4 Août

4 Août
Bagnères-de-Luchon a Castillon-en-Couserans
About 80 km
Via
Col du Portillon, 1292 m
Col d'Artigascou, 1351 m
Col de Portet d'Aspet, 1069 m
Total ascent: 2010 m
Rolled out of Bagnères-de-Luchon at 2 p.m., after an engaging and quite surprising midi. Almost cloudless sky, temperature about 30 and showing no sign of cooling. Perfect.
If you had asked me at 6:30, "what was tour favorite Col of the day?" I would've unhesitatingly replied "Col d'Artigascou". Portillon was smooth pavement and an even grade, but Col d'Artigascou, it was a roadway making love to a mountain. Snaking its way upward, following each undulation of the slope as if it were the slightest imprint of fingertips on downy skin. It didn't matter that the last 5 km and all of the descent was broken pavement, gravillions and the remnants of cuboid cobbles. I had it all to myself, except for some sheep who, by the terror with which they ran from me, had probably never seen a bike before.
But, at 7 p.m., I arrived at the base of Col de Portet d'Aspet. Famous and infamous, it threw the gauntlet at my tires: 429 meters of ascent in 4.4 km, an average gradient of 9.7%. This is the slope upon which Fabio Casartelli died in 1995. The scene of some mighty battles between great cyclists. The climb, mostly in a ravine, was well shaded in the evening. The pitches made my climb up from Etxalar seem trivial. Thank heaven the road was empty, for I was compelled to paperboy it in a few spots simply to survive. The summit was deeply gratifying.
Arriving from the other direction at the same time, lightning quick on a Trek Madone, was Dionisio, a Spaniard who lives in Toulouse, works for Airbus, backcountry skis and climbs brilliantly. We had a nice chat, as you can guess.
After the long descent to Castillon-en-Couserans, unerringly and erily sentient, my bicycle brought me directly to Camping Municipale. Obviously a sign that I should take a day off.
Today's ride: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ssdyqaacognwdsyg