Tag: France

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 8

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 8

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Etape 8 –Saint-Nazaire to Soudon (Saturday 28th June)

We had an 8am rendezvous for breakfast & were on our way under grey skies & a slight headwind, but with the promise of temperatures in the low 30 degrees centigrade this afternoon. The early part of the route took us through the suburbs of Saint-Nazaire on quiet back roads.

Leaving Trignac, we picked up a local cycle track that cut through fields of wheat that have been harvested & hay baled. Behind 1 of the bales, I spotted a single person tent & bike trailer – it looked like a wild-camping cyclist had found their perfect spot to stop last night.

The small village of Montoir-de-Bretagne delivered us onto our first section of hard-packed gravel, as we followed a disused railway track a couple of feet to our right. We saw a couple of walkers, but other than that, we had the route to ourselves.

The gravel track continued to narrow & deteriorate the further along it we travelled, until at Lieu-de-Er the gravel turned to cricket ball-sized stones – Sean & I don’t have the skills to ride this, so we joined the main road towards Pontchateau (we both recognised the name as being 1 of the stations we stopped at on Thursday’s train ride to Saint-Nazaire. The road was busier than we would have liked, but much better than the rough off-road trail we’d left behind!

At the 22-mile point, we reached the small commune of St Anne-sur-Brivet & I spotted a patisserie, so of course we stopped to sample their wares! I chose an apricot tart which was delicious washed down with an orangina.

We remained on tarmac until we passed through Quilly, where we picked up some more hard-packed gravel for a couple of miles. When we re-joined tarmac, we crossed the Canal de Nantes a Brest, before finding the start of the Route Forestiere de Carheil, which was marked by a Memorial to 2 soldiers who were killed in action on 21st August 1941.

This was a beautiful stretch of tarmac which cut straight through the surrounding forest. We had some much-appreciated protection from the sun, which was now beating down on us whenever there were gaps in the trees.

Leaving the forest behind, we joined the Ligne de Sable a Montoir de Bretagne voie verte which took as past a holiday park where children were taking advantage of the various activities on offer, while the parents watched a band.

We stopped for more fluids in a supermarket at Nozay – I found the outdoor furniture section & sat down on a €65 bench for 5 minutes in the air-conditioned cool!! Sadly, I didn’t have room in my panniers to buy the bench! By now, my elbow was making me very aware that it wanted me to stop riding for the day, but we were still 20 miles from our hotel for the evening & in the middle of nowhere, so it was a case of simply keeping the pedals turning.

We stuck mainly to tarmac for the remainder of the route but had the roads & lanes to ourselves. We passed a field of cows who all congregated at the fence by the road to offer us encouragement to keep moo-ving (sorry!)

Passing through Chateaubriant, we were on the home stretch, 1 final section of cycle track before arriving at our Chambres d’Hote for the evening called La Marmoire, just outside Soudon.

We’ve just finished a 3-course plat du jour of prawn & avocado salad, poulet with vegetables & rice, followed by tartlette d’abricot – it was delicious! We also made some new French friends – Eric was on a short cycling trip with his daughter Alice & luckily their English was significantly better than our French & we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Saint-Nazaire to Soudon was 68 miles in length with 1,900 feet of climbing. We had another great day exploring a beautiful part of France. The landscape & scenery continue to impress, so here’s to more of the same tomorrow.

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 6

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 6

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Etape 6 –Val Couesnon to Rennes (Wednesday 25th June)

This morning’s breakfast set a new benchmark in quality – all locally produced, we tucked into fresh watermelon, yoghurt & granola, scrambled egg on toast, a croissant and crusty bread & apricot jam, all washed down with fresh grapefruit juice & coffee. It was a feast fit for royalty & we devoured the lot!

We set off under grey skies, with high humidity in the air & the possibility of thunderstorms later in the afternoon. By mile 15, we’d completed 75% of the day’s climbing, as we followed small lanes that took us between fields of wheat & maize. Finally, we had 2 long distance encounters with birds of prey, as they patrolled the wheat fields for their vole breakfast. The surrounding countryside & villages don’t look much different to how they were 500 years ago – the 1 exception was at Marcille-Rhoul, where we saw a historic farmhouse surrounded by wind turbines in the far distance.

