Adventourous Pyrenees SPTCN24067
It's lovely here in Girona, the weather is great and the view over the city from our hotel is fantastic. But the view of the days ahead is even better. Our tour, the adventure of the Pyrenees, where the bends have bends. There's not much to report today. We explored the city of Girona, prepared the bikes and get a short briefing. It's going to be great.
Today it's finally time for our first riding day. And with it, our first highlight of the Tour Andorra. We start early to make sure we don't miss anything....I mean early, early. We leave Girona, the city of bicycles, behind us and approach the first mountain ranges of the Pyrenees. The route is twisty enough to get a feel for the bikes but not too demanding, a good introduction. After a first coffee, the road gets a bit more challenging, narrow and winding. Welcome to the Pyrenees;-). We stop in the middle of nowhere to visit a traditional Spanish mountain village, Beget. We take some time to soak up the medieval atmosphere. Afterwards, we take countless fast bends up to the Col de Ares, our first mountain pass of the tour. Now it's time to tackle the Collada de Toses. We are starting to get an idea of what we can expect over the next few days. A little later we reach Andorra. Shortly after the border we stop for lunch and a store. After all, Andorra is known for its low taxes and things are simply very cheap here. But Andorra has more to offer than just stores. Breathtaking views and even more breathtaking roads. So we wind our way through kilometer after kilometer through the largest of the European dwarf states to our hotel in La Massana.
A storm apparently raged over us overnight. But hey, as long as it happens overnight.... It's a bit cloudy this morning in Andorra, the roads are still a bit damp. But it's dry from above. So we go through the briefing and off we go. We drive the first few kilometers on the same rollercoaster through the mountains as yesterday, but this time we take the 2.8 km tunnel to get to the border. France we come....this time to stay. Our first stop is a small community called Aix les Thermes. It has been famous for centuries for the healing effects of its hot springs. We have a coffee and experience the temperature of the water;-) Then it's uphill. 2000 and 1 meter to be exact to the Col de Pailheres. And while the road to the top is still comparatively “normal”, the descent is quite a challenge - the road is narrow....very narrow and full of hairpin bends, embedded in a spectacular landscape. Once we reach the bottom, we follow the course of the River Aude through valleys and gorges until we stop for lunch. Invigorated and full of energy, we tackle highlight number two, the Gorges de Galamus. Not only was a small monastery carved into the rock here, but an entire road....okay, let's say half a road. Because it's really narrow here too. Throughout the afternoon, we screw our way up and down one pass after another. Until we reach our sympathetic little hotel in Tarascon what a day.
Today is riding day number three of our adventure in the Pyrenees. And this day already looks like an adventure in the morning, because it's raining, you might think... and that would be true if there were no less than 10 mountain passes on the list today. Many of them well-known from the Tour de France. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable. And the weather apps say it will be better in the afternoon. So get on the bike and off we go. Up to the Col de Port... But contrary to all expectations, the weather doesn't get better but rather worse. But it does allow us to take short breaks from time to time. And if the weather doesn't allow us a break, we stop every hour and treat ourselves to a hot chocolate. This continues until we reach our lunch stop. Kilometer by kilometer, it gets drier. On the last 100 kilometers, the roads are even dry again in places and we can enjoy the bends without a care in the world. At the very end, the Col de Tourmalet awaits us. Unfortunately, the view is obscured by thick fog. But we can say that we have mastered 10 passes in difficult conditions. The Pyrenees adventure;-)
The fog in the valleys around Luz-Saint-Sauveur is thick as we start our day. After yesterday's gray in gray, we had hoped for a little more today....But wait and see. After a short briefing, we set off. Our first destination is the Col de Aubisque. Unfortunately, the road is closed due to roadworks...normally not a problem as exceptions are always made for motorcycles and bicycles. Not so today. The barrier was massively reinforced so that it almost seemed to scream NO!!!. But we want and need to get over this pass... the mission threatens to fail and then there's the fog. But the tour is all about adventure and indeed, after a failed attempt to bypass the roadblock, we find a detour that actually seems to work. This detour is also spectacularly beautiful and, above all, almost completely fog-free. After a detour of almost 60 kilometers we reach the Col de Aubisque. The fog is back but the mission is also back on track. After a well-earned coffee, we continue our journey as planned. And the rest of the day will be spectacular. The fog is clearing, the roads are finally mostly dry and nothing stands in the way of the Pyrenees adventure. Back in the valley, we buy some provisions in a supermarket. Because finding a restaurant that's open on a Monday is a “mission impossible”. therefore today is Picknick day and hey...that's cool too. We spend the rest of the day riding perfect bends on...well...mostly perfect roads garnished with a lot of nonsense;-). Happy and tired, we reach our hotel in Pamplona... That was a day.
