What do you do for a vacation when you enjoy cycling and you can see the French coast on a clear day? Why not strap your bike to the top of the car and head for the Pyrenees!
The Pyrenees are the mountain range between France and Spain. Each July, they fill up with hundreds of thousands of cycling fans from all over the world that want to see the world's best riders slowly suffer their way up hills of varying length and steepness.
Cycling is one of the only sports that more enthusiastic fans can truly experience the same thing as the athletes - you can pull on spandex and ride the same bike on the exact course. Try to imagine playing a baseball game with your friends at Wrigley Field or tossing a football around in the Rose Bowl - that's what it's like to ride up some of the legendary cols (passes) of the Tour de France. There's also some fantastic scenery!
You can still see riders names painted on the road by fans maybe a decade ago as you and a surprisingly large number of other riders crawl up the hill like a trail of ants. Switchbacks in the road give many opportunities to survey what you've already conquered snaking below. The occasional barnyard animal (or evidence that they've been there) adds some strategy to choosing the safest path up the road.
Once you reach the top, it's a daredevil descent at 40 to 50 mph (usually faster than the cars) while looking out for sharp corners, more barnyard animals (and evidence), stones, and other things than can ruin your day in a hurry.
Near the top of the legendary Col du Tourmalet!
That is very cool. Glad you are blogging again!
ReplyDeleteElaine