This morning I was definitely of “two minds” whether to
ride. Still nursing the last symptoms of a head cold I was reluctant to chance it
again on a big day of climbing. However looking out at the blue sky I decided
to “give it a go” as the weather looked promising. So with four tough cols
ahead we set out again into the wonderfully scenic Pyrenees.
First climb was
the Port de Bales at over 1700m elevation. Great views from the valleys either
side and a very fast and cool descent at 1030am. The next of the
cols was the Col de Mente. Only 9kms in length and just over 1300m high, it was
very steep. No let up! I just had to keep pedalling and try and manage my heart
rate at around 130bpm. At the top a welcome lunch stop in a shady spot well
chosen by our lunch truck driver Ype. There was also a café to buy a “café au
lait grande”. After racing down and equally steep descent I cycled through a
very cool and picturesque valley. Each side of the valley was quite
steep-walled so the road was quite narrow. Keeping an eye out on each corner
for cars, trucks and buses was important.
At the start of the next climb, the
Col de Portet d’Aspet was a memorial to an Italian 1992 Olympic Champion
cyclist Fabion Casartelli. He died of head injuries after crashing into a concrete barrier on a corner on 18 July in 1995 descending this same mountain. He wasn’t
wearing a helmet, however opinions differ on whether the injuries he sustained could
have been prevented by a helmet. The climb of Portet d’Aspet was only 4kms, but
steep enough to test the legs after the previous efforts.
Then a great descent
of 20km through villages and towns towards the final Cole de la Core. This was
a steady grade but not as steep as the previous three. The heat started to take
effect for the first half as temps sneaked into the 30s. I was grateful for “les
grande sapin verte” (the big green pine trees) half way along the 17km climb.
Running
low on water I was able to refill my bidon from a mountain spring on the
roadside. I know that the cows up here may have added some flavour to the water,
however, at this point I couldn’t care less! Only 3km from our camp at the little
town of Oust, I was pleased to see a few of my fellow riders downing a few “coldies”
at a bar in Seix (pronounced “Sex”). It wasn’t difficult for me to accept their
invitation to join!
The “day of tomorrow”, as our Dutch leader Rob describes it,
is a rest day. Very welcome after 6 tough days. Garmin link here
Billière Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details
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| Mayregne |
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| Bourg d'Oueil |
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| Port de Bales |
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| hikers set off on the King Henry IV walk |
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| Ourde |
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| Ourde |
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| Chalets St. Neree |
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| Saint Beat |
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| Saint Beat |
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| Saint Beat |
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| Marignac |
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| near Marignac |
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| Col de Mente |
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| Fabio Casartelli monument on descent of Col de Portet d'Aspet |
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| near Col de Portet d'Aspet |
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| near Col de Portet d'Aspet |
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| definitely needs work - "Moulin Ruined" |
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| sugar hit |
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| needs work |
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| near Col de la Core |
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| Col de la Core |
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| Col de la "Hard" Core |
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| panorama view from Col de la Core |
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| view from Col de la Core |
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| Seix with Thomas Budesinski |
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| campsite Oust celebrating Erik's birthday (a great meal of local cheese and beef) |
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| campsite Oust celebrating Erik's birthday |
