Tour de France 2008 www.letour.fr

This years 95th Tour de France travels very close to us, with 3 challenging stages in the Pyrenees mountains.

Stage 9 departs Toulouse to finish 222km later at Bagneres-de-Bigorre making it the second longest stage of the Tour. Although not the longest in distance, Stage 9 includes several note worthy climbs: col des Ares, col de Peyresourde and the col d'Aspin. This stage promises lots of action with the possibility of the first manoeuvre in the mountains. All of these climbs are well within cycling distance from us.

The following Stage 10 leaves Pau with a flat 70km ride toward the foot of the Tourmalet, possiby the most famous mountain in Tour history. It is set to be an intense battle over the Tourmalet and to the finish line at the summit of the Hautacam.

After a rest day, Stage 11 departs the small town of Lannemezan in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The first half of the route avoids most of the higher mountain passes to take in the rolling foothills around the mountains, eventually passing just 3km from our guest house on its way to the col de Larreiu, col de la Crouzetteto, col del Bouich and finally the finish at Foix. The pace is likely to be high throughout.

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Pyrenees stages in Brief:

Stage 9 - Sun 13th July - Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre - 222km

• Km 123.5 - Col Des Ares 6 km of climbing at 4.9%
• Km 166.5 - Col de Peyresourde 13.2 km of climbing at 7.1%
• Km 198.0 - Col d’Aspin 12.1 km of climbing at 6.6%

Stage 10 - Mon 14th July - Pau to Hautacam - 154km

• Km 105.5 - Col du Tourmalet 17.7 km of climbing at 7.5%
• Km 141.5 - Hautacam 14.2 km of climbing at 7.2%

Stage 11 - Wed 16th July - Lannemezan to Foix - 167km

• Km 49 - Col de Larrieu
• Km 109 - Col de la Crouzette - 11.6 km of climbing at 7.1%
• Km 145 - Col del Bouich

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For the second year running, the Etape du Tour will be in the Pyrenees mountains on Sunday 6th July. The Etape is taken from Stage 10 of the TDF. The 165km route will see 8000+ riders departing Pau, climbing the Tourmalet from the East side to descend to Argeles Gazost and then finish at the mountain summit of the Hautacam.

Looking at the profile of the route, you will notice that there are only two cols to deal with and you may be thinking that this is much easier than the Etape's of previous years. But I would not use the word 'easy', especially when you have to ride 100km before you even start the col du Tourmalet - one of the most historical and toughest climbs in the TDF. As a final sting in the tail, there is a steep 15.5km climb to the finish at the summit of the Hautacam.

The first part of the route has not been detailed in the information released to date. Leaving Pau, there are several options, but the profile suggests the route is not hilly and serves as a good warm up for the day ahead. During the Etape, while everyone is fresh, this section is likely to be fast with nothing challenging to brake up the peloton. Then, at the 46km mark, comes the first climb of the day starting at the village of Benejacq, that will possibly spread out the peloton. It would be good to seed yourself nearer the front on this 3.5km hill, but don't get carried away as the mountains are yet to come.

The summit brings you to Labatmale, where you immediately descend for 1.5km. The descent includes several hairpin bends that will suit the technical riders who managed to get away from the crowds on the climb and thus increase their lead. The road from here flattens and is fast for 23km with only a minor rise in altitude as you pass the famous city of Lourdes. I was well warmed up by now and entering the second hill of the day at kilometre 74 for a slightly easier 3km climb through the small village of Loucrup.

From here things pick up pace as the road widens and gradually rises to Bagneres-de-Bigorre. Watch out for the tramlines here that cross the road at 45 degrees - they are especially lethal when wet to groups of cyclists and I recently witnessed a rider come down heavy when he got it wrong despite knowing they were there! Hopefully on race day, the organisers will somehow cover this obstacle.

The gradual rise continues for the next 15km as you climb through the valley de Campan to the start of the col du Tourmalet at the village of Ste Marie de Campan - famous in TDF history when Eugene Christophe snapped his forks on the Tourmalet and managed to find a blacksmith so he could weld his own forks together, but was penalised for the aid of the blacksmith working the bellows.

It is just over 17km to the summit of the col du Tourmalet, reaching an altitude of 2,115m. The initial 5km is easy at around 5% gradients, then you enter the village Gripp where the road suddenly steepens to 9% and continues between 8% and 10% for the rest of the climb. Most of the climb is exposed with no shade and the landscape is impressive and rocky but some what barren looking in the higher reaches.

It is likely that there will be a food stop at the top of the Tourmalet, but otherwise you enter the descent with just enough time to blink. The 19km descent is very fast with occasional hairpin bends but visibility through most of the bends is good, which gave me the choice of the racing line. I found the road surface on the first kilometre a little bumpy, mainly noticeable due to the high speed and holding an aero position with the chin close to the bars. The first few hairpin bends were difficult to judge whilst testing the limits as you can approach the bends at 70km per hour with ease. The rest was pure adrenaline and a real buzz.

After the 19km descent, I reached the narrow streets of Luz-St-Sauveur. From here the road continues to descend gradually following the river and its gorge for 11km. The pace was fast with a little bit of effort. The scenery changed as I turned away from the river for a 10km undulating ride through rolling country side to the foot of the Hautacam.

The average percentage for the 15.5km climb is 6.8%, but with the steepest parts at just over 10%. The profile for this col shows a more difficult second half with some 9 and 10% gradients near the end. However there were stretches of 5/6% which were ideal for eating some dried fruit for energy. The lower part is shaded as you pass though the trees whilst the latter half is exposed. The final few hairpins offer great views over the valley below and the surrounding mountains.

I thoroughly enjoyed the route as it had a good mix of landscapes and terrain as I progressed - starting on the flat and warming up to the rolling foothills and then finishing off in the high mountains.

It's important not to get carried away by the potential fast start, ride conservatively and fuel up with food and water at regular intervals as there is the final sting in the tail to finish.

Gearing: On the climbs, potential Etape riders may wish to consider using either a compact, triple chainset or 25/27 tooth cassette. The typical double chainset set-up is ok for the short hills generally found in the UK or while you are strong. However, in the mountains some riders may struggle to maintain an efficient cadence.

Tour des Pyrénées
5th - 9th August 2008
visit the TDP website

This is a professional UCI 4 day stage race around the Midi- Pyrénées involving both the French and Spanish sides of the Pyrénées. This year, 2 stages are within cycling distance of our guest house, with the possibility of watching the Prologue in Tarbes on 5th August.

Two of the stages can be watched, following a short cycle from us to cross the border. Soak up the atmosphere and podium presentations at the mountain top finish of Stage 8 and then the following day see the riders prepare for the start of Stage 9.

On Sunday 7th September, Stage 8 leaves Andorra and finishes 160km later at Pla de Beret. The riders face a hard stage, including two 1st category and one 2nd category climbs, before finishing at the Pla de Beret - a special category climb.

On Monday 8th September, Stage 9, the third consecutive mountain stage, departs Vielha and finishes in Sabinanigo. Within a few kilometres of the start line, the riders will face the 3rd category climb, Alto del Tunel de Vielha. With another two 2nd and one 1st category climbs to conquer, Stage 9 promises to be very tough and challenging.