Col d' Peyresourde and Col d' Aspin

Nothing BUT category 1 climbs all day!

Wow!

Our group had to split in two today because not all of us could fit in the van at one time. So Guy, Susan and Bill would ride the first 80K to St. Beat over Col de Port d' Aspet then Col des Ares, whilst Chris and Lisa would zoom ahead with our SAG team of Peter and Debbie to the town of Bagneres De Luchon (Luchon) where they would wait and we would ride to advance us to our final destination of Bagneres de Bigorre.

Chris and I wolf down some hand made car sandwiches, located a toilette then hit the climb to the Col d' Peyresourde sans any warm up. This Cat 1 climb as well as our next Cat 1 climb (Col d' Aspin) were both featured in this year's Tour de France, yet those boys climbed the Tourmalet before and the Col du Portillion (in Spain) after these climbs ALL on the same day! Its no wonder they need drugs!

These climbs are all epic. Chris took the first climb going higher and higher like a mountain goat on steriods (boy that guy can climb). I did all I could to keep him in sight until the top switched back and forth with such vigor until it rested in the treeless pasture like saddle of a couple of mountains, that also provided a rest for hikers climbers and cattle at 1500 meters.

The descent would be one of the most fun, with quick whip like bank turns that would playfully meander through the forest with very steep runs to quickly bring us back to the river valley on the otherside dropping nearly 1000m before we would need to climb AGAIN to 1450m for the top og the Col d' Aspin.

Now completely warmed (maybe overheated) we started the climb out of Arreau seeing so many riders as this is the land of cycling. The climb hung out in the gentle oaks and grass lands until each kilometer of the last 10k's was marked with the elevation, km's to go and the road gradient. All I know is that no gradient was less than 7% for the remaining k's.

the Aspin was amazing and a storm cloud brewed in the distance, chasing us into town, where Chris and I would beat the van to our hotel, by about 30min.

A shower, massage, fine canard, wine, patise and a bed before the grand-daddy tomorrow, Col du Tourmalet (which has been in the tour since 1910)!