Wednesday, 14 August 2019
Seb M writes: Le Raid Pyrénéen Touriste is a tourist version of the better-known Raid Pyrénéen Randonneur. Both start and finish at the same places – Hendaye on the Atlantic coast and St Cerbère on the Mediterranean. Both follow broadly the border between France and Spain and can be done in either direction. But whereas the Randonneur version is 720km with 18 cols and to be completed in under 100 hours, the Touriste version is slightly longer at 790km climbing 28 cols but over a 10 day period. In 2013 I rode the Touriste version as part of a CTC organised tour.
This account was added to the CTC Cambridge website in 2019 following the account by Alex of the Randonneur route that he and Glyn rode that year.
Deciding to do the ride arose from a series of coincidences. As well as knowing of the cols from television coverage of the Tour de France and from old black and white photographs, I was given a copy of The Beautiful Machine, an enchanting book by Graeme Fife, cataloguing a lifetime of cycling adventures that includes riding the length of the Pyrenees. I had recently acquired my own beautiful machine, a new all-carbon Giant SCR-C3 with an XL frame and a triple chainset that had sat unsold in my local bike shop, University Cycles in Cambridge, for several years until I could resist temptation no longer. Also my good friend James had become an empty-nester and started riding sportives, and we had done some rides together. Seeing the CTC was offering it as an organised tour with leader and support van, I put it to James that we should apply for places.
In view of the total distance and the climbing, we emailed the tour leader – Lynn Bland – to check that she would be happy to let us join, given that we had not done this before or, at least in my case, not since a couple of youth hostelling tours in my teens nearly five decades ago. She was reassuring, gave us a link to photographs from the year before showing us some idea of both the ride and the riders, and explained the difference between the Randonneur and the Touriste versions. So we booked it. The only precaution I took was – even with the triple chainset – to lower the gearing with a new 30T cassette giving 30x30. I bought a Garmin Edge 800 for the trip, my first GPS, so I wouldn't get lost and, more specifically, to reduce the likelihood of riding down the wrong descent and finding it was a long way back up. Only subsequently did I become fascinated by having so many ride statistics.
Flying with the bike
Colin at University Cycles gave me a strong cardboard box in which his bikes are delivered, complete with plastic protectors for the rear hub and a spacer for the front fork ends. He showed me how to strap the front wheel to the frame, remove the saddle and pedals, and slacken and twist the handlebars to fit the bike in with all the cables still attached. James and I had a stress-free flight from Stansted to Biarritz with the bike boxes as outsize luggage. At Biarritz we took a large taxi to our hotel at Bayonne. The hotel had its own bicycle room (!) where we reassembled the bikes and dumped the boxes. We met the rest of the group. There were 16 riders plus Lynn and her assistant Darrell, and also Tony and Ann – a cycling couple who'd volunteered to drive a hired van transporting our luggage each day and meeting us at the tops of the cols with refreshments.
The bikes as they came out of their cardboard boxes
Day 0: Our first day riding Bayonne to Hendaye
40km (25mi), 503m (1650ft) of ascent
Our first day was an easy run down the coast via lunch at St Jean-de-Luz, to Hendaye. It was reassuringly flat and we stayed together as a group. At the beach (Hendiplage) most swam or paddled in the Atlantic.
The Mediterranean at Hendiplage
Day 1: Hendaye to St Jean-Pied-de-Port
78km (49mi), 1105m (3624ft) of ascent
We set off in earnest starting with the foothills. The weather was perfect for cycling, fresh enough first thing to need a couple of layers, but warming up during the day and without a breath of wind. The hills here are not steep, but they are unrelenting. Still, after a coffee stop, we climbed solidly for 4km to arrive at our first col - St Ignace (169m). By this time, the riders had already split into smaller groups. We continued along a ridge to the Col de Podiedeta (176m), and arrived at Espelette where we spread out in search of lunch. James, Rob and I found fresh baguettes, local cheese and tomatoes which we ate on a bench in the village centre. As with most days, the majority of the riding was done in the morning, and we arrived at St Jean-Pied-de-Port in mid-afternoon. A mediaeval walled town, this was fun to explore with a long main street full of boutiques and, surprisingly, a tea shop where James and I had tea and cake.