Etang du Bulet marked the end of the early climbing & we spotted a couple of swans with their cygnets in tow on the far side of the lake. At Mentreuil-sur-Ille we joined a gravel path which followed the Canal d’Ille et Rance, as it gradually descended towards Rennes.

We had the path to ourselves, except for the occasional dog walkers, cyclists & joggers. There were locks every couple of miles, so the canal could follow the contours of the land downhill.

The expected thunderstorms never arrived, but it remained humid, so we were grateful of the shade offered by the trees on the banks of the canal. An unexpected bonus was spotting L’Ecluse Tropicale, where we enjoyed a Breizh cola & café-au-lait.

Just before our adventure on the canal ended, we passed a beautifully restored lockkeeper’s cottage. It was the perfect end to an hour of riding in paradise.

The final 15 miles were nothing to write home about, other than to say we had to circumnavigate Rennes to reach our hotel for the evening & this required us to ride busy roads, before finally returning to quiet lanes for the final 15 minutes.

After the opulence of last night, we’re in a B&B Hotels motel this evening – it was automated check-in, door codes to get into the building & your room & the simplest of hotel rooms.

Val Couesnon to Rennes was 43 miles in length with 1,700 feet of climbing. I’ve taken the decision to have a day off the bike tomorrow, as my forearm has been getting more painful each day I’ve ridden. This is my 6th consecutive day of riding & we’ve covered 260 miles in that time. Tomorrow would require me to ride 76 miles from Rennes to Saint Nazaire, which is too much for me now. I need to investigate the bus & train timetables, as we have already paid for 2 night’s accommodation in Saint Nazaire!

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 5

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 5

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Etape 5 – Granville to Val Couesnon (Tuesday 24th June)

After a breakfast of apple juice, coffee, cereal, yoghurt, pain au chocolat & a pastry I was ready for the day ahead. We had blue skies overhead & the thermometer was already saying 20C as we set off just after 9.30am. The first 20 minutes or so were about getting across Granville & joining the coastal road towards Saint-Pair-sur-Mer.

Within 10 miles, we’d hit almost half of today’s climbing, as we crested cliffs, before plummeting back to sea level, with lovely views along the beaches. There were plenty of people walking on the promenade & even a couple of horses & traps galloping on the wet sand.

As we descended into Saint-Jean-le-Thomas we left the climbing behind for a while as we descended a small lane that took us past an ancient cannon & gave us our first glimpse of the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel about 10 miles in the distance. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the island that’s connected to the mainland by a causeway ever since we planned the trip – my first view didn’t disappoint!

After about 90 minutes in the saddle, we reached the small commune of Genets & spotted a patisserie, plus a picnic spot in a nearby field, so I stopped for a pear tart & orange drink, while Sean had an apple tart & peach drink as we relaxed with lovely views across the bay.

We stayed on quiet lanes as we headed inland through Vains, La Croix Verte & Argennes, occasionally picking up gravel trails that joined the small lanes together. At Pontaubalt, we crossed the Selune estuary & headed ever closer to Mont-Saint-Michel, with the Abbaye offering tantalising glimpses of what lay ahead.

Other than a group of 4 Scottish cyclists who were heading for St Malo we hardly saw a sole (1 of their partners was acting as a soigneur & driving a car with all their luggage) – they quickly rode off into the distance.

Finally, we arrived at La Caserne, the closest you can get to the Abbaye, without walking across to the Abbaye. We stopped for a café au lait & coke, while congratulating ourselves for making the slight detour to get closer to the Mont-Saint-Michel.

Leaving La Caserne, we joined a hard-packed gravel cycle track that followed the river Couesnon into Pontorson, before picking up a lane that was used exclusively by cyclists & farmers. About an hour after leaving La Caserne, we arrived in Val Couesnon & had 1 final, steep ascent to our Bed & Breakfast.

Granville to Val Couesnon was 49 miles in length with 1,500 feet of climbing. We’re staying in the Chambres d’Hotes 1900 & it looks like we made a great choice. A small swimming pool, jacuzzi & sauna are in the large garden & we enjoyed an 1st class al-fresco plat-du-jour dinner, made by the hostess!

