Mon 19th July: Port de Bales - 96 miles

 

We'd ridden down to the Pyrenees specifically to watch the mountain stages in this years TDF (Tour de France). This year is the 100th anniversary of racing in the Pyrenees and it was being celebrated by including the Col de Tourmalet on consecutive stages, crossing westward on the 16th stage to Pau and eastward on the 17th stage with a summit finish.

 

Today was stage 15 from Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon which meant whether we chose to see the final climb of the day or the finsh, we had to go over the Col de Peyresourde to watch it. It was a 187.5km stage that included category 2 climbs over the Col de Portet d'Aspet and Col des Ares, and a final climb of the day over the "hors categorie" or "HC" (beyond categorization) Port de Bales.

 

 

Having never watched a live stage before we had no idea what time the roads would be closed so figured we'd ride up the Port de Bales, a pass I'd never ridden before, and keep riding until we were told to stop. We'd then have a good idea what we needed to do when we came to watch the racing over the Tourmalet.

 

 

We had no problem getting over the Port de Bales although the thousands of people at the top slowed our progress. We carefully cut our way through the crowds and made our way slowly down the other side taking in the party atmosphere. Eventually we made it to the bottom where the climb proper starts and where we were abruptly stopped in our tracks. It was midday and we were stuck for the rest of the afternoon.

 

With hindsight we should have stopped at the top, but at least we now knew that the roads close about 3 hours before the publicity caravan is due. Undaunted by the steepness of what we'd just ridden down, we parked up and started the long walk back up the hill.

 

 

We walked for a couple of hours and then stopped at what we thought was a good spot to spectate and waited for the publicity caravan that was due at 3pm.

 

The publicity caravan began in 1930 and has become an essential part of the race. In a recent poll it was suggested that 39% of spectators come first and foremost to see the caravan. It's a 20km long parade that contains 180 decorated vehicles representing 40 or so well known brands that shower a variety of gifts on the waiting public. It takes 45 minutes for it to pass by and causes a frenzy as spectators clamber for t-shirts, caps, keyrings, sweets, drinks and pretty much any other promotional item you can think of. It creates a great atmosphere and you can't help but join in the fun.

 

 

 

Considering this was our first time we did very well in the booty stakes and I was particularly pleased with the Cofidis t-shirt that Kay had managed to catch. It turned out that team kit is quite a cherished item.

 

 

And finally, sometime after 4.30pm, the leading group of riders appeared followed in dribs and drabs by the rest of the peleton.

 

 

 

Approximately 20 minutes later and it was all over. Was it worth it? Definitely. And we were going to do it all again tomorrow, except with less walking. All that remained was to walk a couple of miles back to the bike and then make our way through the all the traffic back to Arreau.

Tue 20th July: Col d'Aspin - 30 miles

 

Today was stage 16 from Bagneres-du-Luchon to Pau and it was a crucial stage for race leader Alberto Contador and his closest rival Andy Schleck. It was a 199.5km stage that included category 1 climbs over the Col de Peyresourde and Col d'Aspin, and "HC" climbs over the Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque.

 

 

Armed with the knowledge that the roads close about 3 hours before the caravan is due we knew we had to be on the d'Aspin before 9am if were to have any chance of spectating on the Tourmalet. Unfortunately we didn't get there until 9.10am and found the road closed.

 

Undeterred and determined to see the riders go over at least one pass I rashly decided that if we couldn't ride up the d'Aspin, then we'd walk up. So once again, undaunted by the task that lay ahead of us, we made a start up the 12km climb.

 

 

 

 

Personally I enjoyed the walk. The weather was beautiful, scenery spectacular and the caravan kept us fed and watered us - not a bad a day for booty again with more team kit and hats collected.

 

 

 

It's remarkable how quickly the circus that is "Le Tour" packs up and moves on. Less than 20 minutes after the leading group of riders had gone past it was all over and everything was being dismantled. The crowds of people just seemed to disappear and we were left with another 12km walk, but at least this time it was downhill.

 

 

 

 

On the way down we decided that when we got back to the bike we'd ride up and over the d'Aspin and take a look at the Tourmalet. We made it over the d'Aspin but as we headed towards the Tourmalet it became very overcast and began to drizzle - a sign of the weather to come - so we headed back to Arreau for a well earned rest.

Wed 21st July: Lourdes - 139 miles

 

Today was a rest day for the Tour. It was also very overcast. The weather that we'd encountered yesterday on our way to the Tourmalet was now covering most of the Midi-Pyrenees and the outlook wasn't good for the next couple of days. With the weather scuppering my plans to ride some passes new to me we found ourselves with some time to relax. On reflection we'd been on the go ever since we left Bewdley and a day spent doing very little might have been a good idea.

