Today was a picture perfect day, with clear skies and ideal temperatures for cycling. Nonetheless the day started out with some difficulty for me since I am still not over my jetlag and it was an effort to hoist myself out of bed. Luckily we got up at 7 and weren't on the road until 9, so it was really not that bad.
A word on the daily mileages: they probably seem low. 50 miles here, 60 miles there, etc. However, we are doing HUGE climbs every day so the rides are by no means easy. Today we climbed over two big cols: the Col du Tourmalet, and the Col d'Aspin. These are both regular fixtures in the Tour de France and I was really glad to get to see them for myself.
The Tourmalet came first today. We left the hotel and headed up the valley a bit before getting up into a very steep narrow canyon with a rushing stream in it. The road was built up onto the cliff on the canyon wall and I was frequently riding next to a huge dropoff to the river below. This tends to focus the mind a bit ;) I stopped at one point to sightsee but didn't take any pictures because the canyon was so steep, no sunlight was penetrating into the canyon this early. We emerged from the canyon into the town of Luz-St. Sauveur, where the Tourmalet climb really begins.
As is now the custom, I got dropped immediately on the climb. I'm getting used to being the slowest climber on this tour. (I'm not at all competitive, but when you know everyone is waiting, you're less inclined to stop and look at things). I felt pretty strong today and climbed well (as I like to say - I did great - it's just that everyone else did even better). The road got up out of the trees and into high meadow and the views were just great. We finally got our big views that we have been waiting for!
About half way up the Tourmalet, a rider overtook me and we started chatting. He was French and was quite interested in this American rider who could speak French with him. We rode together for maybe 45 minutes, chatting about this and that. He was very interested in what Americans think of cycling, and of France. He was concerned that Americans think French people are "ploucs" (peasants - provincial - etc). So I assured him that was not the case. Interestingly the conversation never strayed into politics at all. When we were within the last kilometer of the top, he decided to pick up the pace. We did see each other again at the summit, and talked again, briefly. It was a nice way to spend the climb, mixing with the locals.
At the top, everyone was waiting and taking pictures, eating, etc. We got the usual summit photos and then I launched into the AWESOME descent off the Tourmalet. My oh my, that is one fun downhill. It went on forever, and was steep enough to never have to pedal, and there were lots of switchbacks to make it interesting. I got fairly far ahead of everyone on the downhill, and started up the next pass, the Col d'Aspin, alone. (These passes just come one right after the other in the Pyrenees!).
The Aspin has a very different character from the Tourmalet. The Tourmalet is steep, rugged and rocky. The Aspin is gentle, pastoral and forested. The two couldn't be more different, and yet they are right next to each other. To my amazement, I got to the top of the Aspin first. This was really nice because even though I'm not competitive, it meant that I could sit around for a while and take in the views without worrying about people waiting for me. After a couple of minutes, Ron drove up in the support van and I got some lunch, and then the other riders trickled in.
We sat around eating and taking more pictures on top of the Aspin for quite a while. It was only about 2pm and it was a positively gorgeous day in a very beautiful place. Nobody wanted to leave, but eventually we did head on down. The descent off the Aspin was not nearly as much fun as the Tourmalet, but still I never turn my nose up at a downhill. To cap the ride off, we got a strong tailwind all the way into St. Lary Soulan, which wasn't far from the bottom of the Aspin.
Tomorrow is our first rest day, so we will be here for two nights before continuing on. I'm entertaining the idea of hiring a guide and going rock climbing tomorrow. There is certainly no shortage of good cliffs here.
Here are my favorite photos for the day:
Here is a view back at the climb of the Tourmalet, taken from the summit. Note how steep the terrain is, and how rugged it is. Contrast with the Aspin, below.
Here's me posing for the obligatory photo at the summit marker on top of the Tourmalet.
Here's a nice view from the top of the Aspin. Note how different it is from the Tourmalet. Part of this may be altitude. The Tourmalet is 2115m, whereas the Aspin is "only" 1489m.
Here's the group on top of the Aspin. I had been wanting to take a picture of the entire group together for some time and was waiting for a good opportunity. This was it. From left to right: Ron, Craig, Jennie, Charlie, Allan, and me. In the background is the Pic du Midi (2872m).
And lastly, here is the view out our hotel room window in St. Lary Soulan. Could be worse...
That's all for now.
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