7 days of cycling in the french Pyrenees
For a fair amount of time, The Pyrenees had been on my cycling bucket list. My earliest memory of my desire to climb Pyrenees mountain roads must have been from around 1996. Watching the Tour de France. The one Bjarne Riis eventually won...
On my way to Spanish sun, I passed by several times. Usually via the eastern side, Perpignan. Few times via the West, San Sebastian. Those white mountain tops beckoned, but for no specific reason, I never got around riding there. The area remained undiscovered.
Until a few weeks ago…
let’s go on a trip
It was via-via that my friend Ruben and I got invited for this trip. Cycle Coffee Society would open its third house. They kinda asked us to test-visit the place. Furthermore, to just do our dance. Ride and capture the experience. We agreed and made our way south a couple of days after receiving that offer.
It appeared Puck Moonen and Daniel Sanz were visiting as well. We knew Puck just a bit as we shared a ride around Calpe earlier this year. Daniel was a new face to me although we were connected via Instagram. Turned out we had a very nice vibe!
the Hautes-Pyrénées
The French Pyrenees are home to the most iconic mountain passes, well known for the Tour de France. Names as Col du Tourmalet, Col d’Aubisque, Hautacam and Luz Ardiden should ring a bell, right? For years, these peaks formed the backdrop of many Tour de France stages. Nevertheless, as you continue to read, you’ll learn that there is a climb that blows away the experience of climbing those I just mentioned. Not joking!
I found out the Pyrenees has everything you dreamed of when you consider yourself a cyclist. Okay, the weather can be unpredictable. Trickier than the Alpes or Dolomites I think. And okay, the options for a full loop are scarce. As lots of these mountain roads turn out to be dead-end climbs to ski resorts. However, it makes the area less attractive for tourism, which ensures roads are quiet and you are hardly bothered by traffic, including motorcyclists. And that’s a huge plus!
Day 1 - Warm up
We took off travelling Sunday night after diner, rode through the night and arrived at the Cycle Coffee Society vila in Adast early in the afternoon. With kind of a jet lag. We both picked one of the seven rooms, dropped some stuff and agreed on a power nap first. Then head out for a short loop as a warm-up.
Apparently I wasn’t very focused on setting my alarm. So it was Ruben who woke me up. I jumped out of bed, changed in 5 minutes and went downstairs. Heard Ruben talking to Puck and Daniel. They just returned from a ride. Handshakes and a few words followed, and then we jumped on the bikes first. Because although we still felt tired, we were undiminished and curious for our first ride in the area. Would have further chats with Puck and Daniel later anyway.
Our first ride covered 50 kilometres with a 1.000 m elevation gain. In no time, our energy levels were back to normal. What exercise combined with new stimuli in terms of environment can do...
We didn't do any significant climbs that afternoon but nevertheless enjoyed riding surrounded by these imposing mountains. That ride was already a lot of fun and of course, we shot a whole series of shots.
Day 2 - Col du Tourmalet
First ride with the four of us. Ruben, Puck, Daniel and I planned this loop 100 km loop. Straight from the villa, over the infamous Col du Tourmalet from the Sainte-Marie de Campan side.
With Col de Lingous as a warm-up, we hit the first stretches of the Tourmalet after 35 kilometres. A coffee stop was quite a nice interlude to then cover the other 18 kilometres of the climb. Personally, I think the straight stretches on this side are the hardest parts. Especially the last stretch up to La Mongie. It’s steep! As in 9-10%. And the full climb never really gets under 7-8%. You have to plan this one well in terms of effort. Definitely not a climb for rookies.
Much has been said and written about this col. As a cyclist, you have to go up there once in a lifetime. If it’s not only about its history, the landscape is impressive as it’s one of the highest mountain passes in the area.
We had to deal with quite some challenges along the way. Talking about a tubular puncture for Daniel. A bent derailleur path after dropping his bike as well. And Puck ran out of Di2 battery at the top. Where Daniel managed to fix the tube with help of others around La Mongie, Puck had to descend on a 34 x 26 gear ratio. So Daniel caught up with us along our way down and we got back to the villa with four again.
