The start of the day worries me a little. It is extremely cold this morning, and I begin with a very long crossing of Grenoble, through not particularly pleasant neighborhoods, on a bike path that is often interrupted.

After a few kilometers, the path disappears completely and I find myself on a road that is too busy for my taste, before turning off, fortunately, onto a small secondary route through the countryside. The sky is very overcast and the cold so sharp that I don’t bother stopping or taking photos. I have to wait until the end of a first long climb to appreciate a beautiful stretch of lake that catches my attention.

I then ride back down to La Mure, where I arrive frozen after that endless slope. It is only eleven o’clock, but I buy myself lunch consisting of a slow-cooked pork pie and a raspberry turnover. It is unquestionably the best bakery meal of the trip. I hesitate to get another serving for an afternoon snack, but… I have to stay reasonable.

After this pretty village, I join the river, far below, when I discover—oh no!—that the road used by my route to climb up the other side is closed. After a few minutes of thinking, I decide to go through: the work is supposed to finish on November 4, and I imagine the road is passable. At the cost of a few carries when construction machinery blocks the way, it works! Thus, one of the most beautiful roads of this trip is offered to me, without cars.

On the other side of this small summit stretches the Dévoluy massif, which I did not know. And what a revelation! I can barely believe my eyes: rocky peaks and immense fir trees, worthy of Yosemite, line the sunken road.

As much as possible, I savor the last kilometers of this adventure, because they are exceptional. One final pass dampens my enthusiasm, and I have to rally myself.

Finally, the descent to Gap is less pleasant, because it is on a major departmental road. But the prospect of joining my friends for dinner is enough to make me ignore this discomfort. Once I arrive in town, I still treat myself to a victory beer, in honor of these roughly eight hundred kilometers.

Leaving so late in the season was quite a gamble. But what joy to have been able to enjoy the autumn colors under an often radiant sky! As the night train gently carries me home, I replay the film one last time, of all these landscapes crossed with happiness.