The 18 silos were split into two independent networks each controlled by a firing post 500 metres underground. There was some cycling related graffiti on the road which piqued our interest; subsequently we found out that the climb had been part of Stage 5 of the 2018 Paris-Nice stage race. Learn how your comment data is processed. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Its elevation allows emptying through a gate in trucks or other means of final transport. Request. This is my Strava heat map of the region; there is so much good bike riding but it’s still nice to discover new roads. Request. The Albion Mill operated until 2004 and just last year the old mill was gutted by a deliberately lit fire, leaving just the flour silos intact. One of the firing posts has been converted into a laboratory for experiments requiring conditions with very low external noise and although the military presence is much reduced a regiment of the Foreign Legion is based in Saint-Christol. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. On the left was a squat stone building next to a field full of solar panels. There didn’t appear to be anything open in the village of Lagarde d’Apt a kilometre of so further along, not even a cafe let alone a restaurant. What makes a perfect dining experience? As we reached the top we came out onto a straight and very wide smooth stretch of road. Lillian had heard from some friends there was a Michelin starred restaurant up in the hills near Lagarde-d’Apt so when I suggested that we ride up the D34 to that village she was as keen as I was. Climbing 775m with a steady gradient averaging just under 7% made it perfect as a training ride. It was nice to see Julian Alaphilipe’s name on the road especially as he rode to victory in the Flèche Wallonne the day after we took this photo. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. To submit an update or takedown request for this paper, please submit an Update/Correction/Removal We climbed for around an hour on a narrow road winding through scrub and forest. I had the cheese course and Lillian chose the two deserts… which after I’d tried I regretted not ordering. This was the 65 Euro set menu. Silos in Albion By Abstract Albion [""Clymer"" crossed through] Blondes RFC; aerial shot of silos in Albion, Michigan Topics: business and commerce, Business Publisher: Digital … Albion [""Clymer"" crossed through] Blondes RFC; aerial shot of silos in Albion, Michigan. Looking in the other direction with the Bistrot de Lagarde on the left where the lorry is being unloaded. SILO TO DISCARD These structures of ALBION meet the task store large discards from fruits of a line or processing that requires it. Discover our research outputs and cite our work. The development of the missile sites had a profound impact on the local economy with over a thousand workers being employed in the construction and a large ongoing military presence. Two days later we up there again, this time having driven up for lunch in the restaurant, the Bistrot de Lagarde. So that was the explanation for the broad but empty roads that criss-crossed the plateau. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Lillian and another friend have nick-named me the Duracell Bunny. It was the sole location of France’s nuclear deterrent and had been chosen because of its geology which enabled deep tunnels to be carved out in the limestone making it resistant to a nuclear strike. Lillian reaching the top of the climb just before the ‘wide road’ started. The Bistrot de Lagarde; it would be nice to have sat outside but the weather was not cooperating. Some further investigation once we were back in our little apartment revealed that the restaurant was constructed on the site of an old military facility, and had in fact been the nondescript stone building at the top of the climb. Intrigued I read some more about it on-line and found that it was the site of one of 18 missile silos that had been built on the high plain, known as the Plateau d’Albion, in the 1960s. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Albion flour mill has been demolished to make way for new unit blocks. Outside the restaurant we read that the site had been where a nuclear missile silo had been located until 1996. The reference to missiles in the title of this post was not in relation to the speed that we rode up the climb but we both felt good and smashed it. I’m pleased to say that it was much more hospitable from the side that was hidden from they road and Lillian and I had a lovely meal there. There was an Asian twist to it with some dried bonito flakes in the soup and mouth and gum numbing Sichuan pepper in the rabbit main course.