Espelette
Day 2: St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Arette
70km (44mi), 1689m (5540ft) of ascent
Day two is a bit more serious, as we move into the Pyrenees proper. We are still at an altitude of only about 100metres above sea level, and the first 10km takes us to 200m, but this is followed by 9km of climbing up to the Col d'Haltza (782m). We drop down to a cafe, then tackle the Col de Burdincurutcheta (1135m) and Col de Bargargui (1327m). This was followed by a brilliant descent with a maximum speed of 66km/h. The day ended with Canadian rider Paul forcing the pace as four of us race along the last 13km to Arette on a wide, flat and empty main road. It was exhilarating but I must admit I dropped off the back after about 10km, aware there's another eight days riding to cope with.
Col de Bargargui in Iraty (source of Ossau-Iraty cheese)
Day 3: Arette to Argelès-Gazost
94km (59mi), 2344m (7688ft) of ascent)
The weather is perfect as we set off on the third day, and it's quite flat as far as Escot where the ascent of the Col Marie-Blanque (1035m) starts. It takes more than half an hour, and is followed by a terrific descent with top speed of 61km/h. Lunch is spent in Laruns where it's market day. A stallholder is cooking paella in frying pans about metre in diameter. Much to the shock of the other riders, I buy a large tub of it complete with three huge prawns on top. It's delicious and I eat every last grain of rice. One of the joys of this trip, I discover, is that you can eat anything; in fact you have to eat to provide the calories - 4624 today. After lunch, there is 17km of climbing to the Col d'Aubisque (1709m). It takes a couple of hours, most of it at less than 10km/h and in bottom gear. Thank goodness for my 30T. The roadside signs say the gradient is 8% but Mr Garmin assures me some of it is up to 13%. From the top, however, there is a fabulous descent and, even with a slight mist, there are exquisite views. Part of the descent is along a ledge cut into a sheer cliff. Then we climb slightly up to the Col de Soulor (1474m) before another amazing descent to Argelès-Gazost, although I am stuck behind a car for some of it.
At the top of the Aubisque
There be giants...
In the evening I devour a plate of spaghetti even before the hors d'oeuvres...
Day 4: Argelès-Gazost to Bordères-Louron
86km, 2514m of ascent (54mi, 8246 ft of ascent)
We leave Argelès-Gazost along a flat a former railway line, now bike path, but as soon as we reach Pierrefitte-Nestalas, we start climbing relentlessly to Luz St Sauveur. Lynn had to check whether the Tourmalet road is open from the west side as there have been serious floods, but we are lucky, it is open at weekends only and, although it's easy to lose track of time, today is Sunday. We stop for coffee at Barèges where the impact of mountain torrents can be seen, including swept away buildings and heavily damaged roadway. Part way up, we turn right off the main road onto a route that Lynn tells us is named after Laurent Fignon, although there is no signpost. Joyfully, it is closed to cars, the weather is perfect, sunny and clear. The Fignon route has a modest gradient with the most fantastic views ahead to the mountains and behind to the valley we have just climbed. James and I are riding with Susan, whose husband has gone on ahead. We stop for photographs. Rejoining the main road it is a long slow drag up to the top at 2115m, but again with marvellous views. There's a cafe at the top but after photos we press on. The descent down to Ste Marie de Campan is sensational. After lunch, comes the Col d'Aspin (1489) which is tough after the earlier climbing but the descent is equally spectacular. Max speed today 62km/h.
The Laurent Fignon route ascending on the lower left and continuing on the upper right
At the top of the Tourmalet
Looking down from the Col d'Aspin
Day 5: Bordères-Louron to St Béat
66km, 1460m of ascent (41mi, 4789 ft of ascent)
It was fresh first thing, under 10°C for the first hour, but the day warms up as we climb the Col de Peyresourde (1569m) where the temperature is 25°C at the top. The official length from the first signboard is about 15km at 7.5% average gradient but we were climbing gradually well before that. The road surface is excellent and we ascend through woods so there are patches of sunshine interspersed with some welcome shade. Very little traffic. There are refreshments from the support van at the top, and a lot of smiles and photos. The descent is terrific with a max speed of 62kmh. Lunch is at Bagnères de Luchon. Then we climb the Col du Portillion (1293m). This was hard work after our lunch, not least some parts of it were 14%, and James and I had a couple of stops en route. There was not much to see at the top, but Tony and Ann were there with the van for refreshments. The weather was still wonderfully sunny but trees provided shade. Then we drop down to Bossost across the Spanish border for an extended coffee stop at the village square with a beautiful old Romanesque church. I ask a group of cyclists if we can take some chairs from their table in franglais; they don't understand and turn out to be English. Another great descent! Total ascent for the day was 1460m but it felt like far more, probably owing to the steepness of some of the climbing.
