This day is always a sad day, the day that Jason leaves. It’s crazy how fast time flies when he’s here, it’s always filled to the brim with activity, but we always make time for quiet relaxation.
We were very lucky this year; there wasn’t a sniff of Mistral, which is very unusual. The temperatures ranged from quite hot (perfect in my opinion), to very pleasant, with a few bits of rain that fell through the night. It was quite perfect, and we couldn’t have asked for better.
After returning from the Savoie, we had to make good use of the little time left, making sure we could squeeze in everything Jason hoped to do, along with seeing friends and a bit of work here and there. One of the things on Jason’s list was to cycle up the Ventoux by all three routes in one day. He’s done this several times before, but it had been a few years. I always said he should get signed up with the Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux so he could have proof of his hard work. It’s just a silly thing but it’s a nice way to be part of a larger community of “crazies.” So, I finally registered Jason and got the passport he needed to make it official.
The idea is you get it stamped at all three route locations at the bottom of the mountain and again at the summit to prove you did it. In addition, he took photos along the way, so there should be no misunderstanding about his achievement. And it is a massive achievement. I hardly like going up one side in one day, let alone all three. Just so Jason didn’t feel too alone in the endeavour, Leah and I rode up from Bedoin late in the day so we could meet up on the mountain and then celebrate with pizza and beers at the end. We located Jay almost at Chalet Reynard coming up the last time from Sault. When he arrived at Pizza Phil’s, he was so glad he finally did it “officially” and is now a Cinglé: 4400 metres of elevation over approximately 140 km. It is indeed crazy!
On Sunday—Jason’s last full day in Provence—we met up with more friends and had a beautiful cycle around the Drôme, with a lazy lunch in Montbruns-les-Bains. The sky was stunning blue; it was a perfect day, and the perfect end to the trip. While I am always so sad to see Jason leave and am blue for quite a while, I try to hold on to all these joyful moments. I feel so lucky to have so many happy memories to choose from spanning over decades. That intense blue sky stays in my mind’s eye and helps remind me of so many brilliant times.
