La Transpyrénées

Experience the rugged beauty and superb cycling of the French Pyrenees on an epic coast-to-coast ride.

Follow in the wheels of Tour de France legends over the classic Pyrenean cols: Marie Blanque, Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde, Menté, Portet d’Aspet, Port de Pailhère on a 4-day adventure from Biarritz on the Atlantic to Collioure on the Mediterranean coast. Four days, each averaging 160km, will take you on a 640km journey over 12 major cols along some of the finest cycling routes in the Pyrenees.

Friday - Biarritz to Laruns -160km

This first  stage will provide a relatively gentle prelude to the mountains to come. The heights of the cols steadily increase as you ride eastwards and leave the Atlantic coast behind you: Col d’Ipharlatcé at 328m; Col d’Osquich 500m and finally, a Tour de France favourite, Col de Marie Blanque at 1035m. After a fun descent off the Marie Blanque you climb gently up the floor of the Ossau valley to Laruns; the gateway to the Pyrenean peaks.

Saturday - Larns to Arreau -125KM

A classic big mountain stage: 125km with four cols (including two HC climbs) to take you into the heart of the Hautes Pyrenees. The day starts with the 17km, 1190m ascent of the Col d’Aubisque. From there it’s only a gentle climb to  Soulor, (after having first successfully negotiated the narrow mountain road which links the two cols, where, in 1951, Dutch rider Wim Van Est crashed into a ravine and had to be pulled to safety by his team-mates using their inner tubes as an improvised rope). From the bottom of the Soulor it’s 30km to Luz St Sauveur and the start of the mythical Col du Tourmalet. 2010 will mark the centenary of the first ascension of the col in the Tour de France by Octave Lapiz. From the summit, it’s a fast descent through the ski village of La Mongie and down to St Marie de Campan. (Famous as the place where Eugène Christophe, in 1913, repaired his broken forks in the forge only to have a time penalty imposed because he received “outside assistance” from the boy who operated the bellows) From the summit of the final col of the day, Col d’Aspin, you can just see the following day’s first climb – the Peyresourde. But first, you have one of the best descents in the Pyrenees into Arreau and your hotel for the night.

Sunday - Arreau to Tarascon-sur-Ariège -165KM

Another 4 cols are laid on for day 3, though none are as demanding as the two HC climbs the day before. However, these cols should not be underestimated, especially the Col de Menté which is viciously steep at the bottom. From Arreau you wind up the beautiful Louron valley before cutting up the hillside on the ascent of the Col de Peyresourde. This will take you into Haute Garrone and down to Bagnères de Luchon. From there it’s a quick ride down the Luchon valley before tackling the duo of the Col de Menté and Col de Portet d’Aspet – both notorious for the accidents that occurred on them: Luis Ocaña was badly injured near the top of the Col de Menté in 1971, but went on to win the Tour de France in 1973; sadly, Fabio Casartelli was not so fortunate and died when he crashed heavily near the bottom of the Col de Portet d’Aspet in 1995. After descending past St Girons and Massat you just have the relatively gentle Col de Port to cross before the descent into Tarascon sur Arriege and a well earned rest.

Monday - Tarascon-sur-Ariège to Collioure -192KM

With luck the previous 3 days’ riding will have got you acclimatised to the Pyrenean Mountains, as something special has been saved for the last day. With 192km, 7 cols, over 3100m of vertical ascent and the second highest peak of the trip – Port de Pailhère at 2001m, this day can only be described as epic . On this final day you will ride through some of the most remote parts of the Pyrenees before dipping a toe in the azure waters of the Mediterranean.