Cycling Western Pyrenees
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Cycling Western Pyrenees |
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Gorges de Kakouetta and the Col de Bagarui (Part 3 of 4) |
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The col Bagargui - 13km climb. Started off very nicely with a gentle ride through a valley with a bubbling brook. Then it started to get steeper and steeper. It was also hot, despite being surrounded by snow-capped peaks. |
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Here is a shot about 3km from the summit. Great views but one of the toughest climbs I have ever done. 15% in places and regularly 12-13%. I took my last sip of water about 2km from the top. Pedalling up I stopped every 500m - just to take pictures of course. |
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Here I am at the 1327m summit - fresh as a daisy. Well, as fresh as a daisy that has just cycled up the Col de Bagarui. It was already 19.00 - just time to find a campsite and some water. |
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Alas, the campsite was closed until June so I decided to pedal on - enjoying the sunshine and the superb road surfaces. | |||
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With only a front brake, again I had to stop every kilometre - this time to allow the front rims to cool down. A blowout at 60km could spoil an otherwise enjoyable descent. This allowed me to take some more pretty pictures. |
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A close up of the road surface. You could play billiards on it - well, apart from the fact that it is a 10% slope... I finally found a campsite in St Jean le Vieux, getting in at 21.15. Just enough time to put up my tent, have a bite to eat and enjoy a very welcome sleep. |
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The next morning I cycled into St Jean Pied de Port, a pleasant little town with the citadel area virtually free of cars! There were lots of people setting off on the St Jacques de Compostelle hike as this is one of the main starting points. |
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Want to see the River Adour? click on cycling western pyrenees 4 | ||||
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