A trip to the Pyrenees last week
madracer
Posts: 23
After posting on here that I want to do some climbs in the Pyrenees and that even if it rained I ought to get out there......I loaded up the bike a week last Monday and headed for the hills. Two hours later I found myself in the sleepy Pyrenean town of Laruns. Heavy cloud cover, drizzle, 10 deg and some very high lumps of rock made me head for the nearest loo.....which was difficult as I couldn't find one as most of the places were shut. Thats France on Monday for you. :?
As I have never climbed anything remotely as high as the Col d' Aubisque I really didn't know what to expect. And as one of the advivsors from this forum suggested," Go for the Col before you get tired" I decided to go for it! I've driven up it a few times and it didn't seem so bad! Anyway the plan was to go as far as I could before turning round, there was no pressure as I was all alone. The signage at the foot of the climb shows the average gradient per Km, my info from the net said a total average of 8%....not that I knew what 8% was at the time, but how hard can 8% be?
From Laruns the road drops down for about a Km before the climb proper starts, hardly enough to warm up the legs but hey here goes nothing....The first part of the climb up to Eaux Bonnes is about 4%..and well not so bad. I heard a tractor coming behind me and as it passed jumped in behind it, woo hoo up a gear and going up well but actually working too hard I found as it pealed off and left me gasping for air, I'd only done 2 km and was breathing hard...the tow was a mistake as I had to work really hard to stay with it, a lesson learnt I got back into a rhythm and made it up to Eaux Bonnes, 4 Km done. Out of the sleepy Spa town the gradient kicks up to 8%, the rain started to get a bit heavier and all around the only noise I could hear was the raging torrent of water in the streams and rivers. A few Km out of Eaux Bonnes a sign politely tells you the next bit is 13%. I was using my lowest gear of 39/27 and had to get out of the seat for the steepest bit, much more of this and it would be an early return to the car park. As the gradient eased back to 7-8% I got back into my seated rhythm but the speed was very low, any lower and I thought I'd fall off, I could walk up quicker. After 12km I reached Gourette and saw my first human, a Bon Courage from the local gave me a bit of a surge and I headed up the last 4 km. Stubbonly going on, tired legs but in that zone of,I've got this far and no way am I going to stop now. I got to the top in a not so imressive 1hr 40 min but elated in having got there non stop. The ride down was another thing altogether, very fast, very cold and very scary....the water, leaves and rocks on the roads were not really a hazard on the way up but at 60km/hr plus on the way down was another thing. 25 mins later I was in the van warming up and smiling like an idiot .
After lunch, and feeling revived I set out up the Col de Pourtalet, which is longer but not quite as steep as the Aubisque. I managed to get 16km up the valley, another 680m of climb before turning back due to darkness approaching and no lights on the bike.
So one and half climbs in one day, about 1900m of climbing for a first effort was not so bad...........I've really got the climbing bug and will be back for more as long as the passes are open.
As I have never climbed anything remotely as high as the Col d' Aubisque I really didn't know what to expect. And as one of the advivsors from this forum suggested," Go for the Col before you get tired" I decided to go for it! I've driven up it a few times and it didn't seem so bad! Anyway the plan was to go as far as I could before turning round, there was no pressure as I was all alone. The signage at the foot of the climb shows the average gradient per Km, my info from the net said a total average of 8%....not that I knew what 8% was at the time, but how hard can 8% be?
From Laruns the road drops down for about a Km before the climb proper starts, hardly enough to warm up the legs but hey here goes nothing....The first part of the climb up to Eaux Bonnes is about 4%..and well not so bad. I heard a tractor coming behind me and as it passed jumped in behind it, woo hoo up a gear and going up well but actually working too hard I found as it pealed off and left me gasping for air, I'd only done 2 km and was breathing hard...the tow was a mistake as I had to work really hard to stay with it, a lesson learnt I got back into a rhythm and made it up to Eaux Bonnes, 4 Km done. Out of the sleepy Spa town the gradient kicks up to 8%, the rain started to get a bit heavier and all around the only noise I could hear was the raging torrent of water in the streams and rivers. A few Km out of Eaux Bonnes a sign politely tells you the next bit is 13%. I was using my lowest gear of 39/27 and had to get out of the seat for the steepest bit, much more of this and it would be an early return to the car park. As the gradient eased back to 7-8% I got back into my seated rhythm but the speed was very low, any lower and I thought I'd fall off, I could walk up quicker. After 12km I reached Gourette and saw my first human, a Bon Courage from the local gave me a bit of a surge and I headed up the last 4 km. Stubbonly going on, tired legs but in that zone of,I've got this far and no way am I going to stop now. I got to the top in a not so imressive 1hr 40 min but elated in having got there non stop. The ride down was another thing altogether, very fast, very cold and very scary....the water, leaves and rocks on the roads were not really a hazard on the way up but at 60km/hr plus on the way down was another thing. 25 mins later I was in the van warming up and smiling like an idiot .
After lunch, and feeling revived I set out up the Col de Pourtalet, which is longer but not quite as steep as the Aubisque. I managed to get 16km up the valley, another 680m of climb before turning back due to darkness approaching and no lights on the bike.
So one and half climbs in one day, about 1900m of climbing for a first effort was not so bad...........I've really got the climbing bug and will be back for more as long as the passes are open.
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Comments
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The aubisque was the first mountain I ever enjoyed (same side)
The whole climb was through mist and cloud, apart from the last km. Was quite special.
Came in totally overgeard for me, I think I was on a 32/21.
Glad you enjoyed it! (sort of!)0 -
Nice write up.
Went to the Pyrenees for the first in June.
Did the Aubisque via the Soulor. Fantastic scenery at the top but we had low cloud and horizontal rain for the descent as well. All good fun.0 -
Plan had been to do the Soulor climb but it was shut, due to flooding somewhere I think, maybe next time.0
