Moira and Mike

Moira and Mike
Stumbling downhill to my tent, stomach extended and brain swirling from having ingested a full kilo of sausage stuffed chicken over the previous two hours, a jovial fellow greeted me enthusiastically from the picnic table. "May I offer you a glass of wine?"
Let me think a moment. Yes!
Meet Mike, of Moira, Mike and Pico (their faithful black lab): world travellers. They have tossed aside the workaday world and cast their lot into a tent and experiencing life in the outside world. Most recently residing in Bristol, England, they have budgetted their finances to prioritize travel. Sure, they have done their time renovating houses in Scotland and staying with friends at a well worn domicile near Poitiers, but their consistent credo is Life in Balance. Not too much work, responsible play. Either that, or "If you can't find the nutter, it's you!" Currently exploring the Pyrenées by foot and bus, they are diacovering where fate takes them. So far, it has revealled a virtuoso playing a grand piano suspended against an abby wall and soon, they will see the wonders of sheep herding trials. Over wine and wheat beer, we made great progress solving the world's problems. Until, thunder roaring and lightning splitting the evening darkness, the rain bombarded us with drops as big as green peas.
Not to worry, Mike had an espresso hot off his alcohol stove ready for me as soon as my head emerged out of my tent door. In crisp morning sunshine, fueled fully with caffeine, we resumed our rescue of the planet. By noon, we just about solved it all. Obviously, we will need to meet again to continue this vital work.
Bon Journee!

Moira, Mike & Pico

Many thanks, Denis et Marjolein!

5 Août

5 Août
Castillon-en-Couserans
Excellent timing for a day off in a small hillside village. Before le matin was complet an enormous thunderstorm arrived, rattling the windows of the campground shelter where I was safely reading my book while le machine à laver was washing my filthy togs.
Spent the bulk of the day at the cafe, stretching my cafe au lait for hours while using the WiFi and watching the endless game of hearts being played by the locals.
Took an outing through the narrow walkways to the Chapelle Calvair at the top of the hill, after which paid a visit to the well subscribed charcuterie. Bought a very heavy poulet. To my delight, I discovered it was stuffed with sausage. Am now in a protein induced haze.

Castillon-en-Couserans

Local paving

The Chapelle Calvair

The way to Chapelle Calvair in Castillon-en-Couserans

Always Patronize Your Local Bike Shop

Always Patronize Your Local Bike Shop
My cyclometer died. What better place to replace it than in Bagnères-de-Luchon? After consulting the Office de Tourisme, I made my way to Liberty Cycles, unaware that I was to have the most delightful and surprising encounter.
The tandem and the Statue of Liberty were certainly auspicious, as was the portrait of Miguel Indurain. Poking my head around the van parked in the entry, I found Gérard Demiguel, a bike in the workstand, several onlookers visiting, an impressive array of tools, bikes and maillots. He humored my Francais before breaking into excellent Anglais. Certainly he had a wireless cyclocomputer, and he would find it for me. Rummaging about, he returned with three boxes and we explored together. As he was doing some figuring, I inquired about photgraphing his display of jerseys. "We will do better than that!" Within moments, he had pulled from a corner and unsheathed from its protective plastic a maillot jaune. A maillot jaune won by, worn by, and signed by the great Spaniard himself, Miguel Indurain. Gérard placed it upon me with much ceremony. To describe the welling of emotion within me words do not suffice. I was both stunned and deeply moved. Still am.
More conversation determined that Gérard's wife was born in the same hospital as myself, in the same year. A small world, indeed! One phone call, and Barbara took some time away from her work as a nurse's aide to come and visit. She has lived in Bagnères-de-Luchon for the last 23 years, having come to stay for a few weeks of working on a farm and, well, that's her story! She arranged for Gérard to loan me his city bike and we dashed to catch a concert in the park and she provided a little local history. Bagnères-de-Luchon was once a grand location for the nobility coming to take the curative waters. Then, for many years, the state paid all costs of treatment for the general population. Now it is both a resort city, and a center for the treatment of rhumatism, arthritis and sinus problems. Returning to the personal, we determined that we had attended Berkeley at about the same time, and that we share a common vision about the balance of work and life.
All too soon, it was time to get back to work for Barbara, and for me to depart, if I was to depart aujourd'hui (it was already après-midi).
Such a fantastic morning, all because my cyclo computer failed.
Merci merci merci, Gérard et Barbara!

