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| Guided and self-guided vacations in | ||||
| France, Italy, Spain, & Switzerland | ||||
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Self-guided: Start any day May thru September 2012 We require a minimum of 2 riders to operate this tour. Trip starts from and ends in Pau. Pau is serviced by train from Paris; by air from Paris, Brussels, London, Bristol using Air France and Ryan Air. Accommodations in 3-star properties. Daily mileage: 83 to 128 km (52 to 80 miles) Daily climbing: 2,500 m to 3,200 m (8,700 ft to 10,500 ft.) From 660 Euros per person based on double occupancy--depending the requested route. Level: 5 (Very Difficult) Discounted rates available for groups of 6 and more. |
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Cycling Pyrenees' High Climbs 4 nights/5 days |
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| Itinerary | ||||||||
| Day 1: Arrival and optional ride over Col d’Ichere (695m) and Col de Marie Blanque (1,035m). Total mileage: 91 km or 57 miles; Total climbing: 2659 m or 8724 ft. Upon arriving in Pau, by either plane or train, we’ll be there to taxi you to Oloron-Sainte-Marie, a designated “City of Art and History.” After settling in, we’ll provide you with your tour-kit, containing maps, lodging information and contact numbers. Your hotel caters to the cycling crowd and features a convenient bike assembly area, complete with stands and tools. If your schedule allows, you can fit in an 80 kilometer (49 miles) afternoon ride, highlighted by Marie-Blanque (1,035 meters – 3,396 feet), a climb that will be part of this year’s Tour de France (Stage 17) and Etape du Tour. After, you can relax in the hotel’s sauna and swimming pool, before dining at the hotel’s restaurant. |
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| Day 2: Oloron-Sainte-Marie – Argeles-Gazost or Saint-Savin over Col d’Aubisque (1710 m), Col du Soulor (1474 m), and Col de Bordères (1157 m). Total mileage: 83 km or 52 miles; Total climbing: 2640 m or 8671 ft
The wow-pedal gets mashed to the floor today as your route snakes up and over Col d’ Aubisque (1,709 meters – 5,606 feet). This 17-kilometer (10.5 miles) climb hails as one of France’s most famous rides. Excluding this year, Tour de France racers have pedaled across its summit 42 times, the second most visited mountain in race history. The route winds and bends through a wide green valley framed by jagged peaks, heightening expectations that at any moment you’ll pass the Von Trapp kids, led by a care-free governess, singing Do-Re-Mi. The summit affords panoramic views of the surrounding Pyrenees, creating the euphoric sense of standing in the center of one of Mom Nature’s alpine masterstrokes. Following Aubisque, you’ll summit Col de Soulor (1,474 meters – 4,835 feet) and then Col de Bordéres (1,156 meters – 3,792 feet). And then from here it’s all downhill, as you’ll glide to your hotel in either Argeles-Gazost or Saint Savin. >NOTE: Self-guided is not self-contained! After breakfast, bring your luggage to the hotel’s reception area. We’ll then shuttle it to this evening’s hotel, before your arrival. |
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| Day 3: Oloron-Saint-Marie – Saint-Lary over Col du Tourmalet (2115 m), Col d’Aspin (1489 m), and Pla d’Adet (1680 m). Total mileage: 96 km or 60 miles. Total climbing : 2891 m or 12, 638 ft. In the words of Superman, “Up, up and away.” Fortunately, no cape is required. But you will need your bike for this day of classic climbs. Mirroring the Luz River, you’ll wheel into Luz-Saint-Sauveur (a village once popular with Napoléon III for its natural spas) before beginning your ascent up Tourmalet. Long championed by the Tour de France, by day’s end this 19 kilometer (11.8 miles) climb may very well rank as your tour de force. It follows the highest road in the central Pyrenees, topping at 2,115 meters (6,939 feet). From atop you’ll then coast into and through Saint-Marie de Campan, before tackling Col d’Aspin (1,489 meters – 4,885 feet), another pass closely associated with the Tour de France. And then your final climb will pedal you into Saint Lary-Soulan, your home for the night. This popular ski resort town lies just 20 minutes from Spain. |
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| Day 4: Saint-Lary-Soulan to Bagnères-de-Bigorre over Col de Peyresourde (1569 m) and Port de Bales (1755 m). Total mileage: 128 km or 80 miles. Total climbing: 3155 m or 10, 354 ft. A SHORTER/EASIER 75-KM OPTION IS POSSIBLE. Two climbs highlight today’s ride: Col de Peyresourde and Port de Balés. The 9-kilometer (5.5 miles) Col de Peyresourde climb will again take you to the rooftop of the Pyrenees, topping out at 1,569 meters (5,148 feet). Port de Balés (1,755 meters – 5,758 feet) is a newcomer to the riding circuit. Until the 1980s it was only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and wayward cattle. Though steep and long (19 kilometers – 11.8 miles), the pastoral nature of this route, through the Barousse Forest, is visually rewarding. Though today’s ride is long, your legs will enjoy relief on a lengthy, flat stretch in between climbs. If you feel your energy level is not up for such a ride, you’ll have the option for a shorter and much easier 80-kilometer (49 miles) pedal. Which either route you choose, both will end in Bagnéres-de-Bigorre. You’ll lodge at the Relais des Pyrenées, the famous training center owned by former Tour de France champion, Laurent Fignon. |
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| Day 5: Bagnères de Bigorre - Oloron Sainte Marie over Col de Couraduque (1367 m) and Col des Spandelles (1378 m). Total mileage : 116 km or 73 miles ; Total climbing : 2720 m or 8,927 ft. If your schedule allows, you’re welcome to pedal back to Oloron Sainte Marie, via a 120-kilometer (74.5 miles) route, which includes several climbs, highlighted by Col des Spandelles (1,380 meters – 4,527 feet). Otherwise, we’ll shuttle you back to Orolon Sainte Marie, and, if needed, to the Pau airport. |
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| Booking & Pricing | ||||||||
Price starts at 660 euros per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement is 225 euros.
This price include:
This price does not include:
Note: This trip cannot be done on a solo basis (one rider traveling on his own) |
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| Please book online at your earliest convenience as this trip is subject to hotel availability. Our e-mail address: info@cyclomundo.com | ||||||||
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