Rose Pedals . . .: Another Day in Paradise

Day 9 - Saturday, June 16
St.Vincent to Pont St. Martin
45 miles
5,200 feet of climbing

I am glad to say I got a great night's sleep last night, despite having no less than six Diet Cokes throughout the day yesterday (it was very hot day). I was wired for sound, but, thankfully, was able to crank it down for some quality rest time. Today we left St. Vincent to travel southeasterly to a new host town - Pont St. Martin. Within the first 9 miles of our route, we climbed the Colle de Joux - with about 3,500 feet of elevation gain. It was a very pleasant climb, with nice views of the valley below. Once we reached the Colle de Joux, we enjoyed a steep and fast descent for the next 15 miles to the town of Bard. From Bard, it was more of a gentle descent for the remaining 8 miles to Pont St. Martin. Once we arrived there, a group of us rode to the center of town for a bite to eat before heading to the hotel (Crabun Hotel). It was only a little after 12:00 noon at this point, and it was a beautiful, warm sunny day, so Art & I decided to keep riding rather than retiring our bikes for the day. We headed north and climbed about 6 miles through a couple of quaint towns. Our views along the way included lovely cascading waterfalls and a beautiful mountain stream. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for a gelato at a shop conveniently located just a hop, skip and a jump from our hotel. Staying away from that place is going to require willpower that I simply do not have. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a delightful group dinner at our hotel. After dinner, a few of us took a walk to an old stone bridge in the middle of town that spans a mountain stream. Looking forward to tomorrow's ride. The weather is predicted to be beautiful. (And the climbs are predicted to be steep!)