Today is a rest day, which of course doesn't mean that we have to lie around. Pamplona is a city full of history. And of course there is also the option of riding a motorcycle to .... to San Sebastian, for example. The city is famous for its great location surrounded by mountains and the beaches right in the city center. However, getting both under one roof involves compromises. So we set off for San Sebastian in the morning, but instead of taking the route through the mountains, we take the highway. After all, it's curvier than any highway in Alaska;-). Unfortunately, the weather plays tricks on us again and our arrival is wetter than we had hoped. San Sebastian is also famous for its tapas and they are really good. And while we are filling our stomachs, it stops raining. So we wander around the old town for a while before heading back to Pamplona. We spend the afternoon wandering through the alleyways of the city and taking in the sights.
Good morning Pamplona, And welcome to day number 7 of our adventure in the Pyrenees. We have a long day ahead of us and it will have one or two surprises in store for us. After a short briefing, we set off through the cobbled streets of Pamplona's old town. We soon leave the traffic in the city behind us and head east on the highway. We leave the "Autovia" again and again to enjoy the winding road along a reservoir, for example. The silhouette of the mountains looms up in front of us again, but before we hit the bends again, we stop off in Jaca. A town that was of great importance hundreds of years ago, a pentagon-shaped fortress in the middle of the town still bears witness to this today. So it's time to check out the fortress, have a coffee and head off into the mountains. On less demanding but no less fun roads, we now go up and down until we finally reach a small town called Ainsa. We have lunch there. Meanwhile, dark clouds are gathering around us. Thunder can be heard and the first lightning flashes. Is this the direction we're heading in? .... Unfortunately, yes. After the first heavy downpour, there is a ray of hope.... the weather is much better in the south. Our point of no return. And we decide against 1000 bends in a thunderstorm and for long sweeps in the sunshine. A good choice. The black clouds in the rear-view mirror seem less threatening kilometer by kilometer less threatening. One last coffee and a refueling stop later, we reach our destination for the day. A monastery on a small hill in the middle of nowhere. Life is beautiful.
Hello and good morning. A night in the monastery works wonders, so we (almost) all look fresh and rested this morning. The sky is bright blue and not a cloud in sight. That's a good start. So, as usual, first a briefing and then we saddle the horses....ähh bikes. First we head north, where yesterday there were still violent thunderstorms, today there is "only" heavy thick fog hanging in the valleys. In other words, nothing we haven't seen before. So we drive through picturesque gorges and fantastic mountain landscapes until we reach the Coll de Boixols. The view from up here is spectacular. Almost no traffic and countless bends take us through the mountains. On our way, we make a brief stop at the Castell de Cardona. We slowly approach Barelona. The famous Montserrat is unmistakable. It rises out of the landscape like a wall. Of course, there is also a beautiful winding road to drive along. And so we drive a slalom around Barcelona and its suburbs, always taking the small side roads whenever possible. And finally reach the destination of our tour... our hotel in Castelldefels. Men, it was an honor to ride with you, hopefully we'll see you again soon