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| Provence: Sunrise over the Mont Ventoux |
Watching the sun rise over the
Mont Ventoux, and surrounded by vineyards, it is easy to feel that Provence is
the ultimate corner of the world for people who love to ride bicycles. But
there is another corner of France that has an equal claim to being cycling
heaven.
The Midi Pyrenees encompass the
gigantic peaks in the centre of the mountain chain which runs from the Atlantic
to the Mediterranean coasts. Here there are a dozen opportunities for bike
rides each of which rival the Mont Ventoux in every way. In some respects they
leave the Gigant du Provence far
behind.
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| Midi Pyrenees: huge landscapes and thousands of sheep |
At each end of the chain the
mountains are smaller and the character of each area is unique. Close to the
Atlantic is Basque country. Another language, another culture but with many
tiny roads just begging to be pedalled along. The passes are lower but a
pleasure to ride.
The Mediterranean end of the range
is similar but instead of the rugged “basqueness” there is the warmth and flair
for which the south of France is famous.
The Midi Pyrénées is real mountain
country though the foothills have plenty of narrow winding roads, small
villages and minor challenges. From the small town of Argelés Gazost there are
enough classic rides to create memories for a lifetime. The names have been
made famous by countless Tour de France heroes:
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| Pyrenees: Col de L'Aubisque - |
Some are passes and some end at
the head of a valley, Cautorets and the magnificent Cirque du Gavarnie - the
gigantic wall of great grey mountains.
The Hautacam summit with its steep narrow
road has endless views along the valley from Argelés to Luz St-Saveur at the
foot of the biggest climb of all, the Col du Tourmalet. This is one of those
roads where soon after the start you can see the top and most of the road up to
it. Is this a good thing? Opinions differ, but it's certainly good to look down
from the top of the 2115m pass. However the top of the Tourmalet itself is
something of a disappointment. The road reaches its crest and immediately drops
down the other side. There's hardly room to park a bike.
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| Pyrenees: the road from the Col du Soulor to the Col de L'Aubisque |
In contrast, the Col du Soulor and
its big brother the Col de l’Aubisque, sit in awe-inspiring scenery. The road up begins directly in Argelés Gazost
rising fairly gently at first and then with a steady 7 - 8% winding through
woods. It breaks into the open shortly before the top of the Col du Solour at
1474m. Here is open ground with massive peaks rising behind.
From the road ahead the view to
the peaks above and downwards to the valley is so huge, so massive that one
feels dwarfed. The word awesome is overused but here it hardly does justice to
the scale. The road drops for a kilometer or two along a narrow ledge scraped
out of the mountainside. There’s a huge drop off to the right, and not much to
prevent instant flight. Next a gentle climb steepening to 8%. Houses in the
valley below appear no bigger than individual Lego bricks. The rolling open
grassland is dotted with a thousand scraggy sheep.
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| Pyrenees: Col de l'Aubisque , a classic climb |
This is a classic climb. 30km from
Argelés. A climb of 1247 vertical metres. The Col is at 1709m but the peaks
rear up around you. You might be feeling a lot of things at the moment you
arrive - but one of them will be small. The scale of your surroundings will put
you in your place.
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| Pyrenees: vertiginous drops and soaring peaks - col de l'Aubisque |
Compare this with the Mont
Ventoux, the road from Bedouin is 21km with a total of 1639m vertical
difference. More climbing over a shorter distance.
So, Pyrenees or Provence? After a
week of grey skies and cold showers in the mountains, a ride in the southern
sun, with the scent of rosemary from the hedgerows through villages of pale
sand-coloured houses and vineyards heavy with the next vintage, it is tempting
to choose Provence…
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| Provence: sunshine, vineyards, olive groves and the Mont Ventoux |
…but think back to that feeling of
awe, insignificance and achievement at the top of these great, legendary Pyrenean
Cols...
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| Pyrenees: magnificent mountains and traditional life |
Provence: Both pictures of the Mont Ventoux were taken from the Auberge du Vin in Mazan a brilliant base for riding in Provence. Great breakfasts and excellent coffee.
Midi Pyrenees: The tiny Logis Hotel le Cabaliros in Arcizans Avant is a good base for this area - but it is up on a hill!
