The Idea

Tourmalet

We had failed to cycle across the Pyrénées on a previous intended trip with a CTC Holiday group because John manged to fall off his bike and not recover sufficiently by the time of the intended trip. So feeling inspired by our 2014 Vercors and Alps tour we decided to make 2016 our last tandem tricycle tour into high mountains.

Sheila spent the winter planning a trip to the Vercors and French Alps that would provide scenery on a grand scale and a selection of legendary Tour de France Cols, including at least one being used for the first time by TdF in 2016 - with a bit of luck the road surfaces might have been spruced up.

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The Plan

1  Head off for a town twinning visit to our French twin family in Vitré.
Plenty of time for eating, drinking and socialising before doing anything energetic.

2  Two days days driving on from Vitré to the Pyrénées, including a stopover in a small hotel in a newly refurbished chateau, before reaching our booked chambres d’hote in Ax les Thermes.

3  Lots of Cols and Summits finishing off with the Col de Soulor and Col d'Aubisque in the hope of better views than when we were last there in 2013 and thick cloud that engulfed the mountains

Our Tour Itinerary for Col and Summit collecting in the Pyrénées

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17

By car to Ax les Thermes
Col du Chioula (1,431m Cat 3)
Col Col de Pailheres (2,001m HC)
Plateau de Beille (1,790m HC)
Transfer by car to Luchon
Col de Peyresourde, (1,800m HC)
Superbagneres (1,618m HC)
Port de Balès (1,755m  Cat HC)
Col de Val Louron-Azet (1,580 Cat 1)
Co;d'Aspin (1,489m Cat:1)
Day off cycling to be regular tourists
Transfer by car to Sainte Marie de Campan
Hourquette d’Ancizan (1,564m Cat 1)
Col du Tourmalet (2,115m HC)
Hautacam (1,529m HC)
Col du Soulor (1,474m) and Col d'Aubisque (1,709m)
Travel home
Continue journey home - In fact our journey home was not as planned. French fuel strikes meant that there was every possibilty that we would not make it back to the north coast for our ferry crossing to England. Complete re-planning was required and we came back instead via Spain (where there was plenty of fuel on sale) and a ferry from Santander.

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The Result

Holiday verdict: EPIC
Total number of named Cols climbed: 10
Total number of summit finishes: 3
Total number of marmots spotted: 0
Total number of p***tures: 0
Total metres climbed and litres of water drunk on the way
No idea, we lost count many days before the end.

(Rather sad that this will probanly be our last mountain tops cycle tour)

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