Posting #10 (Moltig-des-Thermes to Canet Roussellon) August 20 (72kms, 299m of climb (775m descent)/2,436 calories burned = 4.5 Big Macs)

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Well we made it! After a good breakfast in our lovely old spa hotel, we set out for the easy 72k descent to the coast.



We are soon out of the Pyrenees and rolling along beautiful country roads through peach
orchards and finally through vineyards. (compare the ride profile above with all the previous ones!) It is amazing how much the terrain and vegetation has changed and we now seem to be in Spain -or even Tuscany! Everyone is in good spirits and these get even better when we stop in the small town of Theil for coffee at about 11am, but instead opt for champagne!


This is quickly consumed and the level of chatter rises as we continue the final 15km run east to the coast. We finally meet the Mediterranean coast at Saint-Cyprien - about 15k south of Canet where we are to spend the night. I have a minor run-in with a car in a roundabout just 50m from the beach, but there is no damage or harm (phew).


After lots of handshaking, smiling and picture taking, we decide to head north to Canet and our faithful support crew. It is an easy run along a coast that is reminiscent of the Atlantic coast of Florida.

We easily (surprisingly) find our hotel along the main beach road among the hundreds of others and meet the ladies for lunch and more drinks. We then head down to the beach in or cycling gear, and in front of an amazed beach crowd, wade into the water and take a final group shot. I remember the small bottle of Atlantic water I filled in Biarritz over a week ago, and ceremoniously empty it into the Mediterranean! Our incredible adventure has ended!

It has been an amazing time of incredible physical challenge, pain, exhaustion, camaraderie, and accomplishment. I've made a lot of new friends and The Cluster crew from Sydney (Geoff & Mike & Mike & Simon & Simon & Gerald & Thomas (let's-have-another-cleansing-ale Eriksen) have made me feel welcome and a part of their close group.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to all of you - particularly to The General and Mike, for your amazing efforts in laying out the route, your reliably inaccurate estimates of distance and ascent each day, and for providing a rolling (sometimes gasping) commentary of the cycling history along the way!! A special thanks to Tess for her booking and scheduling and tireless good spirits at the end of each day - smoothing things over with our often bemused French hosts.

I'll add some pics to this posting over the next day or two from Barcelona and maybe some more thoughts about the trip.

Thanks for reading this and sharing the experience it with me - it means I won't
have to bore you about it when I see you next.

My bike computer tells me that over the last 10 days (7 days of riding) we:

Rode over 800kms
Climbed 18,415 meters (60,000 ft)
Pedaled for over 40 hours

Drank at least 40 "cleansing ales" - and countless glasses of vin rouge (tres ordinaire!)
Burned almost 38,000 calories (except Gerald, who probably burned 50,000!)

Allez!

Posting #9 (Andorra la Vella to Moltig-des-Thermes) August 19 (152kms, 3922m/12,867ft of climb/6,797 calories burned = 12.5 Big Macs)

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The next to last day of riding and the last with any climbing - and what a day it is. We've definitely left the toughest until the end. Today we must climb back out of Andorra into France over the 2407m Col de Port d'Envalira (1,400m climb) and back to Ax-les-Thermes, but we
then have to immediately launch into the long, nasty climb up 2000m Col de Pailheres.

We say our farewells to the support crew outside the hotel and head out of Andorra la Vella during morning rush-hour. Less then 1 km up the road, I have my first flat tyre of the trip and spend 10 mins on the side of the road changing the tube as traffic whizzes by only inches away.


The climb back up out of Andorra is steady and long, but the skies start out clear, and we get a much different perspective of the glacial valley from our high-speed, hypothermic descent a couple of days earlier. We get to the top of the pass at about 11am and look back down into France. The time in Andorra served its purpose of resting our legs and minds, but it's not a place I'd hurry back to, as it's frenetic commercialism and pervasive cigarette smoke, diminished what is a beautiful and historic place in a magnificent alpine setting.

There is a long line of cars of duty-free shoppers waiting at the border crossing back into France, just below the pass. We approach with our passports in hand, but are waved through by the French border guards, with a grin and a cry of "allez, allez!" The 35km high-speed descent back down to Ax-des-Thermes is a joy, and we arrive there before noon - with enough time for a quick (but large) lunch, before the real climbs of the day are to start. (we've just ridden 62km, climbed 1,400m, but our day is yet to start).

The 1280m climb up the infamous Col de Pailheres gets serious immediately, and we start up a set of switchbacks out of Ax with a delightful serving of 12%-15% grades (for short stretches), before settling in to a steady 8%. About half way up the 19km climb, we get into the clouds, and the temperature drops significantly.




