| We had decided to make the attempt with a tour
group and had chosen Graham Baxter's Sporting Tours as we knew
others who had done the same and had ourselves done the Etape
du Tour in 2002 with Sporting Tours. We joined the
others at the hotel in Hendaye having left our car near Cerbere
as we would be staying in France for a further 2 weeks after the
Raid. There were about 30 of us in the group including the 2 guides
and coach driver. |
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We were a fairly mixed bunch of racing cyclists, audax riders, triathletes,
touring cyclists or just plain cycling enthusiasts. I was pleased to
see 2 other women, admittedly one was one of the guides, but the other
had come along to do the Raid with her husband as I had.
The first night for us was spent getting to know some of the others
and giving the bikes one last check. Most of the talk at dinner centred
on gears. Those without triples beginning to look decidedly worried
and Sam and I starting to feel slightly smug with our bottom gears of
30:25 although some did have even lower gears. For the record, the rider
with the highest low gear (39-26) failed to complete the event after
struggling on the second day.
Day 1.
We set off the following morning at 9:00 exactly. Starting as one big
group which was probably not ideal on busy roads but the group soon
splintered and Sam and I found ourselves at the back when my cleat fell
apart (more annoying as I'd changed from Looks to SPDs especially for
the trip). After a couple of unsuccessful sorties into garages looking
for a replacement bolt we continued with a single bolt until we met
up with the coach after 50 miles where we had a spare. We also met up
with a few of the others and after a quick sandwich set off again. The
terrain on the first day was gently rolling apart from Col d'Osquich,
a short shallow climb which served as an appetizer for the cols to follow.
A few of us managed to take the scenic route at one point as our route
maps, provided by Sporting Tours, were subtly different from the route
printed on our carnes. This provided us with a few more short very steep
climbs rather than the smooth gently ascending main road we should have
been on.
In general the 105 miles covered the first day were not too taxing
and the table talk that evening in our hotel at Oloron Ste Marie was
mostly about peoples' concerns for the following day which would be
a biggy - 90+ miles to include Col d'Aubisque and Col du Tourmalet to
finish in Ste Marie du Campan
Day 2
It was forecast to be extremely hot and it was - maximums of around
37 degrees. This was to prove a big problem and several people had
to abandon on the Tourmalet. For those of us who made it in a reasonable
time we had the added bonus of meeting Laurent Jalabert on the summit
of the Tourmalet. It was my longest day on the road. Sam and I had
set off together at around 8:00. We climbed at our own pace, waiting
for each other at the top of the cols. I got to the hotel at around
6:45 and Sam, who had suffered in the heat and had had to make several
stops on the Tourmalet, about an hour later. Table talk, for those
that had the energy, that night was about meeting Jalabert. |
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Day 3
Again proved to be very hot. We were to cover 110 miles including
Col d'Aspin, the Col de Peyresourde, Col des Arres and Col du Portet
d'Aspet followed by a flattish 30 miles to finish in Massat. However
Col d'Aspin was closed for resurfacing (ready for this year's Tour)
so we took the Hourquette d'Ancizan which is a few meters higher
but less steep and a bit prettier instead. Again the heat took its
toll on the Col de Peyresourde but fortunately it had clouded over
by the time we hit the very steep but relatively short Col du Portet
d'Aspet and it was a fairly gentle ride from the summit to the hotel
where Sam and I arrived at around 6:00. Table talk that night was
beginning to dwell on sore bums. |
Day 4.
Hot again. Today's ride would involve a lot of main roads and we weren't
particularly looking forward to that. In the event though the roads
were far less busy than we'd expected and most had a good hard shoulder
which we could ride on. And of course French drivers are generally very
courteous to cyclists. The day started with the Col du Port which took
us down into Tarascon. The road then started the 30+ mile ascent to
the Col du Puymorens. Neither of these are particularly steep but again
all were made more difficult by the heat. After the Col du Puymorens
there was long descent into Bourg-Madame where we had lunch. After lunch,
the temperature soared and what should have been easy ascents of Col
de Lious, Col de Rigat and Col de Perche were made more difficult (especially
for Sam). However, this was followed by almost 20 miles of descending
into Prades where we would be spending the night after the 105 mile
ride. Table talk that night almost exclusively about sore bums and associated
creams although, the major climbs now conquered, there was the feeling
that we'd made it (well almost!)
Day 5
A slight anticlimax as the mountains were behind us but
we still had 50 - 60 miles to do to finish. As it had been so hot
overnight most people were up early and we set off at around 7:30.
The tail wind meant Sam and I were in Hendaye by about 11:00 despite
getting lost several times in Argeles sur Plage. We all gathered
in a bar which provided the final stamps for our carnes and several
beers. Sore bums seemed to have been forgotten by now as we paddled
in the Mediterranean.
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General
Despite the heat and sore bits I thoroughly enjoyed the week
and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys touring. We needn't have
worried about whether or not we would be able to do it or if we would
be too slow. People rode in small groups or alone at their own pace
although we tended to meet some of the others around lunch time. Sam
and I were usually at the hotels in the first third or half. Experience
of riding the mountains and using low gears helped. We'd also tried
to get in a few long rides over the winter and had done a 100 mile randonnee
in Brittany the weekend before. Apart from that we'd relied on general
fitness to get us through - we both race, although the races on Jersey
tend to be short and there are no long hills to speak of.
I would recommend joining an organised tour. Our guides and the coach
driver had previous experience of the Raid which was a great help. They
also provided practical back up, both mechanical and, most importantly
given the conditions, they had a hire car which would be at the top
of the big climbs to provide water and snacks such as bananas (we'd
given them 10 euros each at the start of the week to go shopping). The
car would also go back to pick up anyone who was in trouble and would
wait until everyone was over the last climb before driving to the hotel.
Meanwhile the coach would be at at least one prearranged place each
day in case we needed anything from it but would make sure it was at
the hotel first with our luggage. The hotels were generally comfortable,
certainly adequate - but don't expect air conditioning and the food
was fine although we were getting a little tired of chicken and pasta
by the end of the week and vegetarians always have problems in France.
Would I do it again? Probably but now that I've done the Raid Pyrenean
I'm thinking of tackling the Raid Alpine.
