Barbarians - because we represented three different SWRC groups - A, B+ and Uppers & Downers. Vero Bringlow, Lawrie Clark, Toby Conant, David Candlin, Richard Fitzgerald, Clive Wilkins and I recently returned from a very enjoyable week's stay in St Savin, just south of Argeles Gazost in the heart of the Pyrenees. Lawrie and I had a mammoth journey across France in a hired van (later to have some consequences) transporting the bikes, while the others arrived by plane. Once we had all arrived most of us set out on our first short ride, a 500 metre climb over about 15 Km to Lac d'Estaing. Really just a gentle introduction to climbing in the mountains again.
On the morning of our first day proper we took on the first of the recognised Tour de France climbs - Luz Ardiden. A steady climb up to 1735 metres with a series of switchbacks which lent themselves to a fantastic descent. Despite coming from three groups we kept together fairly well, although an order developed which was maintained for the rest of the trip. Vero was definitely our champion climber with Richard, Lawrie and me usually getting to the bottom first. At the end of this descent, Lawie suddenly experienced agonising cramp in both thighs (probably a result of the long time spent driving the van through France on the day before). Despite some less than helpful advice from passing motorists than we should pour cold water on it, we got him back on his bike and to the restaurant for lunch.
In the afternoon five of us decided to take on a second famous col, the Hautacam. This was a similar length to the Ardiden, but I found it much harder, probably the hardest climb of the week, with some sustained stretches of over 10%, 5 or 6 Km from the top. The reward was another fantastic descent, although I was overtaken by an attack of cramp at the bottom. This reinforced the theory that it was the long drive which had caused it.
The recent cold weather and extensive snow from earlier in the year had delayed the opening of some of the cols and so restricted our choice of routes particularly early in the week. On the next day we took on Col du Soulor (1474m), approaching it from the north having skirted around the outskirts of Loudres on the way. It had a beautiful wooded approach, before emerging on to the open mountainside where everyone suffered in the heat. I was also fearful about the possible return of the cramp. At the top everyone collapsed into chairs outside the cafe and I think we were all quite pleased that the Cirque du Litor, which would have taken us on the the Aubisque, was still closed.
On the following day we had arranged to meet the A group at St Marie de Campan for lunch. This was mid way between where each group was staying and meant a 50km ride over through the foothills - away from the big mountain roads, but nevertheless very pleasant cycling country. After an enjoyable lunch in good company we emerged from the restaurant into heavy rain and wind. This put pay to any plans we might have had of doing the Tourmalet that afternoon as we retraced our steps getting quite wet but fortunately not too cold.
This brought us to Friday which we had set aside as a rest day. However Richard, Lawrie and I decided to ride out and explore the road up from the main valley to the ski town of Cauterets and then to do two separate climbs up to Pont d'Espagne and Cambasque. It is difficult to understand why these two routes do not feature more frequently in the Tour de France. There is a steady climb of about 400 metres up to Cauterets after which the climbs to both destinations steepen considerably. The ride up to Pont d'Espagne is especially beautiful with some spectacular waterfalls.
We were determined that we were going to climb the Col du Tourmalet during our stay. This was my first visit to the Pyrenees and I would have been very disappointed to leave without having accomplished the most iconic climb in the region. Our nearest approach on the western side, however, remained closed throughout our stay. So, on the next day we took the bikes over to St Marie de Campan in the van and climbed from the east. For most of the climb we were in the mist, but fortunately not the rain. It was a steady climb with some lengthy 10% stretches, but I got into a rhythm whereby I felt I could have kept going all day. We eventually emerged from the mist into sunshine just as we climbed out of the ugly ski town of La Mongie, giving some spectacular views as we approached the summit. The final few metres zig zagging through the snow was one of the highlights for me.
During the decent back through the mist we all got quite cold, although Vero suffered particularly and took some time to revive as we rode on to Payolle for lunch before climbing Col d'Aspin. As we approached the restaurant, despite us calling after him, Toby had clearly decided that he wanted to climb the Aspin twice. So he went on up the road while we settled down local sausage and chips and other inviting dishes. He did manage to join us and have a quick sandwich before setting off with the rest of us up the Aspin again. This was really a delightful climb, not as severe as some of the others we had done and winding up through beautiful wooded scenery.
This brought us to our final day of riding. We had learnt that the Cirque du Litor was now open which meant that we were able to climb Col D'Aubisque from our side. This meant a climb back up to Col du Soulor but going up the way we had come down a few days earlier. The ride along the Cirque du Litor was an experience not to be missed - a narrow road winding over a steep mountainside with precipitous drops below as it makes its way up to the Aubisque. Having reached this summit we has accomplished just about all we had hoped for. While most retraced their steps back to the village, Richard, Toby and I took a detour, descending from the Soulor to the north and then climbing back of Col de Spandelles. This was a challenging 1000 metre climb on a really quiet, narrow road followed by a descent with so many pot holes it reminded us of being back in Surrey.
This brought us to the end of a great week's riding in excellent company. All we had to do now was retrace our steps back through France and hope that we stayed free of cramp this time.
On our return we realised how lucky we had been with the weather. On the day of our departure, they had torrential rain leading to flooding and the washing away of some of the roads we had ridden. I hope the region bounces back quickly from this. I am certainly looking forward to going there again when I get the opportunity.
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