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| May 2009: Pyrenean Revolutions Paul and I headed down to Toulouse with our bikes for a short mini-break, courtesy Pyractif based in the central Pyrenees. We enjoyed 3 tough days of col bagging and some tense rivalry when it came to the King of the Mountains. This is how it happened... Flying off to foreign climes to try out some foreign climbs has always appealed to me. And France does have some great climbs on offer, be they in the Alps or the Pyrenees. As part of my build-up to riding the north-south Alpine traverse at the end of June my plans included 3 days of fairly intensive col-bagging in the Pyrenees at the end of May 2009. Paul was up for it too, so we got some flights sorted and come May Bank holiday weekend found ourselves flying out of Edinburgh airport down to Toulouse. This was my new Dolan's first foreign excursion and I was pretty excited about it. Also, Paul hadn't been abroad since we did the Etape last year, so he too was champing at the bit. Chris of Pyractif met us at the airport and we were soon cruising down the autoroute bound for the mountains. The sun was shining, and it was warm. Sadly, the weather forecast didn't match our optimism. But France Meteo
are not renowned for their accuracy, so we kept our fingers crossed. Pyractif are based in Bertren, a small village nestling in Pyrenean foothills roughly midway between east and west, some 25 kilometres down valley from Bagneres de Luchon. Helen was there to welcome us and (re)introduce us to chez Pyractif. The house is wonderful, with the rooms all named after famed climbers such as Millar and Van Impe. Very evocative. We had the place to ourselves apart from one other cyclist, from Devon, name of Simon. This was his first such trip and he was finding the big climbs were stretching him but his legs were acclimatising gradually. After a tasty supper Paul and I set about assembling our bikes, ready for a big day tomorrow. Sunday May 24th Contrary to France Meteo's perceived wisdom, we were surprised to see not just the sun, but also the mountains. Having expected a real soaking this was a real bonus. Paul and I had planned a gentle start, but we changed tack and decided on a full blown assault of Superbagneres, an iconic Tour climb last used some 20 years ago. It climbs some 20km from Luchon up to the ski station at 1800m. A real monster. Ah well, in at the deep end, eh. The Pyractif peloton (of 5, Chris and Helen joining Paul, Simon and myself) set off in true chaingang style up the valley and made good time (with a tailwind) until Chris punctured. A good opportunity to introduce him to the benefits of the CO2 canisters as he pumped his new tube manually, always hard work.
In Luchon we made tracks for the nearest cafe and pondered what lay ahead as the sun reached its zenith. The forecast was looking hopelessly wrong - good! With a good dose of caffeine inside, and topped up with energy bars, we headed for the foot of the climb. It is one of those climbs which lulls you into a false sense of security by starting oh so gently then gradually, no make that suddenly, ramping up into the meat of the climb. But the views! Wow. The Pyrenees still held some late snow on the high peaks and it was true chocloate box photography scenery. This made progress somewhat slow as I felt the need to stop and take photos almost at every corner. Well, it would be rude not to! Chris and Helen, conditioned to these mountains took off into the sky, leaving Simon, Paul and me to plod our way more sedately. But then it would be a waste to rush such a climb. From the Valle de Lys, the road suddenly turns through 180 degrees and starts a series of hairpins up toward the ski fields, the views growing ever more spectacular. The sun was warm, but it was windy too which helped. The minutes ticked by, so did the kilometers. Finally we were into the last 3km and the huge hotel hove into view, seemingly quite close. How very deceptive. The wind now buffeted the riders this way and that, and the cruellest trick was saved for the last kilometer as the road ramped up to its steepest yet. And then it was over. We gathered to take it all in, enjoy the moment, take yet more piccies, and gaze in awe at the hotel, not unlike Colditz. Then it was time for the fun bit. 20km of winding descent on a glorious road surface. Heaven. Time to switch on the bikecam to record this dream descent, another YouTube video beckons! The trouble is that it takes all too short a time to do this. 1 hour 40 minutes to do the climb, and the descent was all over in about 25 minutes or so. But so enjoyable. We headed back to the cafe for crepes and a cheeky beer to celebrate our first Pyrenean climb, a job well done. All that remained now was the 25km blast back down the valley to Bertren, into a stiff headwind. Hard work? I should say. The team worked hard together, though Paul was beginning to notice how much the lack of any training, so typical of students, was affecting his performance and preferred to bring up the rear of the peloton. Never mind. As we came in to Bertren the speed ramped up, and Chris led out the sprint. I timed my effort well though and pipped him on the sign - I shall enjoy the moment, it might be my only one this week with Paul still suffering from his exertions on the climb. What a day. All agreed