Tour of the Pyrenees - PYT2502
Welcome briefing and motorcycle handover in our nice hotel with views of the mediterranean sea below...
Our first riding day bringing us to the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat, built into the conglomerate pinkish rocks of this mountain range. We later continue to Cardona Castle, where we climb the tower to enjoy the wonderful view. After a lunch stop in Solsona, where we enjoyed our first Spanish Tapas. We then continued our ride, following countless twisties into the mountains. At the end of the day, we cooled down in the pool of our hotel and enjoyed the dinner. As this is Jason`s 5th tour, he was rewarded with his personal Edelweiss t-shirt. What a great first day.
Today we rode a loop around our hotel, starting out in a little bit of rain. However the roads dried up quickly as we enjoyed the wonderful scenery of the Col d Boixols. After a coffee in the small town of "Tremp" we continued alongside a lake to climb up another pass road, which lead us to the highest point of the tour so far ("Port del Canto"). Some members of our group enjoyed the local motorcycle museum. In the evening some of us walked the small canyon next to our hotel, before we enjoyed our dinner.
Beautiful weather and everbody is keen on discovering this tiny country Andorra. The city traffic in La Vella is a bit dense but then we are on the Ordino pass road, up and down a blast! After a little bit shopping we leave Andorra via the Port d'Envalira, with 2400 m/ 7900 feet the highest pass in the Pyrenees. A nice lunch in Ax-Les-Thermes and the real stuff waits for us, Port de Palhieres with 2001m is a great ride and then the views from top down! On a single lane road we ride the other side down, a nice valley follows, first with forest, then getting more and more narrow and Canyon like. Over hilly terrain with another 1000 curves we reach the medieval Carcassonne. What a day!!
But of course we offer a ride! La Montagne Noir is on the program, a super relaxed ride through a divers forest on small twisty 1.5 lane roads, some tiny villages, and the up on the top of the Pic Noir with 360° views. After we follow the mountain range again on twisty roads through this beautiful forest - traffic non existent. Now it opens up and we follow a Canyon which brings us to Minerve, a beautiful medieval village with tragic background. In 1210 140 inhabitants were burnt here by the catholic prosecuters during the Albigenser Crusade because they didn't wanted to convert from their Cathar believe to Catholicism. Human being...
A last view of the impressive castle and we start into the backcountry again. Soon we are back on these tiny twisty roads and some fog comes in - a mystic atmosphere. We climb a bit in elevation again and in front of us the Castle Peyreperteuse; we zig zag our way up, beautiful views as a reward. Then we dive into the highlight for today, the Gorge de Galamus, just wow!! At the southern end Björn waits for us with the picnic - what a beautiful day! But we have another one, the Col d'Arles with 1.500m, we reach the top (what a great road with great grip up here) and we cool down in the fresh cool wind and we hear nothing, just some cow bells from far away and nature around us...
Unfortunately the last riding day of this tour has already come. We decide to skip the busy coast and ride through the wonderful twisty and trafficless backcountry roads. In the mornig we come by "Beget" a small old town sitting in the middle of nowhere. We make our way Olot and enter a super nice road with countless turn, before we stop for lunch in "Sant Hilari Sacalm" a small mountain village. In the afternoon we continue on winding roads, just before going around Barcelona and reaching our hotel in Castelldefels, where Holger is awaiting us with a boot beer. What an unforgetable trip!