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 4

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 4

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Etape 4 –Carteret to Granville (Monday 23rd June)

We woke to moody, grey skies & damp roads, evidence it had rained overnight. The breeze from the North-North-East had already blown it away & would be giving us a slight tailwind for much of the day! As if that wasn’t good enough news, breakfast was a delicious, locally sourced hot & cold buffet – it was all you could eat for €25, so I enjoyed bacon & scrambled egg, bread & jam, pain au chocolat, almond cake, quiche & a couple of small pain-aux-raisin washed down with fresh OJ & coffee.

Leaving Carteret, we quickly joined a white, gravel track, similar is style to Strade Bianche. The track ended after a couple of miles & we picked up a small back road that took us through the small communes of Les Rivieres and La Huellerie.

When we reached Portbail, we joined up with the Voie Vert, a series of old railway lines that have been converted into hard-packed cycle routes. For the next 7 miles we had the track to ourselves & we reminisced about the different trips & countries that had similar cycling infrastructure.

As we passed through Le Haye, I spotted a café next to a patisserie & we stopped briefly to watch the world go by as I tucked into a tartlette de fraises washed down with a café au lait. We rejoined the Voie Vert for another 5 miles or so, before joining a deserted country lane, which in turn directed us onto a mud trail.

We learned from yesterday’s fiasco & quickly turned back. I then had to find an alternate road to get us back on course after our detour. Luckily all worked out well & we soon joined up with the planned route again.

The skies had clouded over again by early afternoon & there was a field of cows who were expecting rain, as they were all laid down – unless of course it’s only British cows that lay down when it’s about to rain!

We were now in the hilly part of today’s ride & although our pace slowed as a result, the views across the valleys were worth the effort. After 1 long descent, we left the lanes & joined the larger D20 that connects Le Pont de la Roque with Montmartin-sur-Mer.

We stumbled upon the fact that Pont de la Roque was a key part of Operation Cobra during Worle War II, when the old bridge was destroyed by Allied bombers, with the aim of trapping the German troops on the peninsula. It was a sobering reminder of the consequences of war.

The route into Montmartin took us across a plateau of wheat & corn fields, before delivering us onto more deserted lanes. There was just enough time for 1 final surprise, as my Wahoo re-routed us onto a sandy lane that took us between a golf course & a gallop for horses. We had to get off & push our steel steeds for a few hundred yards.

The final part of our ride took us along the seafront, with big views of the Atlantic Ocean in all directions.

Carteret to Granville was 54 miles in length with 1,900 feet of climbing. We made good progress & made our way to our hotel by 4pm, so I had some time to relax before we head out for a beer & some dinner. A large number of restaurants close on a Monday evening in France & Granville was no exception. In the end we found something in between a fast food joint & a greasy spoon cafe where we had a burger & fries. On the way back to our hotel I watched parascenders making the most of the warm evening thermals, as they soared high above the town.

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 3

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 3

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Etape 3 – Poole to Carteret (Sunday 22nd June)

This morning was all about crossing La Manche to commence the French leg of this year’s cycling adventure. We were booked on the 8.30am crossing from Poole to Cherbourg, so we were on the road by 7.15am to ensure we were checked in on the Barfleur by 7.30am.

The early start gave us a great excuse to try out the buffet breakfast as we set off past Sandbanks & the Jurassic Coast – I would have no hesitation recommending it! We had blue skies & calm seas as we made our way to Cherbourg & the 5-hour crossing seemed to fly by.

We had disembarked & made our way through Passport control within 30 minutes of docking, so we were on our way by 2.30pm. Having navigated our way across town, we soon picked up some lovely lanes on our way through small communes.

The main roads were a joy to ride as we bounced up & down the rolling landscape on our way towards Breuville where we spotted a tribute to 100 years of the Tour de France, with a huge bike dedicated to Benoit Cosnefroy.

We took a right turn the immediately took us up to ancient woodlands that reminded me of Sleepy Hollow & as we summitted we were both surprised to encounter a loose gravel descent. For the next hour or so, we experienced a bit of wild exploring.