At the Col de Peyresourde
At Bossost
Day 6: St Béat to Oust
80km, 2220m of ascent (50mi, 7280 ft of ascent)
The weather continues to be perfect – around 11°C or 12°C in the mornings, but it soon warms up and is sunny all day with a temperature of about 30°C most of the afternoon. Col de Mente, (1349m), Col de Portet d'Aspet (1069m) and Col de la Core (1395m). Max speed 62.7kmh.
They put out the bunting out for us
Day 7: Oust to Tarascon-sur-Ariège
70km, 1662m of ascent (44mi, 5450 ft of ascent)
It was cool, around 9°C or 10°C as we set off in the morning but really warm later with a maximum temperature of 37°C in the middle of the day. Luckily we are still riding through woodland, so trees provide welcome shade. Col de Latrape (1110m) came up quite quickly after our start from Oust, it's 5.6 km and the gradient is about 7.4% according to the signboard at the start. Col d'Agnes (1570m) was a bit more challenging at 10km long, average 8.2% climbing and maximum 10.5%. There are butterflies, lizards, and wonderful views as you struggle up on good tarmac with very few cars. My Garmin said 11% at times. But it was stunning at the top and a short walk took one to a viewing point where you could see peaks in almost every direction and for miles. A herd of cattle were roaming freely accompanied by a very large bull! We dropped down a short way to the café overlooking the Etang de Lers (a lake) for a good lunch of leek tart, with salad and chips. Then on up to the Port de Lers (1517m) passing an area where paragliders are taking off. Dramatic views down into the valleys too. Some of the roadway was nearly flat with cows grazing on the lush grass. For a few hundred metres it was idyllic, but shortlived. Past the col, there was a terrific descent (another terrific descent) and even after that a long gradual descent on a good road down to Tarascon beside the river. Even here we hit 53km/h briefly. 61km/h max.
Signs identify the start of the col – are they helpful or just daunting?
Refreshment stop at the top of the Col d'Agnes
Viewing point at the Col d'Agnes
Tarascon sur Ariège
Day 8: Tarascon-sur-Ariège to Ax-les-Thermes
50km, 1212m of ascent (31mi, 3975ft of ascent)
Leaving Tarascon we cycled north to the beginning of the 'Route Corniche' - a wooded, hilly ride along beautiful roads over the Pas de Soloumbrie (911m), the Col de Marmare (1361m) and the Col de Chioula (1431m) to Ax-les-Thermes. This was the equivalent of a rest day with just 50km of riding, and 1212m of climbing. The gradients weren't all that steep either - although I seemed to be a bit slower than I might have expected. However, after arriving at the hotel mid-afternoon and putting the bike away I had to lie down and after a couple of hours was violently sick! I went on to discover that almost all of the 20 of us were similarly unwell. I had no appetite, and didn't even turn on the laptop to write my diary. It was so unfortunate for the hotel, apart from anything I imagine they had prepared food for 20 hungry cyclists and only a few were able to eat it. James was one of those unaffected. He is a GP but couldn't say if it was food poisoning or an infection that had laid us low.
Col de Marmare: only 5% - it hardly counts as a hill...
Day 9: Ax-les-Thermes to Prades
92km, 2509m of ascent (58mi, 8230 ft of ascent)
I woke up feeling dreadful. Ate nothing at breakfast. The tour leader had made a speedy recovery and found out about trains for the next stage. It was agreed that six of us all badly affected would take the three trains involved to get to Prades. The others set off in small groups. However, seeing them set off helped to rally my spirits and I decided to ride. The first train wasn't due to leave until early afternoon and, as there was a lot of uphill riding at the start, I reasoned that if I needed to I could turn round and freewheel back down to the station.