Just below the summit, we break through the cloud to a sunny and lovely day and sprawl on the grass amidst the grazing horses and sheep. A rapid descent back into cloud takes us to the double-hit ascents of Col des Moulis (1099m) and Col du Garavel (1256m).

Their combined 860m of climb seems insignificant in the course of things, but nonetheless do their bit in consuming valuable energy.

We descend in drizzle down a lush, rainforested river valley to the base of the our final big climb of the trip - the nasty (but beautiful) Col de Jau.


It is drizzling and cold as we make the climb - which doesn't seem to live up to its reputation for nastiness and after a quick group photo at the summit, we zoom down the other side towards our hotel in Molitg-les-Bains - about 15k away. Again, we soon descend below the cloud and drizzle into a lovely, sunny, dusk and gradually get our warmth back as we wheel into the entrance of the Grand Hotel. It is a gorgeous old spa hotel that is somewhat past its prime, but reminsicent of the grand old hotels that must have dotted this area for decades.

Being built on top of hot springs, there is plenty of hot water in the shower and we are soon all warmed and clean and partaking of many Heinekens!

Allez!!

Posting #8 (Andorra la Vella) August 17 & 18 (0kms, 0m/0ft of climb/8,000 calories consumed)

Two great rest days in the capital of the small principality of Andorra - staying at the **** Crown Plaza Hotel. This place exists solely for the purpose of duty-free shopping and it is jam-packed with French and Spanish citizens cramming their cars with cigarettes and liquor (mainly) - but also other electrical/electronic and household items. A carton of cigarettes costs about the same as a single packet in Australia, and EVERYONE is smoking. What is it about 'SMOKING KILLS' that these people don't get. A meal in a restaurant or even a walk up the street subjects you to clouds of smoke.

Anyway, we don't venture out too far, rest a lot, and have some nice meals with the other in the group. Lorraine and some of the others go to the most elegant spa/bath house for an afternoon (a bit too gay for me) and claim it is an amazing experience. Andorra is known for its healing 'waters' almost as much as tobacco smoke - perhaps there's a symbiotic link? I manage to find a bike shop and acquire a new carbon seatpost as mine had developed a serious problem. The bike shop owner tells me that Saturday evening over 5 cms of snow fell on the Port d'Anvilera - the high pass we had ridden over that afternoon on our ride into Andorra. That may explain the ice pellets I felt!

Tuesday we depart Andorra for our 2nd last stage , and one that promises to be the most difficult. We must re-trace our route back over the 2,400m Port d'Anvilera (hoping for better weather) all the way back to Ax-les-Thermes (our lunch spot on Saturday), then head east back up into the high Pyrenees and some nasty cols to our hotel in Molitg-les-Bains! We have 140km to travel, and over 4,000m/13,000ft to climb - YIKES!!!!

Allez!!!

Posting #7 (Aulus les Bains to Andorra la Vella) August 16 (133kms, 3194m/10,500ft of climb/6239 calories burned = 11.5 Big Macs)

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Today's Cols:

Col d'Agnes 1,570m/5,151ft

Col de Port de Lers 1,517m/5,000 ft

Col de Port d'Envalira 2,407m/7,900ft

We know today is to be a monster day - about the same vertical as the past 2 days, but longer - which should translate to easier climbing. (not!) We ate a 'light' breakfast at our hotel in Aulus-les-Bains - I asked for more than our allotted ONE croissant, and was told in no uncertain terms - "Non, Non!!!" (now I know how David Copperfield felt). Our support crew promised to stock up on energy bars etc and meet us at the top of the first Col. The sharp (8% ave) climb up Col d'Agness started virtually at the back door, so there was no easy riding to smooth out the lumps from the previous day. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful climb through some lovely, quiet rural terrain, and we arrived at the top in good spirits.



This was followed by a short descent to a small glacial lake before the short and easy climb to the summit of Port de Lers.