The RideWithGPS directed us down an even sketchier mud descent – I had to stop at the bottom, when we encountered a small stream!! We trusted the route, took of our shoes & socks & forded the stream, then walked up a rough gravel track until we were confronted by another even deeper stream with a field protected by a barbed wire fence.

Frustrated, we accepted our fate & retraced our way down the unrideable gravel trail, took off & shoes & socks & cussed as we spent 10 minutes walking back up the mud track!! The road we were trying to join was less than 100 yards from the barbed wire, but it remained the road less travelled, as we never found it!

I was certain that Surtainville was in the general direction of our destination, so we picked up the D66 as it took us up to a ridge where we occasionally saw glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean way off in the distance. Just before Surtainville we joined the D650 for the final 8-mile ride in Carteret, our base for this evening.

We celebrated with a double scoop ice cream (coconut & cherry for me, strawberry & mint choc chip for Sean), as we looked out over the beautiful estuary next to our hotel.

We found another historic railway station to add to our collection – Gare de Carteret has been converted into a food & drink paradise, where you can choose from 9 different food vans, plus a bar. We toasted our 1st day in France with a burger & fries, washed down with a pint.

Cherbourg to Carteret was 29 miles in length with 1,900 feet of climbing. The hiking & biking element of today’s ride added about an hour to our time in the saddle & it was 5.45pm before we made it to the hotel.

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 2

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 2

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Etape 2 – Mere to Poole (Saturday 21st June)

Saturday 21st June is Medieval Mere Day. In May 2023, St Michael’s The Archangel Church in Mere received £250,000 of lottery funding to restore the church tower & today was a an opportunity to celebrate the completion of the work & also recreate some of the scenes from when the church was first built. This meant that that the local café wasn’t serving its standard Saturday morning full English fry-up, so we enjoyed a bacon bap & coffee, as we learned about the history of the town from the owner of the Angel Corner Cafe.

We re-traced the final mile of yesterday’s ride under a sky of bruised, grey clouds, with the likelihood of rain at some point on the ride. Within 5 minutes we picked up the B3092, before joining a series of lanes that took us through the small village of Milton-on-Stour & around Gillingham.

For much of today’s ride we followed the National Cycling Route 25 (NCR25) – at various times this involved riding small lanes, cycle paths, gravel trails & occasionally relatively quiet B roads. The section from Wyke to East Stour was all on deserted lanes with a few birds of prey monitoring our progress, before briefly rejoining the B3092 for about a mile.

Today’s route was flatter than yesterday, but when we climbed, it tended to be short, sharp ascents which left us short of breath on the heavy bikes! East Stour to Child Okeford was memorable for 2 such climbs & because the threatened shower finally arrived. After putting on our rain jackets, we joined the old Bristol, Temple Meads to Poole railway line (the same route as the Bristol to Bath & Two Tunnels cycle paths we were on yesterday) which had been turned into a gravel cycle track.

We stopped for coffee & cake at Shillingstone station, has been restored to its former glory after Dr Beeching’s decision to close the Somerset & Dorset Railway in 1966. It was a lovely look back in time to the days of steam engines. A bonus was that the rain shower had also stopped by the time we were ready to start riding again.

We followed the gravel trail all the way into Blandford Forum, before picking up a small lane that climbed 1 side of the Stour valley (another naughty, steep climb!). We bounced along the ridge of the valley, before eventually dropping down into Wimborne Minster.

Once we’d made our way across town, we rejoined the old railway line on a hardpacked gravel track that took us to the outskirts of Poole. From there, it was a 4-mile ride along segregated cycle paths into the centre of town, where we quickly found our accommodation for the evening.

The Antelope provided a delicious pint of Moretti to toast another glorious day in the saddle. Dinner was steak & ale pie, chips & broccoli, plus a 2nd pint of Moretti to wash it all down!

We’re on the 8.30am ferry to Cherbourg tomorrow, so we decided to stop after our 2nd pint. Mere to Poole was 42 miles in length with 1,500 feet of climbing. After a month off the bike, my body let me know what it thought of the steep climbs & doing back-to-back 4-hour days of riding. We have a short day of riding planned tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll have a chance to recover a bit!