The shop!

Barbara

Casa de Miguel

Liberty Cycles

The wall

Le maillot jaune de Miguel Indurain.

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

Looking up from St. Mamet, en route to Col du Portillon

Merci pur l'eau!

la route de mes rêves

Sooooooooo tempting!

Looking down at the climb up Col d'Artigascou

Pic de Pàle Bidau from Col d'Artigascou

Descent from Col d'Artigascou. "I was a beautifully paved road once upon a time!"

Memorial to Fabio Casartelli

Dionisio at the summit of Col de Portet d'Aspet.

3 Août

3 Août
Barèges a Bagnères-de-Luchon
About 90 km
Via
Col de Tourmalet, 2115 m
Col d'Aspin, 1490 m
Col De Peyresourde, 1569 m
Total ascent: 2468 m
Departure from camping La Ribère took a little while. Had a lively visit with Marjolein and Denis, enjoyed coffee and watched the thick clouds hovering in the trees. They sent me on my way with much enthusiasm. Chez moi est chez vous! Merci!
The cloud cover made the climb up Tourmalet pleasantly cool, with peek-a-boo glimpses of the col and Pic de la Caoubère standing sentinel above it. Pic du Midi de Bigorre was thoroughly buried in clouds. I'm glad I didn't plan to take the gondola up to the top. It would've been an expensive way to get very cold and see the inside of a cloud up close.
Part of the climb (voie Laurent Fignon) was closed to cars and motorbikes. Very nice, indeed. At the summit, it was a celebration of Le Tour and Les Pyrenées. Lots of bicycles and happy, tired people.
The rest of the day was quiet. Almost no traffic, gradual climbs under an overcast sky, light tailwinds (yes, TAILWINDS). Hard to believe that I rode so far and up so much. Must be dreaming.
Today's ride: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ensifuurshxykvar

Road crewon Tourmalet

Pic de la Caoubère mostly obscured.

The way down.

A must photo?

A must photo...

Who knew?

Tourmalet is in theclouds...

My hosts in Barèges

My hosts in Barèges
Caution: I wax poetic in this posting.
Marjolein and Denis operate my most favorite camping ground of this tour: camping La Ribère in Barèges (www.laribere.fr). Two nights sleeping beside the roaring torrent of Le Bastan that were so sound that I wondered if someone had spiked my evening tea, a lively and diverse population of campers united in appreciation of the high Pyrenées, fantastic showers (le Deluge!), and, best of all, Marjolein and Denis themselves. Immediately upon my arrival, drenched with sweat and a bit unsteady on my legs, I was greeted with a hearty "Alex!" as if I had been expected for weeks, if not months. (I'm sure that my name being embroidered on my tool bag was of some assistance in this...). Instantly, my spirits soared. Everytime Denis saw me after that it was, "Alex!"
When it was time for a hike, Denis wasted no time in his guidance. With arm outstretched he pointed me in the direction of the spectacular Pic d'Ayré. An avid cyclist (just think, he gets to ride up Col de Tourmalet whenever he feels the urge. It's in his backyard.), he did more than ask a few questions about my bike. He knew what he was seeing and he appreciated it in the way only a cyclist can. I think he must have taken 100 photos of it!
When I encountered her shopping in the Petit Casino market, Marjolein inquired about my day. Understanding my interest in cycling, she made time to share with me a book about the Tour and Tourmalet written by a local woman (with photos and drawings not published elsewhere). When it was time to say farewell, she made sure that I was well coffeed up.
For a fellow travelling alone, these are precious encounters. It is nice to be adopted for a while.

Denis et Marjolein, camping La Ribère.

2 Août

2 Août
Pic d'Ayré, 2416 m
Visited with Janneke and Jaap, did a little bike maintenance, then hiked up to the summit of Pic d'Ayré. A grand day all around.
Here is a better map of today's travel: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=eycopwsgchajlqcd

Trail Crew

Pic d'Ayré

Pic de Néouvielle oû d'Aubert and Pic Badet (far distant) from Pic d'Ayré

The map for today's hike.

