Dave and his Bike

It’s been a while…

Since getting home from The Big Ride I’ve been keeping busy. I made a rash promise to Jane that on my return I would ‘finish’ the renovations to our house and barn. Anyone with any knowledge of old French houses (or just any common sense) will know that such things are never ‘finished’. It’s all a bit like the Forth Bridge.

That said, we have made massive progress, and the big jobs are all but done: new bathroom, more insulation and plaster boarding, new first floor in the barn, and lots of decorating. So much so, that I am able to concentrate on riding my bike a bit more. Unfortunately that’s a bit curtailed at the moment as we are experiencing ridiculously hot weather for June – it’s 41°C at the moment, so cycling is short and early.

At the beginning of this ‘canicule’, I had planned (a couple of months ago) to have a very brief visit to the Pyrénées in order to climb a couple of mountain passes with my friend Gordon (@blackdukevelo), who actually planned and booked it all. It’s him I have to thank for having sore legs.

Day 1.

The plan was to leave home early, drive to the mountains and ride. So on Saturday morning we left and headed three hours south to Arreau, stopping for coffee and croissants en-route, plus a re-fuel and some provisions for overnight.

Arreau is centrally placed in the Hautes Pyrénées department, and perfect for a selection of routes. Our timing towards the end of June meant that there would be a good few cyclists and motorcyclists on the road, doing the same as us, but not too many other tourists as it isn’t the school holidays yet. There is a possibility that the severe weather warnings had also kept people away, as it wasn’t overly busy at all.

By 1130hrs we were cycling. The plan was a slightly gentle start, then tackle the Col de Peyresourde (1563m). I started ok(ish), but I’ve never been a natural climber, so before the halfway point of the climb I was on my own, and G was somewhere up the road. Fortunately we ride together quite often, so it came as no surprise to him that he would be waiting around quite a bit whilst I laboured on up behind him.

The clouds, storms, and >90% chance of rain never materialised, and we were treated to stunning scenery and excellent long views all around us. Once reunited (for the time being) we partook of some cold liquid refreshment, and a portion of chips. Essential fuel. It was then on to the second climb of the day.

After descending back to the valley floor we started out on the Col de Val Louron-Azet (1580m). There seemed to be something happening in the village at the bottom, and then the gendarmes on motorbikes started to appear. We had inadvertently tripped over the ‘La Route d’Occitanie’ bike race. Having fallen back into our usual formation, G made it to the top of the climb before being stopped by the gendarmes. I was not so lucky (or fit) so watched the race come through 500m from the top. On the descent side. Not an ideal place to watch a race as the riders came past me at great speed. I did make it onto the TV coverage though, thanks to the helicopter camera!

Once reunited (again; recurring theme), we cruised down the other side and made our way back to Arreau. The AirBnB was comfortable enough, and close enough to the town centre to be able to walk in for something to eat, which proved slightly difficult as most eateries weren’t open. A bit bizarre on a Saturday evening… We eventually found a decent pizza. And a beer. Or two.

Day 2.

We had to vacate our lodgings by 0900hrs. Under different circumstances this could have been annoying, but for us was not a problem as we wanted to be out riding before it got too hot. So we were.

The initial target was the Pla d’Adet (1669m). The ride up the valley was lovely, and enough for me to realise how sore my legs were after yesterday (but not as bad as I had anticipated). Then the road went up, and I went backwards. It was supposed to be an average gradient of 7.9%. What that actually means is that it’s mostly around 11%, but there’s a bit somewhere of 4% for a few hundred metres. At least that is what it felt like. Gordon was waiting patiently when I eventually arrived.

Instead of dropping back to Arreau, then heading up the Col d’Aspin, it seemed rude not to tackle the Col du Portet (2215m). As much as my legs were screaming ‘NO!’, my head said yes, so off we went. The road up the Col goes nowhere in particular, and is therefore partially closed to traffic. The result is cows, manure, and rockfall detritus in the road. The scenery though is breathtaking, and at 2000m and above it was a lovely temperature. When we eventually descended into the valley again, it was like riding into a hairdryer.

With no facilities at the top, we dropped down part way to a restaurant for a couple of cold drinks each, then cruised back to Arreau. At this point I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and climbed off. Gordon was not to be defeated, and went on to climb the Col d’Aspin (1489m), and managed to find the only inclement weather of the weekend, getting pelted by hail in a thunderstorm as he descended. I sat in a café with a cold drink and a sandwich. The Aspin will have to wait until next time.

Overall a brilliant and ultimately successful weekend. We both achieved what we set out to do. My new bike is now well and truly run in (and not damaged despite being blown over as I took a photo at the top of the Col). The ‘proof of concept’ was also a success. We know that two days in the Pyrénées is reasonably easily achievable. Three hours and one McDonalds later and we were home.

And next…

In a lot of ways this was training for later in the year. Having returned from my travels last year, I rebuilt my touring bike: new chain, bottom bracket, cassette, cables etc., then covered it in a sheet. Not seen it since sadly. However, my friend Mark, who I rode to Santiago de Compostella with in 2013, is riding here with his wife Lisa in September. Having suffered horrendous injuries in a cycling accident in 2020 it’s amazing that he’s riding at all. My plan is to ride from home, meet them somewhere north of here and ride back with them. So a week or so of touring. Watch this space…