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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!
