Pyrennees - Coast to Coast

emcculloch

I'm contemplating doing the Pyrenness coast to coast in Sept 2013 and would appreciate the thoughts of anyone that's done this.

Typically I cycle 50miles or so at the weekend, and do two or three 100 mile sportives a year (and generally do them in 6-7hrs). Last year I did the route of the Marmotte, under my own steam. It was a fantastic day - even if it did take 11hrs in the saddle...

Anyway, it's my 40th next year and while it's utter and total madness, we're discussing doing the coast to coast. We're going to do it over 5 days (through a tour company such as PyrActif), but it's still an average of 120km/2,000m climbing a day. On an individual day, that's no problem. My concern is the cumulative effect.

I've nearly 18months to train (and loose a few kg - I'm currently 88kg), and would appreciate your thoughts.

bigpikle

Search is your fiend here - there were 2 threads on this in the last week that will help you.

ugo.santalucia

So this is not the Raid Pyrenees as that's more than 120 Km a day and with more climbing...

maddog 2

I'm doing it next summer too. We're planning on maybe 6 or 7 days riding. Last summer I did it as a guide for a bike holiday company, and the punters rode it in 8 days, which was doable and straightforward. 7 would be okay too I think. 6 starts to get a bit challenging and 5 is pretty hardcore I'd say, although the route makes a difference too I guess. Having said that you would want to do all the main blue riband climbs - Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin etc. so there wouldn't be much point in trying to miss much out.

Just checking your numbers 120km = 75miles, and in 5 days that's 375 miles. Is that all it is? I thought it was more than that.

Mendip rouleur

I did the Raid Pyrenean in 2010 with Marmot Tours. I think the route has changed since then (they cut out the Puymorens and include some other cols in that area) but the mileage and climbing are about the same, 720km and 33K m respectively from memory.

I was about as fit then as you are now, and whilst not easy, it's very doable with some specific training.

Three key things that helped me:

1. Treat it as a holiday not a race. There were people blitzing it every day (either fitter or more focussed than me) but I stuck to a pace I was comfortable with, particularly on the climbs. You want to enjoy it, not exhaust or injure yourself.

2. Make your training align to the type of riding you will be doing. You can't prepare to ride up hill for 2 hours in the UK, but there are other aspects you can do. Train for multi-day riding. It's better to ride 5 days in a row at 30 miles a day, than one 150 mile ride every week. Also throw in the odd really long endurance ride every few weeks and do as much uphill riding as you can. Tour of Wessex is a good benchmark to test yourself against, 3 long days back to back.

3. Take as many different types of clothing as you can. I was the coldest I have ever been on a bike coming down the Aspin into Arreau in a thunderstorm. It was theoretically summer, but the combined effect of a wet road, rain, spray and low temperature combined to freeze me to the bone. By the afternoon, as I was climbing up the Portet d'Aspet I was boiling, despite shedding all my layers bar one.

I also stayed last year with Pyractif who are a great business to cycle with and i can thouroughly recommend them, going back this Summer to do another C2C.