 

We could have wandered down into the town but Arreau isn't particularly big and there isn't a great deal there to occupy you, although I would imagine it's quite a busy little town during the winter season. We spotted half a dozen places to eat and there were a number of interesting looking bars. For those self-catering there are a couple of bakeries, a pharmacy and a good supermarket that has a 24-hour fuel station - for those interested €1.37 a litre. Overall Arreau is a nice place to stay but to be honest what really attracted us to the town was its location, and the fact that we couldn't find any accommodation in Bagneres-de-Luchon.

 

 

 

With our options in Arreau limited we came up with a ride out to Lourdes, Kay had never been there and I hadn't seen the place in more than 20 years - and there was always the slim chance that I may get to ride a pass or two at some point during the day. Not this morning though because it was drizzling and the ride down had been particularly unkind to my tyres.

 

Ideally I would have gone over the d'Aspin and Tourmalet to get to Lourdes but this morning I settled for a route that took us back up the D929 to la Barthe-de-Nest. From there we turned left and picked up the D938 to Bagneres-de-Bignore and then simply followed the signs for Lourdes. We did manage to get lost a couple of times though when signposts seemed to contradict themselves.

 

 

To be honest we didn't hang around Lourdes for very long. We found it very busy - a lot of the Tour entourage seemed to be there - and we also thought it was very commercial but I'm sure the weather didn't help our mood. And so we headed back to Arreau.

 

The problem I have is I hate to retrace my steps so in a vain attempt to find a different route home we found ourselves on the Col du Soulor. We could have got back this way but it really was pea soup and when we got to the top we couldn't see more than a bike length in front of us, a total whiteout. Kay wasn’t happy about continuing and in hindsight she was right, this route would have taken us over the Tourmalet which is another 1,000m higher. And so reluctantly I headed back down and picked up signs for Bagneres-de-Bignorre instead.

 

From Bagneres-de-Bignorre we headed south down the D935, a road that joins the D918 at the base of the Col d'Aspin. You wouldn’t call the weather clear at this point but it was certainly much better than it had been on the Soulor, and the ride over the d’Aspin back into Arreau was fun.

Thur 22nd July: Col du Tourmalet - 52 miles

 

Today was stage 17 from Pau to the Col du Tourmalet and it was make or break for Andy Schleck. If he couldn't take some time from Alberto Contador today then in all likelihood Contador would be wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. It was a 174km stage that included category 1 climbs over the Col de Marie Blanque and Col de Soulor, and a final climb of the day up to the summit of the "HC" Col de Tourmalet.

 

 

Throughout the night there had been thunder and lightening and it didn't stop raining once to our knowledge. I really wanted to see today's stage but I knew it would be miserable for Kay. We didn't have any waterproofs for a start and if Kay wasn't happy riding passes in the wet yesterday she sure as hell wouldn't like riding them today.

 

Needless to say, despite the weather, and after careful consideration, at 9am we set off and made our way over the Col d'Aspin. At the end of the day we'd come all this way to see the Tour and potentially today was going to be the biggest day of the whole race. My only prerequisites were Kay accepted a) the roads were going to be slippery and she needed to relax and b) she was going to get very wet today which meant she'd be also be wet tomorrow. What I didn't do was emphasize how much walking I expected would be involved today.

 

As we made our way up the Col du Tourmalet the traffic gradually began to build but we easily filtered through it and eventually I spotted the ski resort of La Mongie in the distance. I hoped we could at least make it that far before being made to park up and walk however twice already we'd been waved at to pull over and I'd stubbornly carried on. In the end we made it to just past La Mongie, 4km from the summit, pretty much what I'd expected but not what Kay had hoped for.

 

We were in for another 10km round trip walk - this time in sodden leathers.

 

 

 

 

By the time we reached the summit it was lashing it down however our walk hadn't quite finished. At the top you simply couldn't move because of the number of people and my plan was to watch the race from somewhere quieter, about 1km down the other side where, weather permitting, we could see the peleton make its way up the valley.

 

Finally, and after a lot of pushing and shoving and another half an hour, we found ourselves a suitable spot to make ourselves comfortable and waited for the caravan to arrive. As luck would have it as soon as we started our walk down the other side of the pass the rain stopped. And then as if by magic the sun came out.

 

 

The weather was actually beautiful for next hour or two, providing spectacular views all the way down the valley and even our wet boots and leathers started to dry out. The day was working out ever so well, until I spotted a wall of cloud rolling up the valley.

 

 

 

Although we couldn't see very much at least it wasn't raining and as soon as the caravan had passed by Kay made full use of the yellow chalk that had been distributed.

 

 

Despite the conditions the atmosphere on the Tourmalet was fantastic and the Tour didn't disappoint with the two main contenders, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, battling it out for the stage win all the way up to the finish.

 

 

 

 

People may well have thought we were crazy to ride up today and we were certainly wet through, however we smiled to ourselves on the ride back to Arreau filtering past an 11 mile traffic jam that ran from La Mongie all the way down to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan and beyond.