Ready to go, day one
I organised a little weekend jaunt down to the Pyrenees last weekend for a small group. Turned out to be a great trip. We were lucky with the weather – dry, warm, some sun and little wind – and the hotel was a gem as well, particularly the restaurant which was fantastic. I’m a little bit reticent about mentioning it here in case it becomes too popular! But I will anyway – it’s L’Arrieulat in Argeles-Gazost.
Argeles-Gazost is a nice little town and a great location to be based for a weekend’s cycling; legendary cols seems to spin out of the town at every angle! On Saturday morning we took in a couple of flat laps of the main drag to warm ourselves a little as the road up to the Col du Soulor starts straight out of town.
Col du Soulor
It’s a very pretty 20km ride up to the Soulor and aside from a very short stretch where I saw the gradient hit 16%, a straightforward climb (just over 5% average gradient over the distance).
The Col du Soulor is a stopping off point on the way to the Col d’Aubisque along La Corniche du Cirque de Litor, a stunning section of road cut into the side of the mountain and delivering breathtaking views across the valley.
- La Corniche du Cirque de Litor
The 10km from the Soulor to the Aubisque isn’t tough – in fact the first couple of kilometres are a fantastic desce
nt – but reaching the Aubisque along one of the prettiest road in the Pyrenees is well worth a coffee at the top. We returned to Argeles-Gazost via the same route, just rather more quickly! Lunch was taken in the town square.
An hour or so later we crossed town and started up the 17km climb to the ski station at Hautacam. To be honest, the profile of the climb – showing an average of just under 7% gradient for the length of the ascent – is pretty misleading. There’s barely a section of more than a couple of hundred metres which is of steady gradient. One minute you’re at 4%, the next you’re at 12%, then 6%, then 10%…it’s impossible to find a rhythm. We all suffered. Not only is it a bit of a bitch, but it’s not very pretty at the top! Great to tick it off the list but I won’t be rushing back to be honest. We flew down and retired to a bar in Argeles-Gazost tired but happy. A relatively short day at 90km but with 2,660m of climbing and three classic climbs, not to be sniffed at.
View from the Col d'Aubisque
Sunday morning was bright and sunny with a little breeze which, though in our faces on the run south out of Argeles-Gazost to Luz-St-Sauveur, turned onto our backs as we turned sharp left up towards the mythical Col du Tourmalet. Which was nice.
The first sign tells you that there’s 18.6km to the col, which sounds like a bloody long way, but the gradient’s not too severe and before too long you find yourself passing through the little town of Bareges. The road kicks up slightly just after Bareges but then eases again until you reach the ski lifts. After that you’re into switchbacks cutting through hills reminiscent of Scotland in many ways and you see the col from a good 7km away.
Looking west from the Col du Tourmalet
I’ve seen so many pictures of people standing in front of the big silver statue of Octave Lapize that it was a real thrill to arrive there myself. Sadly, Octave himself had been removed for the winter. More disappointing, however, was the fact that the delicious looking plates of spag-bol being served in the cafe were for a pre-arranged private party only! So once we’d all made it and warmed up inside for a while, we dropped very fast down the other side through La Mongie (avoiding wildlife including llamas, cows and a donkey) and grabbed a spot of lunch in St Marie de Campan.
Our final climb of the trip was up the pretty Col d’Aspin. It’s a really nice climb. Very easy for 8km out of St Marie de Campan and only kicking up (and then not too severely) for the last 4km to the col itself. The views from the top of the Aspin are some of the best in the Pyrenees in my opinion. Simply fantastic.
Despite the fact that we were heading back the way we came down to Bagneres-de-Bigorre and then looping back to Argeles-Gazost, I dropped over the col – accompanied by good mate Gabbi – descended 3km and found the tree where I’d climbed off my bike two years previously having properly bonked on the climb from Arreau. Unfinished business. I was delighted to cover to road I’d failed to manage in 2008 (and this explains the ‘double peak’ in the profile below!)
We had a blisteringly fast run down from the Aspin to Bagneres-de-Bigorre and then tapped out the remaining kilometres to the hotel. A great day: 133km, 2,900m of climbing. And the end of a brilliant weekend. Lots more photos can be found here.
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