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You continue your journey to the Pyrenees via
picturesque gorges and the Cévennes National Park. Don't
expect that you cycle only at the bottom of the gorges,
you get definitely some serious climbs.
You cycle upstream through the
Gorges de l'Ardeche
with spectacular limestone cliffs towering up to 350
meter above the meandering river below. At the end of
this immense gorge you arrive at the famous Pont d'Arc
near Vallon which is the largest natural bridge in
Europe. It was here that the discovery of the Chauvet
Cave was made in 1994 where 32,000 year old cave
paintings were found. So, you are definitely not the
first one which enjoys the beauty of this incredible
natural feature.
The wild and untamed
Cévennes Mountains bring you to the
Gorges du Tarn.
Absolutely spectacular, the gorges cut through the
limestone plateaux of the Causse de Sauveterre and the
Causse Méjean in a precipitous trench about 500 meter
deep and 1.600 meter wide for almost 50 kilometer. It's
like a geography lesson has sprung to life.
At the end of the gorge you cycle below the impressive
Millau Viaduct.
It's the tallest vehicle bridge in the world with a
highest pier which fits between the Eiffel Tower and the
Empire State Building.
You pass some challenging climbs in the area of the lush
Haute Languedoc before you reach a long winding downhill
to Carcassonne. The
medieval fortified city looks like a surreal fairy-tale
town of turrets, magic and wonder. Carcassonne has
always been on a strategic position between the Atlantic
and the Mediterranean, for you it is the gateway to the
Pyrenees. |
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106 km |
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131 km |
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118 km |
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133 km |
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