Dizy Ride 3

Today's ride started from the house under cloudy skies. Our first destination was the town of Ay (Pronounced A - I think) and a patisserie on the main street. 

If you have not already surmised a mid-morning coffee and pastry stop is a vital component of any successful ride.

I located this shop by cruising the street views on Goggle maps, recorded its location, and saved it in the GPS to guarantee we could find it. 

WOW! What a find. So many choices but we had to narrow it to one to share. 

The proprietor was kind enough to cut it into two halves and package it carefully for transport. 

While leaving town Kim insisted on taking a photo of these umbrellas suspended from a wire across the entrance of the main shopping street.  Not sure of their significance but got our attention. 

On our way up the Val d' Or (golden valley)

Finding a suitable coffee stop is sometimes a challenge. Fortunately the "timely" town was up a mild climb. Unfortunately the bar was in the center of town, up a steep hill. Fortunately we could walk the bikes. Unfortunately we were very cold. Fortunately they had indoor seating. 

Our coffee stops have two basic requirements: a cafe that serves coffee and obligatory pastry. Absent one of these essentials and it is barely worth mentioning. 

Today is cloudy and a bit chilly so inside seating was a "must". 

Words can not describe how incredible this Hazelnut creation was. As always Kim's half was better than mine, but I can still taste mine many hours later. We will definitely find our way back to that Patisserie.

This sign along the way points to "Fismes" (pronounced Feeme - most "s" are silent in French), the starting location for tomorrow's ride. 

We have many round abouts in Vail but none adorned with such creative sculptures as the French-way.

A little French country house - would make a great AirBNB destination. 

The top of one of the many grades on today's ride. This was an easy one with only one chevron (4%-8%). 

More challenging climbs lie ahead with several two chevrons (8%-12%) - but the steepest grade I recorded was 11%. Piece of cake! 

Today's route took us through Hautvillers again - the home of Dom Perignon. He is long gone but his memory lingers on in this region that reveres the patron saint of Champagne (the beverage).

Unfortunately, the abbey where he worked his magic is not open to the public so we settled for a photo in front of the street sign. 

Footnote: (from Wikipedia) Dom Pierre Pérignon, O.S.B., (December 1639 – 14 September 1715) was a French Benedictine monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of champagne wine in an era when the region's wines were predominantly still red. Popular myths frequently, but erroneously, credit him with the invention of sparkling champagne, which didn't become the dominant style of Champagne until the mid-19th century (see Madame Veuve Clicquot).

The famous champagne Dom Pérignon, the prestige cuvée of Moët & Chandon, is named for him. The remains of the monastery where he spent his adult life is now the property of that winery.

Dom Pérignon was an (almost) exact contemporary of Louis XIV (1638-1715) (see Versailles).

Today's ride was just under 36 miles and 2375 feet of climbing. Good training for tomorrow's ride which is longer with more climbing. Need a good night's rest and some restful refreshments.