Pyrenees Cols Route (249 km)

Lourdes to Saint Girons · one way, about 249 km back to the start

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Why this ride

A one-way ride of 249 km, Lourdes to Saint-Girons - roughly 3 h 25 in the saddle. It goes by way of Col du Tourmalet, Col d Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Bagneres de Luchon. The highest point is about 2,100 m. Col du Tourmalet, Col d Aspin and Col de Peyresourde are subject to seasonal closure - check it is open before you set off. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Roadbook

1. Lourdes start

   Lourdes is a town built around a miracle, and everything in it, from the souvenir shops to the shape of the streets, follows from that. In February 1858, a fourteen-year-old miller's daughter named Bernadette Soubirous reported seeing a lady in a grotto by the river Gave de Pau, an apparition she saw eighteen times in that year. The Church eventually accepted it, and the grotto became one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world. Some three million pilgrims come each year, including many sick and disabled people, and the vast sanctuary has basilicas, processions and a candlelit procession in the evening that is moving whatever your beliefs.

   Besides the shrine, Lourdes has a fortress on a rock, a lively old quarter and a funicular up the Pic du Jer, a limestone hill with a view over the plain to the Pyrenees. The town has about sixteen thousand residents but more hotel rooms than almost any other French town outside Paris, so beds are never scarce. Fuel, shops, bike mechanics and restaurants are easy to find. The atmosphere changes between the sanctuary, which is solemn and ordered, and the nearby streets, which are cheerfully commercial.

   The Pyrenees begin close to the town, and the ride east from here is a tour of the great Tour de France climbs. The Col du Tourmalet, at 2,115 metres the highest road pass in the French Pyrenees, is a short way south, reached through Luz-Saint-Sauveur, and the Aubisque and Soulor passes lie to the west. The roads climb in long, steady bends through meadow and forest to bare, windswept summits, and cyclists in team colours labour up them in summer, so patience is needed. The surface is good, though patchy near the tops, and some passes close from November to May.

   Weather in the mountains is changeable, with warm sun in the valley and fog, wind and rain at the top, so carry waterproofs and a warm layer. Livestock, including sheep, cows and horses, graze the high pastures and wander across the road, usually at corners. In the evenings, the air in the valleys smells of woodsmoke and cut grass. Fill the tank in Lourdes before you leave, because the mountain villages have few pumps, and enjoy a good breakfast before the climb.

2. Col du Tourmalet scenic · 2115 m

   At 2,115 metres, the Tourmalet is the highest paved pass in the French Pyrenees, and it has a reputation to match. The name is said to mean something like bad detour in the local Occitan, and the Tour de France has used it since 1910, when the riders on their heavy single-gear bikes were so exhausted that one of them, Octave Lapize, is reported to have shouted at the organisers that they were murderers. A century on, it remains one of the most iconic climbs in cycling, and on any summer day you will share the road with riders in lycra suffering for the photo at the summit.

   The pass links Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, on the Bigorre side, with Barèges and Luz-Saint-Sauveur on the western side. From the east, the road climbs through green meadows and past the ski station of La Mongie, then onto bare, high slopes where the trees give out and the sky seems to open. The gradients are steady, the bends are long and wide with a few hairpins near the top, and the surface is generally good. From the west, the road is narrower, steeper and more twisty, passing through Barèges before the final haul. Both sides are a joy on a bike, with the road clear and the views huge.

   Do not underestimate the weather. At this altitude, cloud, wind and sudden cold can arrive within minutes, even in summer, and fog on the summit is common. The pass is closed in winter by snow, usually from around November until late spring, and may open and close with the weather, so check before heading out. Early and late in the day are the quietest times. At the summit, a famous bronze statue of a cyclist, the Géant du Tourmalet, marks the highest point, and a couple of cafés and souvenir stalls sell warm drinks and snacks.

   The nearby Pic du Midi de Bigorre, a high observatory reached by cable car from La Mongie, is one of the great sites for astronomy, with very clear skies. Wildlife on the slopes includes marmots, which whistle at intruders, and griffon vultures cruise on the thermals.

   Fill up in Bagnères-de-Bigorre on the east side, or Luz-Saint-Sauveur on the west, before you start, and bring a warm layer, since even a summer descent can be cold.

