Ups, downs and a Pyrénées trip 3

Turns out moving house and having no proper internet for 3weeks is detrimental to updating a blog.  Anyway this is the next instalment of our Pyrenees adventure:

Last time I ended on a bit of a low, hitting the deck is not my preferred end to a ride. Going to sleep that night I knew I was going to have purple patches the following morning and wasn't looking forward to it. Anyway I'm no footballer, cyclists just get on with it eh?   The one thing it did mean was I was lacking in team kit. I ended up with a Team Gamin top and very “Euro” high cut shorts from the local bike shop in Argelès-Gazost. 

Despite being stiff and scantily clad we got on with the second day of riding prep.  The plan today was the famous tour stage finish of Luz Ardiden (yes the one that Lance Armstrong fell off on. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEqQW1-casM)  and  lesser know and on paper easy Pont-d'Espagne.

It was 16kms along the Luz vally to the foot of Luz Ardiden and one thing we all couldn't help but notice was the temperature, it was about 10am and already above 30C!  By the time we where at the foot of the climb it was getting on for 35C! Adding to this sweatfest the wind had dropped making it feel like sitting in an oven.
 Luz Ardiden is 14km long with a gradiant of 6.9%, and that dosent sound much but it comes in dribs and drabs.  you might get a sign that say 6.5% indicated for the next 1km,  600m of that might be 4-5% so you end up with a 9-10% ramp at the end.  As it turns out the first 2km of Luz Ardiden are at about 5%, I’m sure you can workout how that leaves the gradient on the rest of it….

We set out all together at the bottom few Km's we soon settled in to our own pace. To be honest I was really feeling sore from the day before and I couldn't stand for the steep bits.  I was quite content watching Henry and Brook ride off into the distance as I tapped this one out at my own pace .  I stopped a few times to fill my water bottle from the little springs at the road side without a hint of shame about stopping, it was bloody hot not to take on water.  Once you clear the forest on the bottom section  the Luz Ardiden hill side side opens up and you get the iconic asphalt spaghetti (see pic) From then untill the top its just switchbacks as far as the eye can see.  Even if you have to drive up this one its worth is for the view.  With all of us twiddled to the top it was time to come down, Switchbacks, a well tuned bike and some balls make descents like this better than any rollercoaster.  Luz Ardiden is one hell of a thrill ride!  

  

The mornings climb over it was time to do the 5.2% 16km long Pont d’Espange.  Weirdly it’s quite a long way from the Spanish border, no doubt some ramblers could have explained the name but there was no time for that, we had a mountain to climb!   Starting in Saint-Savin where we picked up some massively over priced cans of drink and began to climb.  It’s very different to the previous two we had done, it wiggles it way along a narrow steep sided valley with cliff tunnels, bridges and sheer drops in to raging torrents ever present.   It’s truly spectacular and you get a true sense of the power of nature especially as the water is sulphurous (smells a bit like eggs).  Again the 5.2% average is deceptive, the first few km are up at around 4% then you go down for a bit too.  I couldn’t help thinking to my self  " this might not be as gentle as I thought…”   eventually you start climbing again and after a short steep section it levels out onto what appeared to be a ‘flat’ plain that turns out to be 3%. Henry decided to go on a flyer at this point.

 Brook and I carried on at a steady brisk tempo, and once we cleared the small town of Cauterets we only had 6km to go.  we still  hadn’t really seen a steep sections and this was causing me to worry for what was to come. 10% sections with 14% kicks is what was to come!!  After the first few km of this I was really starting to feel it.  If it wasn’t for the encouragement from Nathan (who had decided discretion was the better part of valour and gone back to get the car) I wouldn't have been able to keep the pace up on the steep sections. He was telling me I was closing on Henry and brook was coming up on me.  From the rate I was closing on Henry I could tell he had probably blown, and sure enough he had.  He was at the point where he couldn’t ride any more and was sat by the side of the road looking quite rough from heat stroke, it was in the high 30’s after all. I stopped to see how he was while Nathan sorted him out. I waved brook on as he came up on us. once it was clear he was ok I carried on to the top to join brook. 

 With a sense of achievement we rolled back down home another epic day done. 

Tomorrow the tormalet!