Initially, I thought that because the Pyrenees had been sticking on my bucket list for so long, the experience could only be disappointing. I guess I was wrong. Both literally and figuratively I had my head in the clouds on this ride.
A 100 km loop with 2,200 m elevation gain in the pocket and some nice shots to go with that!
Day 3 - Hautacam
The weather forecast predicted rain kicking in around noon. It would remain dry in the morning. That given, our initial plan was therefore to head out on the bike at 8:30. For a short but intensive ride up the Hautacam and back. In reality, it was raining cats and dogs in the morning. Around 10 it started to clear up and at 12 it got sunny and roads dried up quickly. We even didn't see a drop of rain for the rest of the day. Mountains. They make it almost impossible to serve accurate weather predictions.
We adjusted our plans accordingly and headed out around noon. We went straight up the Hautacam climb as it’s situated really close to the villa.
At first, I wasn't quite impressed with the climb so to say. The first part is nice, but nothing really special. However, once halfway, the road meanders to the top, delivering expansive views. It's really hard to find your rhythm, but in our case, low-hanging clouds created epic skies which I intensely enjoyed as a distraction.
Eventually, we decided to extend the climb to the absolute top. In fact, you'll find the true summit of this climb at 1,635 meters. Actually called the Col du Tramassel. Highly recommended for enjoying a 360 panorama, before turning around and rolling down.
Once back in Argelès-Gazost we stumbled upon a great bakery where we made a stop before heading back to the villa. Only 42 kilometres, but with an elevation gain of 1217 meters and again a series of dark clouds entering the valley, we called it a day.
Day 4 - Col d’Aubisque
As the day before, weather predictions didn't make any sense. Instead of the predicted rain from 1 PM, it was like pouring rain in the morning and partly cloudy the rest of the day.
So, instead of taking off early, we took off around noon. With five since Adrea joined us as well. A good friend of Daniel and a great addition to the company that already was so nice.
On our loop, we first passed by Lourdes. Honest to say, this tourist attraction didn't feel very inviting for us to make a stop. So we turned left somewhere, straight into nature. The roads reminded me a bit of the Ardennes. All up and down on green hills and poor tarmac. The mountain tops in the distance were telling me this is certainly not Belgium.
Despite the fact that we had already gained quite some elevation halfway through our loop, which seemed mostly flat on paper, the real effort was yet to come. Col d'Aubisque from Laruns. Serving 17 km of climbing, gaining 1,200 meters of altitude. Up to its summit at 1,700 meters.
We hit that climb an groupe for about 15 km. Both Ruben and I occasionally made photo stops and then sprinted back to the group. That's what we held on to for a while, but the rest kept up a decent pace which broke us about 2 km before the top. As also the views got better and better we made many stops for photo's from there and enjoyed the last stretches to the max.
Day 5 - Luz Ardiden
By now, no surprise that we again adjusted the plans we made the night before, due to the weather. Where we postponed our rides the past few days, today we left according to the plan but ended up cutting our ride short because of intense dark clouds hanging on top of the mountains that were initially on the menu.
The plan was like Luz Ardiden, Cirque du Troumousse, retrace our ride in the opposite direction, passing by our villa and then a final climb to Lac d'Estaing as desert. Puck planned a short tough interval ride. So we departed with four.
Luz Ardiden, famous as a final horse category climb in several Tour de France stages, served us its 29 switchbacks to the ski station at the top. Tough but solid climb with a fantastic view from the top where you can clearly see how you made your way up. Of course, we shot some shots and then made it back to Luz St. Sauveur where we made a stop at the local bakery and another one for coffee.
We continued our way up to the Cirque de Troumousse. Passed by the village of Gèdre, where the road wound up nicely with promising views when looking over the shoulder. Looking towards the top, however, yielded less attractive views. The summit was shrouded in dark clouds that left nothing to guess about the conditions up there.
We felt big rain drops coming down, and that single descending cyclist gave us the urgent advice to turn around. We hesitated for a moment, but then decided to abort our climb, 10 kilometres from the top. Pity, but probably the wisest decision.
