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The Road to Tourmalet April 2006 - (1 of 4)
  
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St.Sauvin square

The Pyrenees are great for cycletouring. The gradients are rarely very steep - but some of them can continue for 20 kilometres. In my five years in France I was a regular visitor and never had a problem - French drivers are very considerate of cyclists outside of towns. On April the 14th, 2006, I took a train from Pau to Lourdes at 08.56...
 
loaded bike
Here is my 'main d'or' loaded up with my Vaude panniers at the back, panpack front panniers and a vaude handlebar bag. Between the panniers you can see my Terra Nova Quasar tent.
Lourdes cycletrack

Just outside Lourdes there is an amazing cycletrack - based on the old Lourdes to Pierrefitte-Nestalas train line. The line had to be closed because no one could say 'Pierrefitte-Nestalas'. Today it is a beautifully smooth and delightfully car-free cycletrack - to be shared with joggers, inline skaters and a lot of cyclists.

The cyclepath takes you from Lourdes right up to the foothills of the Pyrenees, with stunning views of snow-capped Pyrenees for much of the year.
railway bridge
Part of the old railway bridge. On the right of the bridge you can see an information point, giving details of something of interest in the area - in this case, details of an old railway bridge...
near the end
Approaching Pierrefitte-Nestalas, the valley is wide and fertile and there are excellent views of some attractive Pyrenean villages. Apparently, the author Paolo Coehlo lives nearby in a village called St.Savin.
St Savin
Talk of the Devil, here is St. Savin, a lovely little village perched up on the side of the valley.
Want to see an eighth century Church? Click here.