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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!!
