The best gravel rides around Riols

The former Saint-Pons Cathedral It is difficult to understand Saint-Pons-de-Thomières without stopping here. The building is the former abbey church of a Benedictine monastery founded in 936, around which the town developed. In 1318, the abbey became the seat of a new bishopric: the church then took on the status of a cathedral, which it retained until the Revolution. The Romanesque building, most of which dates back to the second half of the 12th century, still bears the traces of this turbulent history. Fortified in the Middle Ages, the cathedral was heavily damaged in 1567 during the Wars of Religion. Then, in the 18th century, its appearance was profoundly transformed: in 1716, the orientation of the choir was reversed and a new classical facade was built to the east. The medieval remains are particularly remarkable: the two crenellated towers on the north facade recall the defensive character of the building, while the former west facade preserves precious Romanesque reliefs depicting, in particular, the Last Supper, the Washing of the Feet, the Ascension and the Crucifixion. Inside, there are also marble decorations, choir stalls and an organ dating from 1772.

This lace reveals one of the most beautiful landscape profiles in the area. Behind this landscape of vineyards and wooded hills lies a spectacular geological history, still readable in the shapes of the relief. You are riding here on a remarkable site, the "Écailles de Tudéry" (Tudéry Scales). Under the effect of the titanic forces that gave birth to the Pyrenees, the Earth's crust broke and piled up. This tectonic overlap pushed and straightened the ancient secondary-era limestone strata to overlap with more recent tertiary terrains.

The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church in Babeau has an interesting history: while the current building was erected in 1772, it stands on the exact site of an old priory dating from 1318, of which no visible traces remain. The church also houses remarkable furniture from the former Benedictine abbey of Saint-Chinian.

Clinging to a rocky outcrop almost encircled by the Jaur, Olargues is a remarkable fortified village whose medieval organization is still perfectly legible. At the summit, the former keep of the castle, transformed into a bell tower in the 17th century after the fortress was destroyed on Cardinal Richelieu's orders, still dominates the valley. Below, the Devil's Bridge, built in the 12th century, has spanned the Jaur for nearly nine centuries. Between the two, "calades" (cobbled alleyways) and old houses invite you to step back in time. It is easy to understand why Olargues is among the Most Beautiful Villages in France!

Nestled in the mountains of Haut-Languedoc, the Vézoles lake is a dam lake. Built in the mid-20th century for hydroelectric production, it retains the waters of the upper Agout valley in a narrow and largely wooded site, characteristic of the high plateaus of the massif. Located in a transition zone between the large Atlantic and Mediterranean watersheds, this body of water is set in a unique setting.

Located in the Jaur valley, in the heart of the Hauts cantons of the Hérault, Riols is a vast rural village typical of the Haut-Languedoc. The village is intimately linked to the history of the abbey of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, founded in the 10th century, on which it long depended. From the Middle Ages onwards, Riols was part of a network of monastic possessions. Even today, the old center retains its valley setting, crossed by the Jaur, around which the main routes and activities developed. The Pont-Vieux and several structures on the river bear witness to this close relationship between the village and its watercourse.

The Vézoles lake dam, commissioned in 1956 for hydroelectric production, holds back the waters of the Bureau stream in the heart of the Haut-Languedoc region. The site is located in a high plateau area where waters are divided between the large Atlantic and Mediterranean watersheds, giving this relief a particular dimension. From the dam, the lake appears nestled in a forest setting, in a calm and wild atmosphere, typical of the massif's mid-mountain regions.

This wide turn reveals a superb panorama of the mountain. In the foreground, the D14 winds up the slope with beautifully drawn switchbacks. Further on, several characteristic reliefs of the Haut-Languedoc stand out, succeeding each other to the horizon. One of the most beautiful panoramas of the ascent!