Base for cycling holiday in Pyrenees

sheffsimon

I'm after recommendations for the best location/town in the Pyrenees for a 4 day cycling holiday this summer. Would like somewhere with plenty of cols within riding distance, preferably with Tourmalet within reach.

Thanks.

wasp707

Argeles Gazost. Handy for the Tourmalet, Col du Soulor / Col d'Aubisque, Luz Ardiden and Cauterets. A nice town too.

ugo.santalucia

Agree, although the road to Luz St. Saveur is not the nicest. If you stay on the other size (St Marie de Campan) you have the Tourmalet and the easy side of the Aspin, but not the Aubisque, which in my opinion is the prettiest of them all

durhamwasp

Thanks from me too.

Planning on heading to the Pyrenees the first weekend of September to do the Tourmalet. Will stay for 3 or 4 days and do some other climbs as well.

Had first been thinking either Luz St Sauveur or St Marie de Campan.

sheffsimon

Thanks for all your suggestions.....however, after a few Friday evening beers, the "f*** it, lets go back to the Alps" seems to have won the day.

briantrumpet

SheffSimon wrote:

Thanks for all your suggestions.....however, after a few Friday evening beers, the "f*** it, lets go back to the Alps" seems to have won the day.

If you wanted something a bit different, stay in Die 26150, roughly half-way between AdH and Ventoux. No massive cols (though loads over 1000m), but much more varied riding than the high Alps, and more reliable weather. Though if your thing is the named mega-cols, a bit too far out.

durhamwasp

What 4 or 5 climbs would people recommend in the Pyrenees?

Tourmalet goes without saying, then what? Lots to choose from!

marcusjb

durhamwasp wrote:

What 4 or 5 climbs would people recommend in the Pyrenees?

Tourmalet goes without saying, then what? Lots to choose from!

Col d'Aubisque onto Col du Soulor via the Cirque du Litor - the Cirque du Litor is your classic ribbon of road clinging onto the side of a mountain that makes the helicopter shots on the tour something special.

whoof

This link has a map and description of climbs in the area.
http://www.velopyrenees.com/pyrenees_cols.htm
Unfortunately my memory of these climbs seem to restricted to food.

Nick Payne

The Pyrenees Cycling Lodge at Saint Savin has a web page of bike rides, including gpx route files you can load onto a GPS: http://pyreneescyclinglodge.com/pyrenees-cycling-routes/. The rides all start and finish at the lodge in Saint Savin, a few kilometres from Argelès-Gazost.

bikepacker

Having a bad weather time cycling in the Pyrenees me and a friend came across this place and it was at the time a tour saver. It is owned by an English cyclist and his wife and they offer various accommodation from bunkhouse to full B&B. They are very near the Aspin and not too far from the Tourmalet.

http://www.pleinairpyrenees.com