it had been epic. But there remained one more ride for Paul and me, as we wanted to recce the little Mont Galie time trial climb devised by Chris as a teasing test for Pyractif guests. Although only short at 2.8km, it was a real leg breaker, climbing 244m at 9%. At some point in our stay we would be required to ride this in anger, so we felt some familiarisation would be useful. It finishes in the village of Mont Galie, next to the graveyard, very appropriate. And it summed up how we felt after a long day. Perfect. Monday May 25th Paul and I felt that today should be a bit of a rest day after the superhuman efforts required for Superbagneres. As such, we looked at a little circular route heading east to Aspet, and taking in a bit of a pilgrimage to visit Fabio Casartelli's memorial. Should be just the ticket for some tired legs. A leisurely breakfast, so relaxing here. The day was warm ,although not bright and sunny like yesterday. Nice for cycling though. Paul and I set off and soon found ourselves on the first climb of the day, the gentle Col des Ares, an 8km leg warmer, rising about 330m at an average of just 4%. Nice. Paul set the tempo and, apart from a break for the viewpoint halfway, we maintained a steady tempo to the summit,
Paul easing comfortably ahead of me with 2km to go. I detected a distinct strengthening in his legs after yesterday. Whilst not spectacular, the ensuing descent is sweeping and fun, and we enjoyed this before the immediate climb of the Col de Buret. Paul and I were engaged in absorbed conversation about gear ratios when I spied the summit sign and sprinted away to take the KOM points. This was hotly disputed by Paul who claimed unfair disadvantage, always a sign that he has missed a trick. Personally, I will take what victories I can get!! From here the road sweeps down into the valley and we were soon in the small town of Aspet seeking out a cafe for refreshments. Being a Monday, and lunchtime at that, Aspet was pretty well shut. No hustle. No bustle. No people. How the cafes can do trade when they are shut is beyond me, obviously they haven't been too affected by the credit crunch yet. We did manage to get a coke at the Cafe Francais, so we should be thankful for small mercies, I guess. Then we headed back up the valley, bound for the historic climb up the Col de Portet d'Aspet. From Aspet this is a 14km climb, but the real climb doesn't start until the road junction at the foot of the Col de Mente, by the Pont de l'Oule. From here it can only be described as vicious. With gradients of 17% in places it is seriously steep, and it is on one such stretch that we found the memorial to Fabio Casartelli. The Olympic champion in 1992, he was descending the Portet d'Aspet during the 1995 Tour de France when he failed to negotiate a sharp bend and crashed fatally into the concrete wall. The memorial is both beautiful and sad, and Paul and I stopped awhile to pay tribute to a wonderful talent. Needless to say, Paul took the KOM points with a racy ascent as I plodded my way up the narrow winding road to the summit cafe. The descent is not the most enjoyable, being steep and windy on poor roads, and we were, I guess, mindful of the history. Safely down, we now came to the Col de Mente which would take us back into the Garonne valley and back to Bertren. This is a longer steady climb, 12km in length and pretty steady at about 7%. Paul was now paying the price for his jaunty efforts on the Portet d'Aspet and I gradually opened a gap. Some 8km into the climb, a superhuman effort by Paul got him back on, but I kicked again and gained enough of a lead to keep him at bay and the KOM points were mine. At the summit the ubiquitous cafe was full as 3 tourist coaches had disgorged their passengers for food and drink. They were more than interested in our stories and our bikes and we engaged them in some interesting Franglais conversation. The pizza and beer was good too. All that remained now was the descent, reportedly one of the more enjoyable with a series of switchbacks followed by some fast straight sections lower down. Time for the video cam again, but the weather was not so kind and halfway down we encountered greasy wet roads and the rain came down. Caution was the order of the day as we finally came down into St Beat. From here it was a straightforward run back to Bertren, once again into a headwind. Is it always so? And suddenly the sun came out again, and we were cooked in our rain jackets. Then home. 4 cols and 90 kilometers. A good day. But definitely NOT a rest day. Tuesday May 26th For our last day Chris was keen we should ride the Port de Bales. This climb was only made into a through route 2 years ago, for the 2007 Tour de France, when they laid 6km of tarmac to allow the tour to pass over en route to the Peyresourde. This is another big climb, and the road is decidedly more ropey than Superbagneres. Indeed, Chris had ridden it last week and they had to walk some sections. Nevertheless, we agreed it would be good to do it and, with Simon and Chris for company, Paul and I headed off after yet another lazy breakfast. The weather forecast was 100% wrong - again. Sadly, this time they had forecast sun and it was plain that we were unlikely to see any today. By the time we started on the climb the drizzle was in the air and the clouds hanging on the summits.
