (paved) 2 km till the Col de Tana, enjoying the great view onto the terrible road.
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From above the
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road we passed is rather nice
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Shortly before the first WOWW! moment of the day
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WOWW!!!
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After the Col de Tana Enya's mood clears up even more: we are rewarded with one of the most spectacular views of the whole trip. The high rocks to our left, the spectacular road down, the views onto Aullène, and we even discern the contours of the Bavella massive, far, far away. WONDERFUL!
The descent is interrupted many times to make photographs, and at the end we have another 1.5 km of climbing till Aullène.
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Full speed
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ahead
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View back to impressive road against the slope
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View down
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The road, Aulléne and far away:
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the Bavella range
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Stop
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and go
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Between the
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trees again
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Overview back. Woww!
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Cycling is fun!
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We arrive around 1 p.m. with only 25 km on the odometer. We fill our water bottles at the same fontaine as four days ago and then find us a table on the terrace that looks like it gives the most coolness, the terrace of the "Relax Bar". The smoothies we order help us cooling down, and the 'sandwiches' give us a lot of time to relax indeed. Why two cold sandwiches take so much time to get prepared is completely unclear: we are the first customers to order anything! While we are waiting a family of Varsseveld (NL) arrives. Their fellow villager Gesink is sixth in the present rankings of the Tour de France. When they visited the Col de Bavella one or two days ago it was raining there. And then it takes me ages to munch away the sandich au jambon (mais sans oeuf), so when we leave past 2 p.m. the mileage is even more the lowest ever at that time of the day. In the next hour it is almost doubled. Another section of the wonderful D69 takes us down 700 m in 24 km.
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Seemingly everlasting
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green, gorgeous descent
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And up again
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(to) Arbellara
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Enya feels a bit lightheaded, and warm, so we need a break. I think I remember a fruit stall at the junction with the D268, but I'm mistaken. Instead we find a not too comfortable place, on the hard ground, but with shade, to take some sweets, and play a game of cards. According to plan-A there's still a climb to do, but there is a possibility also to skip that (without having to resort to yesterday's track). What's positive: the road to the first village, Arbellara, climbs at a steady 6-8%, and in Arbellara we learn that (A) there is a shop in Fozzano and (B) we are already at 400 m au-dessus de la mer. Despite the advanced time I have confidence in the route via de Col de Siu (731 m).
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Arbellara from above
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Grandiose view up to the Col de Saint-Eustache
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The first 5 km are faux-plat, we visit the épicerie of Fozzano, and enjoy the nice views back and to the other side of the valley. Then the second phase of the climb starts. We wonder whether the big white building we notice deep down on the other side is 'our' hotel. We kill the time playing the game of hangman. I notice I'm not as good at it, without scratch paper, as I used to be. It's quite a long climb for 'only' 250 m up . . . . Google maps shows that the highest point is a little above 800 m and a little before the actual col (for which a sign is missing).
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Afterwards this also appeared to be quite something!
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Around 18:15 we start descending through unearthly beautiful surroundings, in fact the last hour is one long WOWW!-hour. With the evening colours the views down, and the views up to the Col de St.-Eustache, and between the mountains even as far as the Bavella range, are truly AMAZING.
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Woww
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Woww
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Woww
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Woww! (In the distance: Bavella range!)
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Woww
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Woww!
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Woww
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Woww!
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Enya puts her thumb down when we pass the junction with that terrible road of this morning, it's (much) too late for the swim, and we can keep a good speed until the steep driveway to the hotel (but we know we have to change gears in time, don't we?!) We find our laundry clean and dry on our beds, and again enjoy a delicious evening on the five-star terrace. The Frenchman in Serra-di-Scopamène was right: hotel/gîte "U Fracintu" is a top location to spend some time.
It was again a very long day; Enya's butt is sore; tomorrow a short étape/early arrival.
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