My neighbors in Barèges

My neighbors in Barèges
Janneke and Jaap hail from Rotterdam (although they both were raised in different parts of Holland). On a two week holiday, hiking the area around Barèges.
Janneke recently completed her Masters in music education and audience development. Somewhat similar to Visual Thinking Strategies, which she observed at the the National Museum (in London?). Except they concluded by composing a song about the artwork they had discussed!
Jaap is the sound engineer for the Hofplein Youth Theatre (www.hofpleinrotterdam.nl), a school for young actors which stages three major productions each year. He knows how to make young actors heard when performing with a chorus of 70.
A touring cyclist from the States could not ask for nicer neighbors!
They even had a Panaché to offer me when I returned from my hike.

Janneke and Jaap

Maillot Blanc

Au Revoir, Maillot Noir.

Au Revoir, Maillot Noir.
Yesterday, I bid farewell to my winner's jersey from the 2007 Mount Baker Hill Climb. Je suis désolé, mon amis Richard et Charlie! The pockets were tres fatigue, and I was afraid of losing my wallet through the widening holes.
A visit to le marché de velo en Argelès-Gazost provided a most amicable solution. David, a champion triathlete, competitive mountain biker and ardent fan of Lance Armstrong (he has everything Livestrong produces in his kit), helped me locate le maillot blanc avec a full length zipper. It is the local tourist jersey, and je suis tres content avec it.
What to do with my sad and much loved maillot noir? I offered it to David as a souvenir, apologizing for its sad state. He was thrilled. So thrilled, in fact, that he insisted on giving me a souvenir "bourne" for the Col de Tourmalet. It means much more than a token, now. I will get to carry it over the col to christen it.
Merci, David!

David

1 Août

1 Août
Gourette a Barèges
About 65 km via
Col d'Aubisque, 1709 m
Col du Soulor, 1474 m
And the Gorge de Luz
Total ascent: 1698 m
Woke to brilliant sunshine and the smell of the alpine meadows. Very sweet.
The ride up the remaining 5 km to Col d'Aubisque was cinematic. The road seemed familiar. Yes, I have seen this stretch of pavement several times while watching Le Tour on TV! Lots of famous names written on the road. Everyone, walkers, cyclists and auto drivers alike, were very encouraging of moi. Feels like I am part of a communal celebration of the Pyrenées.
The views of Pic de Ger and Pene Médaa looming above Gourette transfixed my attention.
Lingered a good while at the top. Low and behold, Ramon y Ramon appeared, in high spirits. Very nice to see them again.
Col du Soulor was mostly a bump on the long descent from Aubisque. While refilling water bottles, spent a few minutes visiting some local sheep huddled in the shade. When a dog approached, they let hurriedly, both quite lame. The younger one was missing a piece of its rear thigh.
Descending into Argelès-Gazost, the road rooted for all of the big players in this year's tour, especially Thomas Voeckler. It was in the 30's down in the valley. Treated myself to a pleasant lunch at a brasserie, used their WiFi, and rolled up valley to Barèges when things had cooled off.
The ride up the Gorge de Luz was harrowing. Like Chuckanut, but narrower, with trucks, on a very busy day. Took an alternate route involving a bit of short steep climbing for the second half of the gorge. Better views, as well.
Camping at la ribere in Barèges is quite sociable. Had a lengthy visit with the young Dutch couple camping uphill, then a lively discussion about bicycle touring in Europe with an English couple who toured extensively before their three children were born (and long to cycle tour again), and, finally, Marc, a young fellow from Rouen, who is hiking from coast coast on the GR10, paid me a visit. He left Hendaye the same day I left Venlo, and will arrive at the Mediterranean shore about the time that I will be leaving for home. He has seen many of the Griffon Vultures, and was in close proximity to one of the 5 bears inhabiting the Pyrenées.
Following my new regimen, tomorrow is a "rest" day. Ride two days, then play for a day. No biking. Instead, I plan to hike up to one of the nearby Pics while my laundry dries.
Here is the link to a map of today's ride: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=nwvntzlgmpafzqtc

Gorge de Luz

Sad sheep

Bikes of the day, Col d'Aubisque

Pic de Ger and Pene Médaa above Gourette

Pic Matignon above Laruns

Traffic problem in Laruns

The vultures are in the cliffs above the visitor center.

Georges

Ramon y Ramon

Trône-du-Roi, near Escot

On a stroll in Lourdios

Voila!

What is a Barrière Canadienne?

Local heroes of Le Tour