Hallowed ground, the greatest arena in sport (and I say that having been to the Maracana this year!) so this was quite an exciting day and one of my main objectives. I spent a memorable night at the Col d'Aspin itself watching the mist roll in and the weather constantly changing (with an artisan beer from neaby Arreau, which was en fete yesterday evening celebrating the local gateau a la broche). The roads were still damp this morning so I took my time down to my intended base for the two climbs in St Marie de Campan. After a snack, I set off up the Tourmalet, always an electrifying moment as you pass the TdF signpost detailing the climb's statistics. Around 3k in, I felt the telltale thud of my back wheel bottoming out: puncture! I had been carrying a little sac on these climbs so changed into trainers and plodded all the way back to the van for repairs as I wanted to do the climb properly from the bottom. I had never actually repaired a puncture on the Scott, but it went OK and then I set off again, a little later than planned but the advantage was that the weather was now absolutely stunning, crystal clarity after yesterday's rain and not too hot. The Tourmalet starts fairly mildly, and soon gives glimpses of what is to come. And then it comes, relentless 8% slopes through the forest to a steep and lengthy hairpin, followed by a horrible grippy drag up to the ski resort of La Mongie (the Tourmalet road surface was OK but not like the manicured perfection of the Col d'Aspin, which I was expecting). The 2km below La Mongie was, for me, the crux, and the fairly cruel gearing on the Scott really showed itself. I say this because, in my two previous TdF col cycling trips. (2011 and 2014) I never really found anything difficult, including the Ventoux, Madeleine, Galibier and so on, partly because I rode them on my old triple. The Scott had nothing like this to drop into, and so it was pretty hard. After a short easier section, the road kicks up again through La Mongie and stays at 9% or so for the final 4-5k up the exposed and oft-photographed hairpins to the summit (90m). The col itself is just a magical place for a Tour fan (I have watched it every year since it came onto C4 in the 1980s). Hundreds of cyclists from all over the world, immediate recognition. The perfect clarity of the weather helped too - it is over 2200m high, so the views were stunning, particularly down the western side which is probably more scenic and very slightly easier (although I believe there isn't much in it). I should perhaps have gone into the iconic cafe but instead took numerous photos and then took on the rapid descent all the way down to St Marie de Campan. I had a bite to eat at the van and then started out in the opposite direction towards the Col d'Aspin. This is definitively the easier side of the Aspin, but it is still a long climb, initially up shallow gradients to the beautiful pastures around Payolle. Above Payolle, it actually gets quite steep - over 10% in several places - and was obviously tiring after the Tourmalet. The surface was the best I have ever experienced, however, perfect smooth tarmac, and the climb is not that long. It was great to pull onto the col, particularly as I had spent the night there - and the contrast from mist and drizzle to dazzling sunshine was incredible. I am not a confident descender but even I was able to open out a little on the way back to St Marie, and it was pretty fast lower down. I decided to stop for a late lunch near the pastures of Payolle, where there are numerous restaurants and had local ham and cheese in a panini while I gazed up to the Horquettes d'Ancizan. I then drove down to the Aure valley, later than planned, and spent the night near Fabian rather than up in the Neouville as I'd intended. This wasn't an issue, however, as I had a lovely evening picnic in a perfect campsite away from the road (to the Bielsa border tunnel, very close) with rivers on both sides.
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