The Canal 90, as it's know for short, is an "out-and-back." The ride leaves Sunflower Cycling and takes a direct path to the canal (over a couple of bumps) and then drops down to the water, heading southeast toward the Mediterranean. The route follows the canal's twist and turns as travelers have done for centuries. In the last few kilometers, the new tarmac gives way to the old dirt and dust of a time long past as you're riding along the same path as those who pulled the barges of wheat and wine all those years ago. Just before the turnaround you pass the Canal du Midi "Discovery Center." You're now close to where water from the Black Mountains enters the canal, flowing to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. (Travel Note: There are two nice little lunch spots at 24 and 32 K--there are photos in the Flyover. You can have coffee on the way out and stop back again for lunch on the way back. Or, perhaps, hangout all day on the terrace by the water and just make it "The Canal du Midi  48 or 62.")

Below Are Photos And A Video Flyover With Profile of Canal du Midi 90

Nothing Like Riding Along Water

Riding along the Canal du Midi is an experience you won't soon forget. There's something calming about rolling under the trees at the water's edge. There are very, very few vehicles on our path-like roads. But there is nothing on the path along the Canal but tranquillity.

That Last Little Section

That's Tom Scully, of Cannondale-Drapac, making his way around a few roots as the ride reaches the turnaround. Tom had just won the London Nocturnal and was here taking a few days of rest--what better way than to ride the Canal du Midi?

One of the Many Brick Bridges

Authorized by "The Sun King," Louis XIV, the 241 kilometer canal was dug by hand to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. It's a wonderful place to bump into cycling enthusiasts from across the world on cross bikes with saddlebags and not a care.