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 1

Le Petit Tour de France (Normandy, Brittany & Pays de la Loire) – Day 1

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Etape 1 – Mangotsfield to Mere (Friday 20th June 2025)

This year’s summer cycling adventure is on my touring bike, so I’m carrying everything I need for the next couple of weeks in front & rear panniers – I’ve packed quite light, so apologies for the lack of different on-bike & off-bike attire!!

As some of you may know, I was knocked off my bike a month ago by a jogger in Bath. The 1st week of my recovery was waiting for the cuts to heal, the bruising to come out & my ribs to stop hurting so I could lie down. I only add this context, as I haven’t been able to do any training since I came off.

I’ve had quite a bit of physio to get the mobility back in my elbows & wrists so I can change gear & brake safely, but I still experience some discomfort when cycling. I’ve been taped up to help reduce the pain & there was no way I was going to cancel an adventure that I’ve been looking forward to for 6 months!

I met my cycling buddy Sean at Bitton Railway station, where we had bacon baps & coffee before setting off towards Bath on the cycling path. The sun had its hat on, so we were in for a hot & humid day in the saddle.

In Bath, we picked up the two-tunnels cycle path out towards Midford. It’s a lovely route along an old train route, with the highlight being a cooling, 2-mile long tunnel that was a welcome break from the heat.

From Midford, we picked up a gravel track to Wellow, where we joined almost deserted country lanes as we climbed & descended the surrounding hills. We were following a National Cycling Route, so were a bit surprised when a couple of the climbs hit 15% plus – not what we needed on heavy, steel bikes weighed down with about 25 pounds of luggage!!!

We skirted round the edge of Radstock on more cycle paths, as we headed towards Frome. This section of cycle track was though ancient woodland, so we had some protection from the sun, before we rejoined the country lanes for some more hill training!

Just before Frome, we spotted our first wildlife. A kite was hovering above a field, clearly on the lookout for a snack. We crossed to A303 as we started a long, but gentle climb up to Maiden Bradley, where we stopped for some refreshments. After a classic magnum, washed down with a lemon San Pellegrino & a shot of powerful espresso, we were ready to hit the road again, for the last push into Mere.

We checked into The George Inn, dropped our panniers off in our rooms & spent a relaxing couple of hours enjoying a drink or 2 in the beer garden. Dinner consisted of fish & chips from the shop around the corner – they were delicious!

Mangotsfield to Mere was 43 miles in length, with 2,400 feet of climbing. It was the perfect introduction to this year’s cycling adventure. More UK riding tomorrow, but then the overseas element of our adventure begins!

Alpine Adventures – Tour de Barcelonnette – September 2019

Alpine Adventures – Tour de Barcelonnette – September 2019

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Both sides of Colle della Lombarde / Cold de la Lombarde – Day Five

Blue skies overhead for the second day running, so we decided to jump in the car for a 1 hour commute to Italy, to climb the Colle della Lombarde from Italy, descend to Isola in France, climb the Col de la Lombarde from France & descend back to the car. Just in case you didn’t realise, this is the same mountain, but I’ve used their Italian & French names!

Today’s adventure would only involve climbing or descending, so while we would only be riding 53 miles, more than 26 miles would be uphill. As soon as we set off the road began climbing a sheer cliff face in a series of tornantes (hairpins), very similar in appearance to the Lacets de Montvernier in France. The gradient was a constant 8% for the first couple of miles, as the road weaved its way through a deciduous forest & followed a roaring river that was below us & off to our right.

The road surface was potted & rough from the constant freeze/thaw cycle that takes place during winter, but wasn’t an issue as we were ascending. There wasn’t much in the way of views to talk of in the first 5 miles, as we were surrounded by tall trees. However this all changed when we crossed a bridge to the other side of the river & the landscape switched to meadow, with views of the huge mountains all around us.

As we continued to climb, there were great views of the road below, as the switchbacks allowed the tarmac to find its way between the outcrops of rock. The views also helped to take my mind off the consistently steep gradient of the climb. As we continued to gain altitude, the valley opened out & we had our first views of where the road would be taking us – a long way up!

