Cycling Circuit - C12 The routes of Laurent Jalabert

THE BLACK MOUNTAIN: The strange name of this massif comes from its dark appearance when seen from afar, resulting from the combination of the thickness of its vegetation and its climatic situation as a “border” between oceanic and Mediterranean influences. Traveling through it, this land reveals its secret forests, numerous waterfalls and panoramas, lakes, but also sites and villages marked by history.
MAZAMET: This town was founded by the survivors of the locality of Hautpoul ravaged by Simon de Montfort's army during the Albigensian Crusade (name given to the Cathars). Long torn by conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, it developed rapidly in the 19th century thanks to the textile and wool industry, becoming the most important and renowned wool pulling center in the world.
To discover: The House of Memories - Catharism Museum, 3 urban trails to explore the city.
FONT BRUNO: The Font Bruno monument was erected in memory of the Black Mountain Free Corps, a resistance group of over a thousand men who fought here.
To discover: the crypt.
LE HAUT-CABARDES (Aude): Laprade Lake - the villages of Miraval-Cabardès, Mas-Cabardès, Roquefère, etc. - Cubserviès waterfall.
PIC DE NORE at 1211m altitude, this highest point of the Black Mountain offers you an exceptional panorama from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees and up to the last foothills of the Massif Central.
HAUTPOUL: Formidable fortress founded in 413 by the Visigoths, Hautpoul overlooks the surrounding valleys. Besieged and taken by Simon de Montfort in 1212, the former Cathar citadel was partly dismantled, pushing its inhabitants to seek refuge in the valley near the Arnette River, thus founding Mazamet.
To discover: The medieval town - the viewpoints - the old castle - the House of Rocque d’Hautpoul - medieval garden - the footbridge - the House of Wood and Toy - artisan shops.