The descent from Port de Lers brought us back to the busy world and we joind a fairly major road - the N20 - that heads to Andorra and which after about 25 kms of fairly gentle cimbing brought us to the regional town of Ax-les-Thermes, where we met with the support crew and had a BIG lunch (I ate almost a whole pizza and a huge piece of blueberry pie). The road and the town were all very busy, as it was a holiday long weekend. After lunch, we set out on the busy N20 for what was to be a long (35km) 1700m/5,500ft climb to the top of the 2,400m/7,900ft Port d'Envilara at the border with Andorra. It was a spectacular but grinding climb, with the weather deteriorating by the minute. We crossed the border into Andorra with absolutely no formalities, although there has a 10km line of cars waiting to cross back into France from the other direction. Just beyond the border crossing, there is a town with duty-free mega-markets of everything you could imagine (Andorra is a duty/tax free independent principality) and it is absolutely jam packed with French people stocking up on Cigarettes and liquor. Fuel is only euro 1.0/litre versus euro 1.40 in France, so everyone was filling up as well. I have to say that my climb to the top of the pass beside an endless line of idling diesel engines was not very pleasant.

Just below the top of the pass, a freezing wind picked up and the slight drizzle I had been experiencing since the border briefly turned into ice pellets as I crested the pass. It now got interesting!


I had a truly spectacular 25km descent down a long valley into Andorra la Vella, our stop for the next 2 days and capital of Andorra. On a warm day, the 60km/h descent would have been enjoyable, but I knew I was getting colder and colder as I was no longer generating heat from climbing. The descent zooms through at least 4 very up-market ski areas/towns (Canillo, Encamp, Les Escaldes) before arriving at Andorra la Vella. I stop on the outskirts in the sun to take stock with a couple of the other guys - having no idea where our hotel is. Even now in the sun, I am shivering, and know my core temp must be way down. We finally reach Lorraine on the mobile phone and get directions to the Crown Plaza hotel. "Fortunately" for us, we have taken a wrong turn, and have a 1km, steep climb back up the hill, which serves to re-warm us!

We roll into the very nice Crown Plaza, stow our bikes in the storage room and head to the room for a long hot bath. It has been a BIG day, but now we have 2 rest days, before heading out of Andorra and back to France - realizing that we must climb back up the 25kms we just descended.

For some amusement at dinner, I gather some stats from my computer for the trip to date:

Total distance: 590kms
Total climbing: 14,172m / 46,500ft
Total descending: 13,171m /43,500
Time pedaling: 29hrs 56mins
Calories burned: 27,559 (=51 Big Macs)

Allez!!!!

Posting #6 (Bagneres du Luchon to Aulus les Bains) August 15 (120kms, 3029m/10,000ft of climb/4,900 calories burned = 9 Big Macs)

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Four cols today:
Col de Mente 1,349m/4,426 ft
Col de Portet d'Aspet 1,069m/3,507 ft
Col de la Core 1,395m/ 4,577 ft
Col de Letrappe 1,112m/3,648 ft

Awoke to the sound of heavy rain at 6am which did not auger well for a comfortable day. This is to be another BIG day, with four Cols representing over 3,000m of climbing. We think it will be easier having the vertical climb spread over 4 cols rather than 3 as yesterday but that is just wishful thinking. Fortunately the rain eases to a sprinkle as we prepare our bikes for the ride, fill water bottles and stuff as many energy bars and goos into our pockets as we can fit.

Burning over 5,000 calories a day makes for something of a losing battle on the energy ledger, but we do the best we can to avoid running out of fuel later in the day. The cols we are climbing today are not as famous as those we have climbed over the past couple of days, but they are no less challenging to ride, and have been used in the Tour de France many times over the years.

We wheel out of the courtyard of the City Blue hotel after a big breakfast, right on 8:30am and under dark, foggy skies, head north along the La Pique river for 18 km to then turn east to the start of Col de Mente.

The climb starts in the incredibly beautiful village of Saint-Beat and is soon ascending steeply up a frequently 15-17% grade (ouch!!). As the residual lactic acid from yesterday's climbs works its way our of our leg muscles, we are all all soon climbing strongly. I feel great, and under slowly clearing skies head up the col behind the strongest rider in the group (Simon Lempriere). The fog and cloud starts to lift and the sun struggles through as we start the descent - after hot drinks in the small restaurant (the owner's living room) at the top of the col.


As usual the descents are fast and thrilling - the road surfaces being smooth and without potholes. The surfaces of any of the roads used for the TdF or other races are kept immaculate, even the very isolated back roads. I think I have only seen one small pothole in 5 days!!! I'm really starting to get the rhythm of the descents now - including negotiating the sharp hairpin turns - of which there are many!

As we reach the half-way point of the climb up the Col de Portet d'Aspet, our exuberance is brought sharply back to earth.


We come across the plaque and monument to Fabio Casartelli (August 16, 1970 – July 18, 1995) who was an Italian cyclist and an Olympic gold medalist, who died in a crash on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet, during the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France. After a few minutes in silence at the monument, we silently resume our climb to the summit, where again we re-group and take the obligatory photo under the sign.

