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