I have added a new page on the climb to Lac d’Estaing. It is my favourite ride in the Pyrénées, winter or summer it is always beautiful, with quiet roads through the bucolic Val d’Azun and magnificent scenery in the Pyrenées National Park at the Spanish border.
http://www.velopeloton.com/cycling/lac-destaing/
Lac-d'Estaing-Profile.
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Today was the hottest day of the year with temperatures in Saint Savin up to 38°c in the shade, so feeling like 45°c in the sun. “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid day sun” as the song goes, well we now have to add Australians to that. Marc Whitehead from sydney is staying in La Lantern Rouge at the moment, this morning he cycled up the Pont d’Espagne and then this afternoon he went in the full heat of the day to Lac d’Estaing. I went up also (in the van with the air-con on full blast), to take some photos and enjoy the cooler temperatures at the higher altitude.
"Look ma, no hands" Marc arrives at the summit.
Marc Whitehead
Cows at Lac d'Estaing.
I have to stop taking photos of cows, people will start to think I have some kind of fetish. They remind me of my youth in Ireland working on farms, milking and mucking out.
Arcizans-Avant. Bales of hay in the Val d'Azun
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Great article by Canadian cyclist Michael Barry on the experience of crashing your bike in a race, something I experienced more times that I care to remember.
Here is a video of Michael I took on Saint Patrick’s Hill in Cork during the 2008 Tour of Ireland. The climb has a gradient of 25%.
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This photo was taken from 1 of our bedrooms at 21:00 this evening as the last sunlight hit the tops of the cloud and moon brightly passed by.
Moon over Saint Savin
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I have added a new page on the 2011 Tour de France. It will contain any info on the route as it becomes available over the next 2 months.
http://www.velopeloton.com/cycling/2011-tour-de-france/
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Saint Savin have a festival for the last 100 years. It lasts 4 days with lots of music and events such as the soccer tournament & pétanque tournament.
Man feeds donkey or is it the other way round. The man in the brown beret is Gérard Omisos the mayor of Saint Savin.
Fun & games in the square.
After 3 days of hard drinking you have to climb the pole.
Roast pork
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Went up to Cirque de Troumouse today. This enormous glacial valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is 42km from Saint Savin and is a 28km climb at 5.2% to 2125m altitude. Don’t be fooled by the 5.2%, most of the climbing is in the last 15km which average 8%, this is a very hard day out.
Cirque de Troumouse, the border with Spain runs along the ridge.
Cows grazing in Cirque de Troumouse, Luz Ardiden is on the horizon.
Sheppard's hut Cirque de Troumouse. This cliff is 800m high.
Pont Napoleon, with Luz Ardiden on the left.
This bridge is about half way between Saint Savin and Troumouse, it is called Pont Napoleon. It is 63m above the Gave du Pau river and is popular with rock climbers and is also used for bungee jumping. It was constructed between 1859 & 1863 by emperor Napoleon III.
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We now have souvenir t-shirts & other items for sale. You can also purchase prints of selected photos from the website.
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Went for a drive up to Col d’Aubisque this evening.
Col du Soulor summit post tour. Just over a week ago this was the centre of the cycling world, now the horses have it to themselves again.
Purchase posters or prints of above image.
Col d'Aubisque summit.
Olive & Séan at the cáfe on Col d'Aubisque.
Enda on Col d'Aubisque.
Col d'Aubisque climb from Cirque du Litor.
Purchase prints of image above.
Small tunnel on Cirque du Litor. The road cut into the mountain on right is Col du Soulor from the north.
Stone bridge over Gave de Arrens.
Purchase posters or prints of above image.
Arrens in the Val d'Azun. The Col du Soulor in the background. Taken from Col du Borderes.
Purchase posters or prints of above image.
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1 week after the Tour de France ended and I am still having withdrawal symptoms. We have had a very busy 3 months here in La Lanterne Rouge and are now looking forward to a more relaxing August, before a very busy September. Many of the hotels locally are reporting the same pattern so if you fancy a cycling holiday in August you’re not late yet.
The most interesting numbers of this years tour in the Pyrenees is that of the Tour versus the Etape du Tour. The winning time for the Etape du Tour was 5:59:23. The time of David Miller, the last placed rider in stage 17 of the Tour over the same course was 5:36:16. So after 17 days of the hardest tour in a couple of decades the slowest rider in the tour was 23 minutes faster than the best in the Etape. Also interesting is the time of Andy and Alberto on the Tourmalet 50:27, that’s the bench mark for you all to try on the climb on your next visit to La Lanterne Rouge. Jan Ullrich is the record holder but he was doping so should not count.
Myself, Olive & Séan wish to extend a big congratulation to all the riders who came here in the spring to recce the route of the Etape and were later successful in the event. Our fastest finisher, Guy de Selincourt from Cornwall did it in 7hours & 17 minutes in 413 place overall.
Guy de Selincourt
Guy de Selincourt on Col du Soulor in May.
I’m going to guess that next years Etape will be in Brittany.
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