We paced our way down, back to Luz St. Sauveur, passing by our villa, and made another bakery stop in Argelès-Gazost. Again, we noticed big dark clouds. This time all around us. It made us decide to abort the last climb as well. With mixed feelings, I only clocked 102 kilometres and 2,200 m elevation gain. Not really what we had planned, but it nevertheless was another fantastic day out on the bike!
Day 6 - Lac d’Estaing
Dodging rain seemed the main challenge these days. Although today was pretty bad and wet, we found ourselves a kinda dry window for about 2 hours. So we went out anyway.
Although sunny conditions are more relaxed for riding, I totally love moody conditions like these. Mountains covered in clouds look so magical and mystic. In the valley, it was actually quite clear. Until we reached an altitude of about 1,000 meters. From there we were surrounded by mist every now and then.
After much dawdling, while switching between checking the skies and checking the weather forecast on our phones, we headed out at 3 PM with our fingers crossed. Puck was in need of a short recovery ride after yesterday's interval training. That made her join us only for half an hour. Then she turned right to cut our route short. She missed out on the best part…
I went straight with Ruben and Daniel, further up to Lac d'Estaing. That climb was actually already planned the day before, but we cancelled it due to the weather. Now we made it to the lake and were not disappointed! The main road snaked its way closely along the lake. The road ended in a car park with a brasserie. We were discussing whether to stop for a coffee or not, but it was quite cold and it started to drizzle.
We turned around, partly back the same way, and then turn left towards Col des Bordères. We crossed the top through the fog and then descended towards Arrens, where we made a great stop for cake and coffee at this really nice restaurant called Isard Perche.
Now it really started to rain. So we skipped the planned Col de Couraduque and formed a fast train down, back to the villa.
In the end, it was another great day. One that again delivered some cool shots as a result as well!
Day 7 - Cirque de Troumouse
Cirque du Troumouse. I assume that this climb only rings a bell with a very few of you fellow cyclists. Am I right? After our failed attempt to combine this climb with Luz Ardiden on day 5, the weather turned out to be in our favour today. So we went for it!
Not the Tourmalet. Not the Aubisque. Not Luz Ardiden or Hautacam. The fame of the Tour de France somehow doesn't stick to this climb located in this area. As a result, this climb appears one of the quietest climbs I have ever done. Above all, I dare to say that this is the most beautiful climb I ever conquered!
For me, it's the combination of incredible views, the number of tight switchbacks, and really quiet roads that beat climbs I considered the best ones I did yet to date.
Coming from Gèdre, the world slowly changes. The more elevation you gain, the better it gets. A small winding road containing a few nice switchbacks let you enter a scenery like a painting. You'll find yourself surrounded by waterfalls, glaciers, and snowy rocky mountain peaks. This is the Pyrenees at its best!
While you might think it can't get any better at that certain point, there's an option to treat yourself to the ultimate bonus. Climbing an additional three kilometres and another 15 switchbacks. Only accessible to hikers and cyclists. These are the toughest stretches of the climb. But despite 8-12% gradients, it's far from agony to the absolute top. Simply because of the breathtaking experience of climbing with views like these. The last 3 kilometres are the cherry on top. On the one hand because of this switchback overdose, on the other hand, because of the views over the glaciers and the desolate landscape as far as the eye reaches.
The Troumousee proved to be the ultimate last day in the Pyrenees. After a good lunch, we descended back to Gèdre. And as a bonus decided to turn left to also conquer the Col de Tentes.
The only blemish on this last day out here was the excessively applied gravel on the Tentes. Descending in particular was tricky for that reason. So tricky that Daniel, unfortunately, made a slide. However, the impact could have been worse.
I’ll be back!
No doubt I’ll return to this area. It’s so nice. So peaceful. So peaceful compared to other mountain ranges I know of. These few days, in which the weather was not always the best, were simply not enough. There are plenty of climbs left on my cycling bucket list. The Col d’Aspin for instance.
Reason enough to plan another visit. With a few friends. And very likely we will return to this super nice and well equipped Cycling Coffee Society villa!
