The Third Climb Is The Steepest "92 km"

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We're in Spain now, so it's a good thing I didn't eat all my lunch on the road today - dinner is apparently at 8:30 and I am starving. OTOH wine is ridiculously cheap here - on the order of 1Euro for a glass. If only tomorrow didn't start off with what I suspect may be the nastiest climb of the tour I would take advantage of it, but I am remaining conservative in my approach until we are out of the mountains. I guess the good news is that I may have enough time to get this blog caught up before dinner..

It's always difficult heading out after a rest day - after a week of steady onslaughts the likes of which can't be had back home, the body assumes it's ordeal is finally over and shuts down. At least that's one theory. All I know is that with 3 cols to climb today and the weather already feeling warm and humid at 8AM, I decided to take it very easy at first.

As yesterday was a rest day I was able to stock up on food and chose not to pop for the hotel breakfast, which for the first time apparently turned out to be pretty skimpy. I, on the other hand, not only fuelled up to the point where I didn't even feel the need to visit the boulangerie for a croissant, but made sure I was well-hydrated for the day ahead by sluggiing back about 500ml of orange juice, and hit the road at 8AM. This worked too well: I was so hydrated that I ended up stopping to pee several times.

We retraced our steps (strokes?) 12 km back up the river we had descended on Thursday before veering off at Ste-Marie-De-Campan heading for the Col d'Aspin, whose ascent began with a series of ups and downs. It's always annoying when you give back whatever altitude you've just worked hard to gain, and sadly it was only when the going got steep that the fresh pavement gave way to more standard fare. Still, the climb was neither lengthy nor arduous and the day was glorious, so was it any wonder the summit proved popular?

I stayed and chatted at the top - first with a local from Bagnere, then with the requisite Brits I met (this time from Hampshire) - so long that some of our gang actually got ahead of me. When I did push off, I discovered that unlike our wooded climb, the other side of the col offered wide open scenic vistas of the valley below. Unfortunately that also came with the most serious case of gravelosis we had yet to encounter, which made the descent rather terrifying at times (there is no frisson like that induced by seeing gravel strewn across an outside switchback as you enter it at speed). Yet there were also wide-open straight sections where you could just let things rip, and at the end my hands were literally numb from all the road buzzing I had endured.

On the way to the next col I saw a sign for a picnic area in Borderes-Louzon and stopped for a most enjoyable bit of lunch to prepare for the next climb, which I was a bit wary of. So was my bike, it seems, as lately it has been making complaining noises not only in my lowest gear but now in the bottom 3.

Just as I approached the crest of the climb to the Col de Peyresourdes I (and everyone else coming up, no matter their means of transport) was held back because the Route du Sud race was coming up the other side. After about 1/2 hour the racers (including Alberto Contador, apparently) flew by, and to say it was quite impressive doesn't capture the speed they displayed at all - I wish I could go that fast on the flats!

Once the last of the racers (poor souls, on their own well behind the peloton) had passed we stopped for the requisite photos then enjoyed a most luxurious descent. To compensate for that experience, the climb to the col du Portillon proved to be a bitch, without even anything but trees to look at to take our minds off the heat that had built during the day. Once over the top and into Spain, however, both the views and the road surface improved tremendously. A few km down I pulled into a parking area to soak it all in, then resumed letting gravity haul me into our hotel.

And as for dinner being at 8:30? Apparently there was a place next door that would serve us earlier, so when I came down to join people at 8:20 (having previously descended for our usual 7:00 meeting time, at which point I was told of the 8:30 plan and told my roommate I would be in my room and to ensure I wasn't left behind), I was quite annoyed to find everyone already midway through their meals.That sucked, as did the fact that the place would only prepare paella for two, and since I was alone....

That was not a good way to end the day.

BTW, FWIW we are in our first hotel room equipped with a bidet.

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