To the right of the valley a group of baroque buildings came into view – at 2,035 metres, the Sant Anna Sanctuari is the highest in Europe. Unfortunately, time was against us today, so we followed the signs to Francia & crossed back to the forested side of the valley. As we continued to climb, there were great views across & down to the Sanctuari. We were now about 9 miles into the 13 mile climb & as we rose above the treeline, we were back in alpine meadows.

The Colle della Lombarde was just visible in the far distance, some 1,500 feet above us. Along the way, we spotted parked cars where their passengers had set out for a day’s hiking on one of the many trails into the wilderness. There were also a couple of people who had set up a picnic on the edge of an alpine lake – they really had got back to nature.

At the 12 mile mark, the climb eased off slightly for about ½ mile, which enabled me to gather my breath & prepare for the final push up to the summit. In the distance I made out what looked to be a statue of a deer, perched above the Col. I decided to explore further when we returned later in the day. Once we reached the summit, I took a couple of snaps, pulled on my windproof jacket & set off into France, for a 13 mile plummet to Isola, via the ski station of Isola 2000.

The first 3 miles of the descent were full of twists & turns, as the single track road zig-zagged down to Isola 2000. As with many other ski stations, the roads up to them are wide affairs – what struck me as being different about this one was how steep it seemed to be. If I let go of the brakes, I picked up speed incredibly quickly – it was only the sharp bends that forced me to moderate my speed. The first warning signs about the climb back up to the summit!

Once we reached Isola, the plan was to grab some lunch, however, the village/town only appeared to have 1 restaurant & it was just closing when we arrived. Although we had enough cycling food to get us back to the summit, there’s something morale building about sitting down & enjoying a nice meal – oh well, a banana bar & raspberry gel it was for lunch.

The early miles of the climb out of Isola were brutal – the first 3 miles averaged 10%, but due to the hairpin bends being level, the actual climbing was nearer 11 or 12%. As we toiled away under a baking sun (the temperature hit 27 centigrade), we could almost feel our energy draining away. The climb itself followed a river, but the valley was really narrow, so there wasn’t much in the way of views.

There was welcome relief from the sun as we passed through a number of avalanche tunnels, this also provided a degree of recovery time, as the gradient eased slightly through the tunnels. The higher up the mountain we climbed, the harder it felt – this could have been a combination of lack of food & water / our 5th big day of riding / being at altitude (the summit tops out at 2,350 metres). In any event, we were relying on good old British grit to see us through!

As we reached the 6 mile point in the climb, we got a glimpse of Isola 2000 & our spirits rose – we’d both seen a restaurant on the way down & there were people sat outside. This spurred us on as the road continued to climb through the trees, taking us ever closer to…….disappointment! The restaurant was long closed. We took a few minutes to regroup & down our final gels before the final push to the summit.

The good news was that it was only another 3 miles to the summit, the bad news was the final mile was at a gradient of about 9%. All around us the mountain peaks loomed above us, providing some great views as we continued to climb. As we turned to tackle the final steep ramp, we realised that we had a tailwind to help us get to the summit! An Italian couple were sat on the verge watching us battle up the climb & as we passed them they shouted out ‘Bravissimo!’ – a small gesture, but one that was really appreciated, as they could see I was at my limit to finish the climb.

More snaps at the summit, then a short hike to get a closer look at the animal sculpture on the mountain peak – it appeared to be a bull, but with elongated coloured antlers, rather than horns. I’m none the wiser as to what it represented, but I enjoyed looking at it anyway.

After strolling back to the bikes, we put on our jackets for the descent on the single track road & with regret, we both agreed we were too tired to do the extra climb up to the Sant Anna Sanctuari. All that remained was to buckle up & enjoy the banzai descent back to the car as we returned to Italian soil.

An epic & challenging day in the high Italian & French Alps – the views were spectacular & the climbing was about the toughest I’ve experienced on any of my Alpine Adventure trips to date!

Col du Soulor, Col des Borderes & Lac d’Estaing

Col du Soulor, Col des Borderes & Lac d’Estaing

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Pyrenees Peaks – Day Six, Lourdes (8th September 2017).

