Day 9: Speed & Provençal sunshine ☀️🚴‍♂️🚀*

Speed & Provençal sunshine ☀️🚴‍♂️🚀

No two days are the same… thankfully 😄

Light. So much LIGHT! ☀️

Short stage today, so we take our time this morning.

We’re on holiday after all, right? 😉

We set off in good spirits… despite the usual latecomer — reliably late as always 😇

And very quickly. Really very quickly we catch the wind we pick up speed and most of all, we enjoy ourselves

The perfect mix: sunshine + tailwind = legs that are singing 🎶

Result: half the stage done without even noticing.

Crazy average.

We still stop in the sun (and in the wind 😅)

Gargantuan break:

“royal” figs straight from the United Kingdom 🇬🇧,

a bit of isotonic…

all to the rhythm of passing TGVs 🚄

Honestly, what more could you ask for? 🤔

Games and wine will follow…

Then a left turn.

We leave the ViaRhôna… heading for Provence.

And then… it appears.

The Giant. 🏔️

Majestic. Impressive. Slightly intimidating.

Rising in the middle of the plain, already watching us…

We quickly realise this won’t be a formality.

We continue along another greenway, just as beautiful, just as peaceful 🌿

And we give thanks for these incredible infrastructures:

more than 90% of the 1,000 km we’ve covered safely away from traffic. Thank you.

The Roman arch of Orange marks our official entrance into Provence 🏛️

From here, we adapt the route… just to enjoy it fully.

A well‑earned ice‑cream stop a few kilometres before the finish 🍦

Sunshine, sweetness of life…

You can feel we’re somewhere else.

Arrival at a house — a home away from home.

A place where we instantly feel at ease.

Plouf! 🏊 Plop! 🍾

And the afternoon finally takes on that long‑awaited summer flavour.

It’s also reunion time:

friends from across the Atlantic join us 🇨🇦

The circle is almost complete. The atmosphere lifts.

Everything is ready for tomorrow: the next challenge, the ascent of the Giant of Provence

A challenge for us.

A challenge for the cause 💛

We are calm.

We savour both the Provençal tranquillity… and the best it has to offer 🍷

Tomorrow will be great.

Tomorrow will be beautiful.

Writing these lines at sunset, among the lavender fields…

this is exactly the moment we’ve been wanting to share with you for so long