I’d had this little trip idea simmering on the back burner for a while—one of those “someday, when I’ve got nothing else to do” ideas.
A few days ago I checked the forecast, spotted a gap in the clouds, and saw no projects on the horizon. Julie was on board, so on Wednesday we drove to Figeac, parked the car, unfolded the Bromptons, and set off into a foggy morning along the Valley of the Célé. Half an hour later the fog lifted, revealing a gorgeous sunny day ahead. Though not technically a backroad, traffic was almost nonexistent. We pedaled past cliffs—sometimes under them—swung by Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie, lunched in Marcilhac-sur-Célé, cruised past Sauliac-sur-Célé and Cabrerets, and ended the day in Saint-Géry. While waiting for the pizza truck, we hiked up a cliff for a sweeping view of the village, then wound down the evening with books and a movie.
The next morning, after breakfast with a couple of fellow cyclists, we set off again under clear autumn skies. Rather than retrace our path, we looped back along the Lot Valley. A few years ago I’d ridden this stretch in the opposite direction, sticking mostly to the right bank. This time, for variety, we mostly stayed on the left. We pushed our bikes along the towpath near Bouziès, skipped Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (already ticked that box), paused for coffee in Cajarc, and rolled back into Figeac—straight into a lively manifestation.
It was a short and sweet cycling outing: sun, cliffs, two rivers, two valleys, one pizza truck, and just enough exertion to justify dessert.
*Revolvere in Latin literally means “to roll back, roll around, return.”
Revolver outing in numbers:
132 km — distance cycled
1966 — The Beatles’ album Revolver was released
0 — instruments played by Beatles on Eleanor Rigby, only vocals + a string octet