Somehow today was the final day of cycling in The Pyrenees, where has the last 6 days gone? I spent 30 minutes last night looking for a replacement ride for today, as we used up our planned ride when we extended our day out to Col des Tentes yesterday.

I eventually came up with a plan to explore some quiet back lanes, tackle a couple of climbs & then loop back to Lourdes – all in all, about 55 miles of riding with 5,500 feet of climbing. The ride started outside the hotel door & as our way out of town took us past the Sanctuary, we stopped to admire the view & take a few photos.

As soon as we left town, we found ourselves on quiet roads with views of the large mountains in the far distance. At one point, we took a wrong turn & found ourselves on a small gravel lane that took us past some unusual wooden sculptures, before ending abruptly at a tiny convent – Lourdes, as you might expect is home to many convents, monasteries, churches & religious orders. It’s a strange mix of peace & tranquillity, offset by chaotic parties of pilgrims.

Once we were back on the right road, a fast flowing river guided us down the valley, as we passed miles of maize fields, where the corn on the cob looked like it was ready to be harvested. These were the quietest roads we’d cycled all week & it was one of the few occasions where we were on relatively flat roads – it made for very relaxed riding.

At Lestelle-Betharrem, we saw signs for Notre Dame de Betharrem, so pulled in to find out a little more – it’s a church that is set right next to the river & it has a large plot of hilly land, where 19 chapels have been built over time & it was an incredibly peaceful & tranquil place.

We turned off the main road & headed along remote country lanes towards the lower slopes of Col de Soulor, which begins in earnest at Farrieres – I had it in my mind that this would be a great place to stop for coffee….. except it was a far smaller place than I expected & it was only a small village!!

From here, the Soulor climbs 2,950 feet in 7.5 miles, at an average gradient of 7.4% – this was the first climb of the week where the gradient was fairly constant for the entire climb & it made such a difference! I chose a gear & then spent the next hour & a half enjoying the views & stopping every now & again to capture the stunning scenery & get out the way of the local wildlife.

At the summit, we stopped for a lunch of waffle with Nutella & a coffee, before descending back towards Argeles-Gazost. We took a right turn after about 5 miles & headed up the climb of the Col des Borderes that we descended on Sunday. As we reached the Col, we made an impromptu decision to take a side road up to Lac d’Estaing – we had no idea what to expect on the climb, but the point of exploring is to find out what’s there! I was a little nervous of what lay ahead, as I was having problems with my gearing, the cables have stretched slightly as the week’s worn on & I could no longer use 1st gear – not the ideal situation for a weak climber like me. However, I didn’t want the ride to end yet, so we set off for Lac d’Estaing.

As we climbed, the surrounding forest protected us from the sun. After about 5 miles, we crested a rise & there before us was the lake & we weren’t disappointed! It’s a beautiful expanse of open meadow, with a lake at its centre. There are strict rules & regulations for using the area & as a result it’s in pristine condition. They were people fishing on one side of the lake, while at one end there were wild horses frolicking in the shallows – before today, I’d never seen a horse in a large expanse of water. This is a place that’s well worth a visit & I’m sure I’ll be back again at some point in the future.

Although we were still more than 20 miles from our hotel, the first 10 was downhill, so in next to no time we were in Argeles-Gazost for a well-deserved fruit tart & coffee. From here we took the same route back to Lourdes as Sunday, again it was slightly downhill, but into a headwind – for every ying there’s a yang!

In the end today’s ride was just over 68 miles long & had 7,000 feet of climbing – both numbers were bigger than planned, but it was our last day of riding, the sun was out & we were keen to make our adventure last as long as possible!

As it was our final evening, we popped into town to watch the sun set over the Sanctuary, then raised a glass to celebrate a glorious week of riding. I’m sure I’ll be visiting The Pyrenees again in the not too distant future.

Cirque du Troumouse, Lac des Gloriettes & Col des Tentes

Cirque du Troumouse, Lac des Gloriettes & Col des Tentes

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Pyrenees Peaks – Day Five, Lourdes (7th September 2017).

