Pyrenees Col-ing

Again, the weather was not on our side when we started the day. It rained and cooled through the night, so the set-off was that much more difficult. We split from the beginning – Alisa went off to get lunch in the nearby town, while the boys went searching for a cycle shop to ensure that they were properly outfitted for the weather (James and Andy were counting on sunny days, so packed sun cream, rather than waterproof jackets). The first port of call was Col D’Aubesque, a 16km steep ascent culminating at 1709m. While the road weaved in and out of the clouds, there was the comfort of seeing other cyclists and road barriers (a bonus for Alisa). In Aubesque, the conditions called for the local café to fire up its firewood stove, which enveloped the small room with a pleasant smoky aroma. The boys arrived one by one, all worse for wear due to the wind and the unfriendly conditions (4 degrees at the top!) A warm bowl of soup at the café was a welcome respite. With lunch out of the way, it was time for a quick photo at the peak. James and Andy, having recently acquired the most fashionable of construction worker attire, cut quite the fluorescent figure against the foggy backdrop. The descent was almost as slow as the climb due to the awful conditions, with James suffering the first (and, hopefully, only) injury of the trip when he took a spill around a hairpin. And they hadn’t even come to the hardest part of their day – the Col de Tourmalet, the most climbed col of the Tour de France. With an average gradient of 10% for almost 18 kilometres, they had their work cut out for them. The job was only slightly easier for the support car, which again navigated through treacherous (if slightly wider) roads. Having reached the top, Alisa thanked the fog cover for what otherwise would have been MORE cliffs of doom (she saw the photos on the wall at the café at the peak…) Her jubilation at her arrival was shortly interrupted by a phone call from the guys, asking for assistance mid-way up. Mick’s gear ratios were not meant for this col. Andy and James pushed on, with the support car providing bottle refills, bananas and sweets on the go (i.e. Alisa running along Andy and feeding him or chucking a filled-up bottle at him). Although the whole climb was a nightmare of an affair, the last kilometre was almost unbearable, giving our riders new appreciation for the Tour de France racers. The weather conditions have deteriorated, so the boys experienced the descent from the comfort of the heated car to avoid further spills.


Distance: 100 km
Moving time: 5h49m
Average speed: 17.3 km/h
Metres climbed: 3594m
Calories burnt: 3487kcal