The Grande Traversee du Massif Central (GTMC) is a mountain bike route that travels the mountains and plateaus of the Massif Central, through 5 national parks from southeastern France to the Mediterranean. We are traveling about 2/3 of it then cutting east to do the Tarn River Gorge. The GTMC is a well-signed extensive system of trails that connects beautiful wooded trails with country lanes that wind through farmland and tiny villages. The variation of trails keeps us guessing our terrain each day. Here’s some examples of what we’ve been biking:
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| This last photo was an innocuous beginning to a mile of nearly unpassable blackberry bushes. We did not emerge unscathed. |
We’ve shortened our rides this year because we’re riding mostly on dirt, and we’re also getting old! To cover as much of this epic ride as possible, we are riding 19 days without a rest day (I’m writing this after our 14th day - so far so good!) But the rides are only about 3-4 hours a day. This gets us in town in time to eat lunch but also allows us to take a little more time and enjoy the ride. And if the route isn’t very pretty or is on the road a lot, we’ll take a local train to jumpstart the ride. Age gives you a greater lens to appreciate what’s important in life!
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| French Butter Machines |
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| The 2026 Tour is coming through these parts soon! |
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| All our rides end like this 😉 |
I made up a little poem while riding the other day. Instead of “Irish Prayer” I call it my “Bikers’ Prayer”:
May the road rise up to meet you, but not because you fell off your bike
May all your hills be at the beginning of your ride and all your descents be free of insurmountable obstacles
May all the dogs be chained up and all the bees stay out of your bonnet
May the wind be always at your back, except at the end of a climb when it feels really good in your face
May the clouds cover you, but not with rain
May all the cars see you, and always from the legally required minimum distance of 1 .5 meters
May you never see the inside of a foreign hospital
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