Today we took the third & final commute of the week. It was a 30 minute drive to Luz Saint Sauveur which is a mecca for road biking climbs – within 10 miles are Col de Tourmalet, Hautacam, Luz Ardiden, Col de Soulor which have all hosted Tour de France stages.

The original plan was to cycle out to Cirque de Troumouse, take a short, but steep detour up to Lac des Gloriettes, then if the legs were feeling good, also climb Luz Ardiden. We started riding in very, very light rain & under slate grey skies. It seems like the days here are very much like my climbing legs, they take a while to brighten up in the morning!

As the road leaves Luz St Sauveur, the road climbs a valley & regularly criss-crosses the river far below. Low cloud & the threat of rain meant the road was far quieter than expected, as normally loads of tourists would use this road to get to Cirque de Gavarnie – a UNESCO site. It also meant that the views of the high mountains were also hidden. After 6 miles there’s a turnoff signposted to Cirque de Troumouse on a small single track road & it’s here that the ride started to get fun. As we turned into a new valley, the sun popped its head out & it was time to get rid of the arm warmers & rain jacket.

The road climbs at a fairly consistent 6-8% as it twists & turns by the side of a gurgling stream & after a couple of miles, the valley widens out & the track is in the middle of meadow land. This continued for another 3 or 4 miles, before we reached a toll booth, where cars had to pay to climb the remaining 5 miles to Cirque de Troumouse. Cyclists & pedestrians are free to continue free of charge! The road began to rise steeply up the side of the valley & soon we were in sheep & cow grazing territory & we could hear marmots calling to each other.

There’s a café half way up this section, so we stopped for a slice of fruits of the mountain tart & a coffee.

There were now only 2.5 miles of switchbacks between us & the car park at the summit – stunning views awaited us, including our first sight of snow on this trip, way up above.

I took a few minutes to enjoy the peaceful surroundings (there were more sheep than people).

The descent was on a rutted & bumpy track, so there was no danger of going fast, as the surface was covered in loose grit & gravel, plus there was always the chance of meeting a car on a blind corner. This was still a really enjoyable descent, it simply required full concentration!

I’d read on one of Will’s blogs that on the way back there was a great detour up to Lac des Gloriettes, a hydro-electric dam. This was too good an opportunity to miss, although it required significant effort, as the 2 mile climb never dropped below 10%.

The views were well worth the effort of reaching the dam! At this point I floated the idea of changing our plan for the day & extending our trip up the valley to Port de Boucharo, via the Col des Tentes, rather than riding to the ski resort of Luz Ardiden.

Col des Tentes is a 6 mile climb that rises to 2,208 metres, making it the highest paved road in the French Pyrenees (even higher than the mighty Tourmalet!). It’s set in stunning scenery & had hardly any traffic on it – the wildlife far outnumbered the cars. The climb has markers every kilometre, so you know how far is left to go & what the average gradient is for that section (this is common in The Alps & Pyrenees), but someone had fun when they made the signs, as every single gradient counter was wrong – this had to be somebody’s idea of a joke, as the steepest sections were marked as 1.2% average, while the shallower sections were marked as 10.2%!!

The early slopes of the climb were through woods, then meadows & as the road wound its way ever higher, this changed again & it resembled a moonscape. Along the way, we had to dodge our way through herds of sheep & cows, as they clearly own the roads around here! After about 75 minutes of effort, we finally made the summit – this was the first time in many years that a single 5 mile segment took more than 60 minutes to complete, which shows how tough the climb really was. I forgot to refill my water bottles when we left our coffee stop, so had also run out of water about two thirds of the way up the climb – schoolboy error!

At the summit, the car park was pretty much full & there were hundreds of ramblers, hikers & families out enjoying the walk out to Port Boucharo – this is the French/Spanish border & although I fancied crossing it, I didn’t want to fight my way through rush hour, so in the end we gave it a miss.

We had to negotiate the cows & sheep on the descent back to Gavarnie, where we stopped for a quick coffee to warm up from the fast & cold descent from Col des Tentes. From there we were back on a wider & smoother road all the way back to Luz St Sauveur. This ended up being our largest climbing day of the trip & was another real adventure in the wilderness of The Pyrenees!