The Secret Road Around Montagne Ste-Victoire

I found it!

The ride the locals do. With the help of the guy working at the information booth at the Bimont Dam. Yesterday, he told me: The road to Rousset (the D 56) is very popular with the cyclists. There is a ridge and from here you get the best views of Montagne Ste-Victoire. He added: “They go very fast; too fast.”

And so, today, I did the route he suggested … and he was absolutely correct. Although he forgot to tell me about all the climbing.

So …

I started off the same way I did yesterday, east on the D 17 which parallels the southern side of Ste-Victoire. After about 10 miles (and lots of climbing) I turned right (south) on the D 56 toward Rousset. More climbing to the top of the ridge and … fantastic panoramic views.

Here’s a video from near the top of the ridge.

And then the downhill he mentioned. And it was steep, twisty and fast and I topped out at about 30 miles per hour, which is as fast as I feel comfortable going. I am not a very courageous downhill racer.

Instead of going another 2 or 3 Ks to Rousset, I took the D 57 which went NE and back toward the D 17, but further west from where I left it earlier. I figured I’d have to climb up and over the ridge again but … nope, it was all flat riding to the town of Puyloubier. And the views of Ste-Vic were even more panoramic. It was there, spread out before me.

This is my favorite shot (Susan says she wants to live here) …

At some point I started thinking … “Since there’s no climb to get to Puyloubier, maybe I should head back the way I came from there and climb back up the ridge I just went down … yeah, if there’s a supermarche in Puyloubier and I can get an Orangina and some water, I’m doing it. I have to do it. That’s why I’m here.”

Here’s another video …

There was a little supermarche and back I went. The climb up the ridge was about 3 Ks and my guess is that it’s an average gradient of 8 percent. I went into climbing mode: “slow and steady, turn perfect circles with your pedals and relax, you’ll get there.”

Most climbs pay off with great views and this one didn’t disappoint.

This ride was 31 miles and included 2,939 feet of climbing, which is only a little less than yesterday’s ride of 41 miles.