What go down must come up

---

Sarlart has a wonderful open air market the spans the Main Street and square as well as the tiny winding side pathways. We were able to enjoy the shopping and browsing for the mornings as well as picking up some "street meat" for a picnic lunch later in the day.



Day 5 started from Sarlart which is located in a valley. That meant a mean climb out of town that went on for several kilometres. 10% grades seem to be the smallest built in France so climbing is always difficult but I found it even more difficult to start a hard climb cold. I think I may have made less noise giving birth than I did while breathing and panting my way up the last of that hill!



The reward at the top was wonderful views with rolling hills and quaint and tidy little farms. We made our decent into the river valley and passed some caves that had been used by people in prehistoric and medieval times.



The rain started in earnest about 7k before the end of the ride and we were all pretty cold and happy when we rolled into the hotel. Speaking of the hotel - it was built right into the cliffs and in the interior included parts of the rock in the hallways.



We overnighted here for two nights and it was nice not to worry about packing up the next morning.



Day 6: We cycled from the hotel the next morning and this day was the biggest distance/elevation gain yet. Unbeknown to us Jean Phillip assessed our group and decided that we were up to some big climbs - the kind of climbs that would leave our quads burning and quivering in pain. I loved this day!!! (After it was over of course😉 the climbs today included a 20% + short but cruel portion. Tom naturally did this section twice but even his breath was sawing when he finished the second climb.



Jean Phillip acted like a proud parent when we completed this challenging course and rewarded us with riding jerseys and a nice speech congratulation us at the end of the day.

---

Photos

Grinding it out!
Piece of cake for Kevin!