The Tourist Raid Pyreneen is a fixed route with controls similar to Audax.
It is 790km long and includes 28 Cols and there is a 10 day time limit.
I did this solo unsupported and I was camping.
I'd planned to have another crack at the Raid after last years' failure due
to the hot weather. This time I would go from west to east. The European
Bike Express dropped me at Bayonne on 3rd June and I made my way down to
Hendaye and found a campsite which also gave me my first stamp on the
control card for the start the next day. I new from the forecast that the
weather for the first four days would be fine and warm and it was in the
high twenties.
With the load I was carrying (23 kilos) and my age (58) I knew I would have
to make early starts and began at 06:30 and made my way to Espelette for
another control stamp and then on to St Jean Pied de Port for the night.
The plan I had read up on in Cycling France (Lonely Planet) allowed for
crossing the Col Marie Blanc and The Col d'Aubisque on the same day but I
knew this would be beyond me and I would have to make up time later on.
I'm not too proud to say I did get off and push at various points on the
Marie Blanc, Portet d'Aspet and the Col de Pailheres but generally I found
it easier to ride the bike than to push it and managed to ride up all the
other Cols.
My longest day was from Seix to Ascou where I was trying to get back on
schedule. I had crossed the Col de la Trappe, Col d'Agnes and Port de Lers
and had arrived at Tarascon at about 18:00. After stocking up at a
supermarket I started along the Ax Valley heading for Ascou. At the end of
this beautiful and secluded valley is the Col de Marmares which I climbed at
dusk. This Col climbs very gently and is very forested and I surprised
several deer which leaped off the road and barked at me from the trees. I
soon had to use lights as the col seemed to go on forever.After dark it
started raining and at the col I had to turn right to climb the short
distance to the Col de Chioula and then the descent in the dark to Ascou. I
found a campsite at nearly midnight and quickly pitched and threw myself
into the tent after 18 hours on the road.
The low point was the next morning. After such a long day I found that it
was hard to eat and I felt very nauseous which made the Col de Pailheres
very difficult for the first couple of hours.After this I felt better and
was OK by the summit.
The high point was actually managing to ride up the last km of the Tourmalet
which I'm sure must be steeper than the 10% in my guide.
I found that I could comfortably ride gradients up to 9.5% but steeper than
that would mean stopping for rests or last resort pushing.
Towards the end of the ride a strong headwind set in which lasted for
several days (I thought I was supposed to get a tailwind going west-east!).
This slowed me down a little but I managed to keep to my timetable and got
my last control stamp at Cerbere station at 18:15 on 13th June.
The weather was good during the days and I had good views on all of the
cols. In the late afternoons and evenings thunderstorms would set in after
the hot days but I usually managed to get camped before they started.
My days:
1: Hendaye-At Jean Pied de Port.
Col st Ignace
Col Pinodeita
2: St Jean Pied de Port-Arette
Col Budincurutcheta
Col Bagargui
3:Arette-Laruns
Col Marie Blanc
4: Laruns-Luz St Sauveur
Col d'Aubisque
Col du Soulor
Col des Borderes
5: Luz St Sauveur-Arreau
Col du Tourmalet
Col d'Aspin
6: Arreau-St Beat
Col de Peyresourde
Col du Portillon
7: St Beat-Seix
Col de Mente
Col du Portet d'Aspet
Col de la Core
8:Seix-Ascou
Col de la Trappe
Col d'Agnes
Port de Lers
Col de Marmares
Col de Chioula
9: Ascou-Prades
Col de Pailheres
Col de Moulis
Col de Garavel
Col de Jau
10: Prades-Cerbere
Col de Palomere
Col Xatard
Col Fourtou
Col Llauro
Bike: Pieced together:
Thorn Club Tour frame
Wheels by Paul Hewitt with XT hubs. Conti TT2000 tyres
Front gears LX 44,32,22
Rear gears XT 12-34
V brakes/287V levers
2 x Ortlieb panniers front
2 x Karrimor Kalahari 60's rear
Tent Terra Nova Voyager.
All in all I'm pleased with my achievement and it really was hard but no
more than I had expected.
Tip: Regular intake of choc chip cookies aids climbing!
Ken Clements