The first col was Port de Pailheres (2001m) involving about 1200m of climbing from the start, then we went over the Col des Moulis, (1099m), Col de Garavel (1256m) and the Col de Jau (1506m) to Prades. Having had nothing to eat last night or this morning, I nibbled a muesli bar and sipped tepid water through the day. It was the toughest day on a bike I've ever had. The weather was fine, warm and sunny, and as we get closer to the Mediterranean, it's a lot less lush.
It's not apparent from the photo perhaps, but I was having a tough day
Day 10: Prades to St Cyprien
80km, 1116m of ascent (50mi, 3660ft of ascent)
Now it's 'fess up time. The 'official' tourist ride goes from Prades to Cerbère, but only three riders - Rob, David and James, together with Darrell as the assistant tour leader - went the official route. The rest of us headed directly for the coast at St Cyprien. Casually reported by our tour leader as 'downhill all the way' there were still some climbs: Col de Palomère (1036m), Col Xarard (752m) and Col de Lauro (380m). Our route took us through peach orchards and vineyards, little villages and isolated farmhouses. The roofs are now clay pantiles at shallow pitches with no snow protection, and we are clearly at the Mediterranean end. Lunch was at Llauro where unfortunately I forgot to re-start my Garmin for a while. Eventually we got to St Cyprien where, for the first time the whole tour, it rained lightly just before we reached the hotel. Immediately afterwards though, the heavens opened and the four who'd gone to Cerbère and returned part of the way to St Cyprien by train got soaked.
I agreed with the group to get a small gift for Lynn and was fortunate to find a traditional cycle horn with rubber bulb in a DIY shop near the hotel, which we presented to her after dinner, gift wrapped. Shirley's wheel, whose rim was damaged a few days ago, had been carefully transported with us in the support van but she no longer wanted it so it was presented to Darrell as we knew he would happily re-build it. Someone found some pink ribbon to decorate it.
The whole trip was professionally organised and we had nothing but praise for Lynn and her team. She and Darrell are both strong riders and rode every stage, Darrell staying with the slower riders and Lynn typically with the leaders. As a result I didn't see much of her (or indeed of either of them, being somewhere in the middle) but occasionally she would come up from behind on one of the cols and then casually ride off the front.
The overall statistics are easy to remember because of the number 8: 800km, 28 cols and 18,000m of ascent.
On the last day
The Mediterranean at St Cyprien
The return via the European Bike Express
The timing of the ride had been arranged to allow riders to catch the
European Bike Express bus from Perpignan back to the UK. Several of us made a leisurely start and cycled together from St Cyprien the 30km to Perpignan on the Sunday afternoon. We rode along the coast – which was welcomely flat! The coach is a double-decker with a trailer for the bikes. They are suspended and strapped in, and don't need any dismantling. It is a good service, but unfortunately the seats weren't especially comfortable and 24 hours (with lots of stops at service stations) on a not-very-comfortable seat is a lot of time. Eventually we arrived South Mimms service area on Monday afternoon. From there, I rode to Potters Bar with my backpack, and caught the train home to Cambridge.
Equipment and mechanicals
The bikes were a mix. There were several aluminium frames, plus some steel touring frames, carbon fibre frames and one titanium tourer. There were few mechanical problems. The worst was Shirley's rim splitting which necessitated a new wheel. James punctured on the last day but it was soon fixed. We had all been advised to bring two or three spare inner tubes. The most ironic difficulty occurred with the most exotic bike – a stainless steel Moulton. The owner had brought only one spare inner tube and, when he got a puncture, he discovered that the new tube had a faulty valve. Between us, we must have had perhaps 30 or 40 spare inner tubes but none of a suitable size of course. In the event he managed to sort out the valve, but it was a bizarre situation.
Finally, it's curious how something can be imprinted on your mind. For several weeks after returning, whenever I saw a Europcar hire van with its distinctive green panels I thought 'there's Tony and Ann, I could just do with some jelly babies, cake and a piece of fruit...'
Seb Macmillan