Pau/Pyrenees

frosty99

My sister is on a year abroad in Pau. She will be there until end of July 2012.

Is it possible to use Pau as a base to get at the decent climbs in the pyrenees or is it a bit far away?

Seems like an out and back to the tourmalet is probably feasible but not too sure about the others!

stifflersmom

If you're based in Pau the Aubisque, Soulor and Hautacam are all achievable, as are Luz Ardiden and Tourmalet, plus some lesser known cols such as Coraduque, Borderes, Spandelles. Linking them up into manageable routes will take some planning - and will depend on how much climbing you want to do in a day. For the Tourmalet you could go out via the Aubisque, ascend the west side and return via Bagnere de Bigorre to the north for example to make a nice loop. Hautacam and Luz Ardiden are out and backs anyway as they both end at the summit. My advice would be to stay somewhere closer to the climbs - Argeles or Luz for example.

LeDomestiqueTours

We agree with stifflersmom (never thought we'd say that). Pau will involve some long rides to hit the big tour classics (Luz Ardiden, Hautacam and the Tourmalet being the three furthest West) and you will probably have to miss out on some other corkers like the Col d'Aspin, Peyresourde and Pla d'Adet (to name a few)...

End of July 2012 means that she will be there during the TdF which would be a shame to miss out on! Perhaps you could visit her in Pau then spend a couple of days deeper into the Pyrenees (have a look at our website for some inspiration) and catch the pros in action..... 8)

VeloPeloton

Pau is a good location. You will be able to ride to climbs like Pierre-Saint-Martin, Soudet, Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Soulor and Spandelles and loads of others. It depends how much you like to ride and climb and how fast. The route suggested above over Aubisque and Tourmalet would be over 200km. For most riders that would be a 10 hours + ride, it takes a very good rider to average 20kmh around here. We have only had ahandful of riders stay here who have managed such distances. If you are really mental try this
http://www.velopeloton.com/6-tour-de-france-cols-challenge/
As a general guideline riding 100km here is like riding 150km at home. Leave early and take lots of food.
Apart from that Pau is a beautiful city and well worth a visit.

frosty99

Thanks for the replies!!! I

If the leaked tdf route is anything to go buy Pau should get a decent amount of action so will definitely aim to catch the finish in Pau and hopefully a mountain stage too.

Seems like we should be able to get a few decent climbs in from Pau, got the whole of July off so could always venture further into the pyrenees for a few days if my legs are up to it!!

APIII

You could always get the train to/from Lourdes to save a few km.