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