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Length of Stage 162 km
Altitude to climb 3000 m
The blind wife of the hotel owner serves us breakfast. The home made marmelade is mouth watering! Well strengthened, we quickly find a beautiful little street which takes us slowly uphill. The view over the country is just marvelous and for a while we can bike on the gained high. Than we have to lose some of it, cross the big road and uphill we go again. This time the climb is longer since the Col de Sie is about 1’200 meters above sea level. A descent follows to Lacaune and we enjoy our well deserved lunch. For the two hours to follow, we bike through forest and hills without single flat meter - up and down - we pass an artificial lake and finally we have a long, long descent to . Here we have only a short break, the Pic Noire is waiting. First the path runs parallel to a small stream, where there are a lot of old textile factories which are no longer in use. After a sharp left turn the steep climb begins. Fortunately most of it is in the forest, since the temperature in the afternoon sun is easily in the 35°C. Regula gets an energy attack, wins the mountain prize and together we bike the last meters to the Pic. The view is unbelievable: in the far distance we see the Pyrenees. We sit in the sun, eat the last bites of our cheese sandwich, and enjoy the view. The long downhill ride begins: first along the slope and than through a magnificent Gorge. The kilometers just fly by and in no time we arrive in Carcassonne. We get a nice room with a panoramic view facing the „Cité". A quick shower, an excellent dinner at the Ponte Vecchio and we are ready for a stroll through the Cité. For once there is some activity in a town! Late at night we sit on our balcony, enjoy a coke and let a beautiful day pass again.
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