For some reason while I was in the shower at the end of Day 4 the thought that nobody had punctured this week went through my mind...that will have jinxed it no doubt! We had the not so small matter of the Hautacam to face on the final day of the trip. This climb is … Continue reading Pyrénées – Final Day (5)

The week has been building to a single climb. A climb that is the most iconic in the Pyrénées. The legendary Col du Tourmalet has featured in the greatest bicycle race in the world...the Tour de France...more than any other climb. 2019 will be its 87th appearance. This Col could have been purposely designed for … Continue reading Pyrénées – Day 4

An ‘easy’ day ahead...well that is what Jeff and I were hoping for as we were shuttled out to where we were to start La Hourquette d’Ancizan. With fresh legs Jeff and I started. Any climb that takes the cyclist up to over 1500 meters will be far from ‘easy’ in the true sense of … Continue reading Pyrénées – Day 3

After riding the first day I asked Mike (who had already offered the day before) to change my cassette to give me a lower bottom gear. I was struggling to maintain my cadence (pedal speed) on the steep parts of the climb...which in the Pyrénées is actually most of the climb! So with a lower … Continue reading Pyrénées- Day 2

I booked this trip with the intention of going in 2018. Unfortunately things got in the way so the very understanding people at The Col Collective kindly allowed me to hold it over until this year. Arriving at the house by car on Saturday afternoon I was welcomed by Knut a Norwegian cyclist who is … Continue reading The Pyrénées Day 1