Bromptomaniac

In 2021 I cycled the Lot River to its confluence with the Garonne, starting in Conques. This time I’m going upstream — all the way to the source. A warm-up, of sorts, for the Loire adventure ahead.

Day 1 – Prudhomat to Coursavy

Today there was no train to take or plane to catch. I started from the doorstep of our house and pedaled southeast towards the Lot River.
The ride would have been ordinary if not for the fact that I’d barely cycled since last October, and the few rides I did manage were rather short. So when a long and quite steep climb appeared, I struggled. By the time that 15-kilometer stretch came to an end, my legs were spent — and I had only cycled 30 out of 80 planned kilometers. After that, even though the road went mostly downhill, I could barely push myself to pedal. I did push Greengo, my bike, uphill on a few occasions, which felt like a fair compromise between dignity and survival.
In terms of what I saw along the way: a string of small villages, many of them starting with “Saint”, but nothing that particularly stood out. I finished in a hamlet of just a few houses and a campsite. The camping was excellent: right on the river — the Lot, that is — every pitch had electricity and a table, there were chairs to sit and watch the river go by, and hammocks to stretch out in. And it wasn’t too busy.
I’ll see how my legs behave tomorrow, but it should be an easier day — all along the river, no big climbs to worry about.

Today in numbers:

79 km — distance cycled
85.1 kg — my weight at the start of the trip (fingers crossed that number will drop)
3 — French departments crossed, or rather skimmed, along the way

Day 2 – Coursavy to Saint-Geniez-d’Olt

First night in the tent since last July. Predictably, I had trouble falling asleep — and to add insult to injury, it was colder than expected or wished. Result: a practically sleepless night. Nothing new, and hopefully I’ll find my rhythm in a few days.

I left the campsite around 9:30. It was a nice one, by the way — unusually well-equipped, with tables, chairs, and hammocks at almost every pitch, plus unlimited hot water in the showers.

Riding upstream, the river gradually narrowed until an electric dam widened it into a lake, then it narrowed again beyond. Along the way, several villages carried d’Olt in their name. I initially thought it might be an anagram of Lot — and it turns out it essentially is. Olt is the old Occitan name for the river Lot, which the French gradually transformed into its current form. There was the Château de Calmont d’Olt, belonging to the same family who built the château next to which our house sits. Both chateau were built sometime in XII-XIII centuries.

I passed a couple of villages that are listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, and the gorges of the Lot were gorgeous.

As I’d hoped, no major climbing today — or so it seemed until the last dozen kilometers. It was hard going by the end, and it wasn’t my legs that suffered most. My butt took the brunt of it. A few days to settle in, and it should calm down.

Today in numbers:

75 km — distance cycled

1045 — the earliest named member of the de Calmont d’Olt family appears in genealogical records

Day 3 – Saint Geniez d’Olt to Le Bleymard

Today troubles started early: first my phone wouldn’t charge — I assumed it was the cable, bought a new one, still nothing. Then the derailleur’s shifter began acting up, refusing to drop the chain onto a smaller cog. Naturally, both problems chose same day to happen, solidarity I guess.

Since the phone battery was critically low, I rationed it and didn’t take many photos along the way. Luckily, about two-thirds into the route I found a repair shop, and the guy fixed the charging port in seconds — just dug a small clump of lint and debris out of it. The shifter, however, is still only cooperating one time out of five. I’ll probably have to live with that until the end of the trip, unless I figure out a fix myself.

As for the route: going upstream meant going uphill — funny how that works — and it was the longest ride of the three so far. In short, I managed. Not easy, and I’m still finding my groove. At the end, I even pushed to the actual source of the Lot, even though it’s not really reachable without a mountain bike. But the whole point of this trip was to reach the source, not just admire it from a respectful distance.

Now I’ve cycled the entire length of the Lot River. Not in one go, and not end to end — more like starting from the middle and heading off in opposite directions on separate occasions. Still, technically, mathematically, undeniably: I made it.

Tomorrow I head toward the source of the Loire — it’ll take a day or two, with plenty of big climbs and almost 100 km of road. I may end up splitting it in two.

Today in numbers:

115 km — distance cycled

1272 masl — altitude where Lot begins

485 km — Lot River length