After another descent, we commence the climb to the 1395m Col del la Core. It is an absolutely delightful climb up a luch valley, with towering, snow covered ramparts above us.


I take more leisurely ride with Jeff and Mike and absorb the beauty of the ride. The wildflowers of all colours in the fields and on the sides of the road, and the constant smell of fresh-cut hay will stay with me for a long time.


Again, the patience and good humour of the drivers is remarkable. I no longer flinch at the sound of a car approaching from the rear. The little tap of the horn and the cries of "allez, allez" as they pass is a BIG change from "get off the road you faggots", that sadly is par for course back home.

For various reasons, we decide to not stop for lunch, and for me at least the last short climb over Col de Letrappe, proves to be aptly named. About halfway up, I simply 'bonk' - the fuel tank runs dry, and I have to resort to an agonizingly slow crawl over the summit. Breakfast (8 hrs earlier) and a handful of energy bars, was simply not enough calories for me - and a few of the others. The short descent into our overnight stop at Aulus-les-Bains is chilly, and the rain starts to drizzle. The town is incredibly picturesque (aren't they all?) set below a magnificent glacial cirque with a beautiful trout stream running throught it.



Our hotel is right out of a tourist brochure and we meet the support teams who are already into the rose and vin rouge!

A long soak in a hot bath restores my core temperature and a mountain of food - my energy! Tomorrow - a huge climb into Andorra and then 2 rest days - Yippee!!!!

Allez!

Posting #5 (Argeles-Gazost to Bagneres du Luchon) August 14 (111kms, 3284m/10,800ft of climb/5,800 calories burned = 11 Big Macs)

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What a day!!! After a rest day yesterday (Wed 13th) we defy a dismal weather forecast and head up the Gave de Pau valley to Laruns where we start our ascent of the infamous, 2115m/7,000ft Col du Tourmalet! One of the six great climbs of the Tour de France - and it doesn't disappoint!

Despite the forecast, the weather clears and we climb the truly spectacular 18km of 8% average grade up the switchbacks of the massive glacial cirque. Compared to our 'in the clouds' climb of the similarly grand Col d'Aubisque a couple of days before, we are today treated to the most stunning scenery and reach the summit in under 2 hours.


I (fortunately) feel really strong again and manage to keep my average heart-rate for the climb to below 140 bpm. We re-group in the rustic restaurant at the summit and have hot coffee and freshly baked blueberry pie before having the obligatory group photo under the signpost in the cold, blowing wind.

We then set out on what mat be the most amazing, high-speed descents of my life. We sped down the 14 km of 7%-9% grades on the eastern side of the col, absolutely in awe of the wide open glacial cirque ski area around us, and the endless fan writing on the road surface from this
year's Tour de France, when the riders scaled the Col from the opposite direction to us. The descent required maximum concentration, as an upcoming turn could easily become a precarious hair-pin - but the exhilaration and the historical context of the moment was VERY
emotional. The descent was over incredibly quickly - we actually passed cars on the way down - and we re-grouped at the small village at the bottom o fhte descent to re-fill our water-bottles at the communal spigot, before setting course for our ascent of the almost as auspicious 1490 m Col de l'Aspin. The sense of history in this area almost matches the incredible landscape, and it is easy to become distracted (and dare I say it, emotional)!

The climb up Col d'Aspin is not too bad, though perhaps we are now starting to become a bit over-confident. The weather, which has exceeded all expectations, produces a few spits of rain, but the climb to the summit is fairly dry and we reach it in good time.


As usual for the tops of these Cols this trip, it is windy and cold, so we wait for the stragglers, take the group photo, and start the decent. The descent is (as usual) magnificent and seems to neutralize all the pain of the climb. I am starting to get the rhythm of these high speed descents and am seeing numbers on my speedometer that I have never seen before (yikes!!). Despite that, my 75 km/h seems puny compared to the 100 km/h of the pros!

We meet the ladies ("cycling groupie chicks") in the small town of Arrens-Marsous, but as usual we have arrived right on the start of siesta (we're VERY close to the Spanish border) and no amount of pleading or money will convince the stubborn restauranteurs to serve us food. We find a patisserie that agrees to sell us apple-pie, and we wolf that down, before heading out of town for our final (phew!) climb of the day to the summit of the 1569m Col de Peyresourde.


This time, I hold back and ride with my mate Noel, who is suffering from a bad cold and we make slow but steady progress up the climb. We are met by Lorraine and Heather loudly ringing support with a cow-bell they have acquired, just below the summit.

