My Biking Blog: #leran

Sunday, 28 June 2015

100 Cols Day 17 Léran to St. Pons-de-Thomieres 144km 2000m climbing

With a relatively (NO days are easy on Bike-Dreams trips!) easy day ahead we left this morning feeling that it would be a great day to enjoy some coffee stops and sight-seeing in the tourist city of Carcassone. After a few rolling hills and 66kms we arrived at Carcasonne in good time and the group I was riding with decided to take a wander through the Cite Carcasonne. This is a medieval castle and fortress which has been restored and rebuilt in various incarnations over the last several hundred years. It is certainly an amazing structure which sits imposingly above the surrounding valley and commercial centre. The site itself is UNESCO protected and remains as it was at the end of the last reconstruction in the late 1700’s. The streets are packed with souvenir shops, restaurants and bars. So it has become somewhat of a tourist trap and the buses arrive regularly and unload their loads of French and overseas visitors.
After our brief tour of the “walled city” we headed to lunch just outside Carcasonne alongside the Canal Deux-Mers which passes through the city on the way between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. After lunch we rode an exposed valley road towards our destination at St Pons-de-Thomieres.
The last two cols of the day were tough enough although not that steep. Col de Salette at around 900m and the relatively short ride up to Col du Croix Jubilee. In camp the temperatures were in the mid-30s and some went the pool for a dip. Others braved the cold mountain stream nearby.
This area in southern France is close to the coastal locations of Narbonne and Perpignan. There are many steep gorges and mountains in behind the coast and it is an area that can be very hot in the summer months. We certainly experienced that today.
A great meal of pork chops and vegetables with apple sauce complimented with green peppers (very hot) was enjoyed by all. Tomorrow we expect another hot day so all the jackets and arm-warmers have been packed into the bottom of the luggage bags. Garmin link here
Léran Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details

Leran near Lac de Montbel

coffee stop Limoux

La Cite Carcassonne

La Cite Carcassonne bridge over moat

Carcassonne viaduct over Canal Deux Mers

Carcassonne

La Cite Carcassone

La Cite

La Cite - Tony Carolyn and Erik

La Cite

Carcassonne Centre Ville

Canal des Deux Mers

Lespinassiere

from coffee shop Lespinassiere

Saturday, 27 June 2015

100 Cols Day 16 Oust to Leran 128km 2400m climbing

The weather didn’t impress this morning with drizzle and clouds. The first climb of the day was the Col de Latrape 1100m elevation. It was just a steady gradient at the start which kicked up towards the end to 8-9%. Some cloudy views, however, not a lot happening at the top. After a nice descent to Aulus-les-bains and a welcome coffee plus a stamp for my 100 cols passport I set off for the next climb. This was quite beautiful and the weather had started to clear. This is the Col dÁgnes. I climbed a small walking track from the road at the top to a lookout and an orientation plaque, showing the name of the mountains surrounding the pass and their heights.
Terrific photo opportunities! That’s the trouble with these Bike-Dreams trips, when you are as slow as I am and take as many photos as I do you really don’t have many riding partners. Nearly everyone powers onward on the route following their GPS navigation device in order to get to camp as early as possible. So as a consequence I get left behind! But that’s ok as my trusty Garmin and maps will eventually get me there, and sometimes you have to go “off-course” in order to see something remarkable. And I probably won’t be back in these mountains ever again so why shouldn’t I just enjoy the experience and record the fantastic scenery and local culture.
Col d’Agnes was the highest point of the day at over 1300m. Lunch was available at the short descent to a lake near the Col d’Agnes and we watched as a Cyclo-Sportif event went through the pass. These riders were clearly of a high standard and the first to reach the col were climbing very strongly. Fortunately the route of their course did not continue in the same direction as ours so there were no problems with road closures.
At the bottom of the Col d’Agnes near the town of Massat I saw a cyclist on the side of the road with his back wheel out and looking pretty forlorn. After looking at his back wheel we both agreed it was “tres mauvais” and he wasn’t going anywhere on that bike without proper repairs. So he set off walking down the hill.
After Massat we began the third climb of the day. The first 9kms were quite easy but then as we left the route towards the Col de Port and turned left up the Col de Peguere the road suddenly became a lot steeper. Over 4 kms the gradient didn’t drop much below 12% and regularly peaked at 18%. So it was tough, and made worse by the cold conditions and the clouds which closed in on the mountain. Fortunately Ype had taken the lunch truck up the top of Peguere. So after a coke and a change of clothes I was ready to head off down towards the large town of Foix.
Freezing cold and gravel on the road made it impossible to descend quickly, so by the time I got the Foix I was chilled to the bone. A reggae festival was in progress in Foix and there seemed to be a big population of hippies on town. There is a magnificent castle ruin at Foix and I went out to have a look at it and take some pictures before heading on for the final 30 kms of the day. Couple of rolling hills and Aidan and I rolled into camp at about 5 o’clock.
Ype has taken apart my freewheel hub and cleaned it so now it’s working fine again, so that’s a relief. Garmin link here
Oust Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details