No views today, I fear. The Port de Bales is another of those climbs which sucks the rider in with its temptingly easy lower slopes. The first 7km is a very manageable 3% and Simon and I cruised up here, nattering away, as Chris and Paul danced away intent on an easy victory. No contest, I'm afraid. Quite suddenly, with about 12km to go, the road meets the "Route Barree" sign and it's all change. The gradient is now much more serious and the legs start to complain. The road surface is a mix of tarmac and debris, it not having been swept for the summer yet. And by now the clouds are beginning to swirl around us, with some tantalising glimpses of the views back down the valley. Relentlessly, the road pushes on up, the legs crying for respite, but none comes. Simon and I passed an elderly couple on a tandem, using a VERY low gear. I found myself wondering later just how long it would have taken them to do the climb, and how they negotiated the mudslides further up. Eventually, after what seemed an age, the summit loomed into view out of the mist and I was there. Paul and Chris had been waiting a goodly while and were now getting pretty cold. This was not a place to be hanging round on a day like today. Temperatures were about 7 degrees, a far cry from the mid twenties of Sunday. Simon was not far behind me, and after the obligatory photos we all set off down the north side to try and find some warmer climes. The new tarmac was lovely, except for the continuing debris and large quantities of sheep poo. I'm sure the Tour riders never experienced these problems. Down in the valley, the rain was now pretty persistent, and Chris decided he would rather not ride the Peyresourde, if that's ok. A warm shower was a far more enticing option, so we bade farewell and the three of us turned right to head up our final climb, the Col de Peyresourde. For us this was about 12km, in the rain, and cloud, and cold. I'm sure on a good day this would be a cracking climb. As it was, it was still enjoyable, once through the numerous villages. With 3km to go the road approaches a series of switchbacks before finally cresting the summit where the ever present cafe awaits. Paul chose the first hairpin to launch h is searing attack to which I had no response and the final climb was his. It would be nice to say he was gracious in victory, but that is not Paul's style. He loved it!! The real bonus was that the cafe was open. They do a mean line in crepes, 12 for 4 euros 50, a real bargain, and just what the medecin ordered. The descent, in the rain, was fast and furious - another one for the videocam and YouTube. Before we knew it we were down in Luchon, and all that remained was the three up time trial back to Bertren, into a headwind (no change there, then!) Despite the weather, it was another good day. But still not a rest day. Wednesday May 27th One last ride awaits us. And before breakfast too. How harsh is that? The Mont Galie Time Trial is not for the fainthearted. After some thought, even Simon had succumbed to the pressure and Chris accompanied us to the foot of the climb, stopwatch at the ready. He set us off at minute intervals, in traditional TT fashion and then made a beeline for the finish line to await our pitiful efforts. Simon headed up first,
followed by me and finally Paul. My aim? To try and stop Paul catching me, pretty optimistic it has to be said. The climb is relentless, twisting and winding up through trees. No views to break the effort. Near the top it breaks into a series of hairpins and it was here, just after a very severe corner, that Paul finally caught me. Round the final bend, Chris was there with the camera recording our every last effort as we collapsed by the graveyard. After a few minutes and some choice comments, we headed more sedately down to rejoin at the breakfast table and wait for Chris's verdict and the times. No records today. Officially I am now the fastest optician to do the climb, whilst Paul is the quickest student. In reality none of us were likely to break the record (which stands at about 11 minutes or so I believe) but it was all good fun (!?). All that now remained was dismantling the bikes and heading, sadly, for Toulouse and our flights back to the UK. A short break is always too short, but leaves you wanting more. And maybe that is the sign of an enjoyable trip. I should also add that Chris and Helen were wonderful hosts, and can thoroughly recommend a stay in Bertren to anyone wishing to get a taste of the Pyrenees. During our short stay with them Paul and I managed a total of 7 cols in 301km, climbing 6000m in the process. A bit of a rest will be nice. | |
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