Again, a re-group, a quick group photo, and then a wonderful, high-speed descent of about 14kms into the charming regional town of Bagneres du Luchon. We find the hotel - very nice with its own thermal baths, and settle in for a beer (or two) after a very hard, bit incredibly rewarding day of riding (the stats at the top of this posting speak for themselves). We realize that the next 2 days are going to be just as difficult - until we reach Andorra - and 2 rest days!

Allez!

Posting #4 (Montory to Argeles-Gazost) August 12 (112kms, 2886m of climb)

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This is our 2nd day of riding and presents the first real challenges. We have 5 Cols to climb today - 3 minor ones (Col de LIe, Col d'Icher and Col du Soulor) and 2 biggies (Col de Marie Blanque (Cat 1) and Col d'Aubisque (Cat Hors)) In aggregate these represent over 2880 meters (9500 ft) of climbing! As a side complication we find a big bulge in the sidewall of our Hertz van and so Lorraine has to make a trip to Pau (the nearest city) to get a replacement. This ends up taking almost the whole day!

After the usual big breakfast the group is on the road by 8:15am under overcast skies. We have an easy, rolling ride through the most beautiful Basque countryside with green fields, beautiful trout streams, sleepy postcard villages, and sheep, cattle and cows - all with bells. The roads are all in excellent condition - even the very small back-roads we favor.


The French drivers are incredibly courteous - the only yelling we get are calls of encouragement, and they will patiently wait behind for a safe place to overtake and then wave as they go by - phew, what a change from Oz! It seems that this is a major cheese producing area as there are signs everywhere touting a particular exotic variety produced by individual farms.

We make fairly short work of Col de Lie and Col d'Icher (both of which have been included in previous TdFs) then roll down a magnificent river valley to the start the nasty climb up Col de Marie Blanque.

It is exciting to see all the writing on the roads by the fans for their favorite riders - from the 2007 TdF.

I looked in vain for my name, but did manage to see 'Cadel' well represented. Rasmussen's name is still there. You may recall that he stormed to the lead in 2007 over Col de Marie Blanque and Col d'Aubisque only to be thrown off the Tour at the end of the stage. There is quite a lot of 12% grade in the climb and the sun briefly comes out to heat things up. I feel strong and my heart-rate remains in a reasonable zone and I have no problem reaching the summit.

Things turn noticeably colder and the cloud descends as we re-group, re-hydrate, put on wind breakers and start what proves to be a magnificent high-speed descent. Before starting the descent we are treated to the sight of a local taking his pet rabbit for a walk (hop?) on a leash in the parking lot.

As I said, the descent from Marie Blanque is stunning for its beauty and speed. Initially across broad, green pastures of the plateau, and then steeply through lush pine and then hardwood forests into the valley below and the picturesque town of Laruns.

From there we turn off for the start of the long ascent of Col d'Aubisque - just as it starts to drizzle rain. We meet the ladies for lunch at a small town called Eaux-Bonnes (reference to thermal springs) a few kms up the climb and after spending 45 mins there (crepes for lunch!) and filling our water bottles we head up the climb in cloud and gentle rain. The good news about the cloud and rain is that they kept it cool. I again feel really strong, and climb well - reaching the summit in 2nd place
in just over an hour (from our lunch break in Eaux-Bonnes). It is freezing at the summit, and completely in the clouds (so sadly no view), but fortunately there is a restaurant there and we are soon
warming ourselves with hot chocolate, coffee, bowls of soup and of course, cheese and ham baguettes.

After over an hour at the summit we have re-grouped, re-warmed, re- loaded and re-hydrated and we commence the spectacular, but now freezing, wet and slightly scary descent from the Col. The rain and fog make for very poor visibility (through our glasses) and we cautiously negotiate the steep descent with huge drops off the side of the road, dark tunnels and a steady stream of cars coming up. Frozen fingers and toes are a reminder of how it would be good to not have to stop to repair a puncture. After about 30 mins descent we reach the Col du Soulor at about 1450m. This nasty little Col causes us to have to ascend again for a few hundred meters, before the final descent into the valley and our hotel in the picturesque resort town of Argeles-Gazost.

We converge on our hotel and agree that it has been a very challenging day. A few beers and bottles of wine later, the tough parts are all forgotten and we discuss plans for our rest-day on Wednesday. A couple think of visiting nearby Lourdes in search of a miracle to help with then next few days. I think Lorraine and I will explore the town, and I'll catch up on emails - of course!

Allez!