Day 12 – to Castera-Verduza

118 km
In the south of Castelnau-Montratier an impressive church with a large cupola is overlooking the valley. From that point the cycle track was descending  until the Tarn and Garonne valley. Both rivers join near Moisssac and also a canal, that is a continuation of the Canal du Midi. The cycle route follows the canal some kilometers until Malauae and then crosses the Garonne near Auvillar. Some pedestrian pilgrims are on the route here as well as in the next villages like Flamarens and Miradoux. In Lectoure an electrical driven cycle overtook me with rather high speed on an ascending part of the road. I wonder if the energy in the battery is sufficient for one day and if the battery is full overnight.
Lecture is -as many of the pilgrims villages- situated on the top of an hill. Pilgrims disappear here under the tourist crowds.
The Cathedral St. Gervais is the optical center of the town.
In the next village Terraube is quiet again and the cycle route has ups and downs, each with an height difference of about 60 meters.
At the end of the day I arrived on a camping with a lot of French disco music, due to the BBQ party. I could not join, because everyone had to being his own meat.
Paul

Day 11 – to Castelnau-Montrarier

96 km
The day startet with a very light rain, nothing for rainwear on a bike. After a short downhill into the Ouysse valley beneath Rocamadour I had a nice climb at they opposite valley side with nice views to the historical town.
As I passed the next village Couzou the rain become strong and after a short pause in the dry toilet building I took my rain clothes and had to wear them for the next 5 hours. The track came through the pilgrim villages Carlucet and Montfaucon. From la Bastide on there was a slight ascend through the Vers valley until I reached the river Lot. Because the road to Cahors on north bank has heavy traffic, the cycle track takes the south bank, or better the high bank, because the track climbs about 60m. In the valley is an disused railway. It would be nice if that could be converted in a cycle path.
Cahors was overcrowded by tourists, maybe because at the time I rode through it, the sun was shining for an hour or so.
I had seen Cahors earlier, so I  did not stay long there and continued the cycle track to the south.
The last kilometers before the day target it started to rain again. From the main street of Castelnau there was no sign to the camping, but as I  arrived at the place, marked on my GPS, I was lucky
Some later on the camping a Spanish cyclist arrived. He spoke German and was on the return trip from his tour from Madrid to Luxembourg.
Paul

Day 10 – to Rocamadour

84 km
After a rather early start I reached Brive-la-Gaillarde about 9:00h. I already looked for a bike shop in the internet an had an address. In the same street, some 50 house numbers earlier I found already one. One employee was there but he said I had to wait until the patron is on. The patron came after 15 minutes and told me, he cannot repair the chain and the blades. But he knew another bike workshop near Carré Foure on the street to Perigieux. So I followed the signs to Perigieux, but this ended somewhere at the highway. Then I found out, there is a second way to Perigieux by the route national.
Here I found the Carré Foure and after asking a earphoned girl also the bike workshop.
Ihad to wait again until the mechanicien was available, but finally he replaced the blades and the chain. One problem now exists: It is not possible to use the smallest blade. The mechanicien said the frame was not complete straight. But that highest gear is not important, because you only can use it downhill and downhill the loaded bike runs without human power.
After over 3 hours I continued the tour  via the old center of Brive. After multiple ascends and descends I crossed the Dordogne and started the last climb to Rocamadour, which is a real pilgrims town. I write these words sitting under the great staircase and a pilgrims group of  female scouts are singing Christian hymns before starting at the staircase.
Paul