3. Col d Aspin scenic · 1489 m

   After the severity of the Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin is a gentler thing, a broad, grassy pass at 1,489 metres that feels more like a high meadow than an alpine crossing. The road, the D918, links the valley of Campan near Sainte-Marie-de-Campan with the Arreau side, and the climb through forest and open pasture is smooth and rhythmic, with wide bends, good visibility and a surface that is usually better than anything else in the area. It is a road for flowing riding, and a favourite with both motorcyclists and cyclists for that reason.

   The Aspin often appears in the Tour de France alongside the bigger passes, and you will see fading painted names of riders on the tarmac, left by fans in the summer months. At the top, the ground opens into rolling pasture where cattle, sheep and sometimes semi-wild horses graze freely, wandering across the road with no regard for traffic. Watch for them, especially on blind corners, and give the animals plenty of room. A few cafés and stalls at the summit sell cheese and cold drinks in season.

   The scenery is gentle but vast. From the summit you can look across to the peaks of the central Pyrenees, with the long ridge line fading into the haze, and on a clear day the high Néouvielle massif stands out, a granite landscape of lakes. Early morning brings the best light and the quietest roads, with a sense of space that is hard to beat. In July and August the road becomes busy, and the pass can close in winter with snow, so late spring to early autumn is the usual season. Mist on the northern slopes can be dense, so slow down if the visibility drops.

   The pass is a natural link in a chain: ride the Tourmalet, then drop to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, climb the Aspin, and continue to Arreau and the Peyresourde, and you have one of the great days in the Pyrenees.

   For fuel and food, the nearest large town is Bagnères-de-Bigorre, about twenty kilometres from the pass, and Arreau, on the other side, has shops, cafés and basic services. There is no pump at the summit, so make sure the tank is full. Local cheeses, particularly those made from sheep's milk, are good to try if you find a farm stall open, and they travel well in a pannier.

4. Col de Peyresourde scenic · 1569 m

   The Col de Peyresourde sits at 1,569 metres on the border between the Hautes-Pyrénées and the Haute-Garonne, and it is one of those passes that you cross without much ceremony but remember for the road. The D618 goes up from the Louron valley on one side and drops to Bagnères-de-Luchon on the other, and in between it is a ribbon of well-surfaced bends through grassy slopes, with wide views toward the high Pyrenean peaks. It is not a hard climb, but the setting is fine, and there is a modest ski station, Peyragudes, near the summit.

   The south side, toward Luchon, is the more interesting. The road descends in a series of fast, open curves, passing through the village of Garin and following the green valley down toward the spa town. The surface is generally good and the gradient moderate, making it an enjoyable descent when the traffic is light. In summer, you will often share the road with cyclists, who know the pass well from the Tour de France, and with caravans, so patience is useful. Cattle graze the high pastures and may stray onto the road, particularly near the top.

   Weather rules the mountain. Fog can drift in without warning, wind blows across the open crest, and temperatures at the top can be a good deal cooler than in the valleys. In winter the pass is open more often than some of its neighbours, but snow and ice are possible, so check before you set off. Late spring and early autumn offer the best combination of clear air and quiet roads. In the evening, the light on the peaks to the south is warm, and the temperature drops quickly.

   The Pyrenees here are a rich area for wildlife and traditional pastoralism. Pastures at the top are grazed by cows and sheep in summer, in a system of transhumance that goes back centuries, and griffon vultures soar on the thermals above the slopes. Look for marmots near the rocks.

   Services are limited at the pass itself, though a small café and a ski-station building can be open in season. For fuel, the nearest sure source is Bagnères-de-Luchon, about ten kilometres down the south side, or Arreau on the north. Vielha, across the border in the Spanish Val d'Aran, is the nearest larger town, but the border is a longer ride, so plan your fill-up on this side.

5. Bagneres de Luchon scenic

   Luchon is a spa town built by the Belle Époque on the back of hot sulphurous water, and it still has the grand, slightly faded air of a place that once hosted the fashionable world. Its thermal springs were used by the Romans and revived in the eighteenth century, when an intendant named d'Étigny laid out the long, tree-lined avenue, the Allées d'Étigny, that still forms the town's backbone. Today the avenue is lined with cafés, shops and old hotels with wrought-iron balconies, and the baths still operate, though they are mostly for visitors rather than kings.

   The town sits in a wide, green valley where several smaller valleys meet, ringed by high peaks, and it is the natural base for exploring the central Pyrenees. In summer it is a hiking and cycling centre, and the Tour de France has used it as a stage town many times. In winter, the Superbagnères ski station above it takes over, reached by a steep, winding road that starts in the town itself. For a motorcyclist, the roads out of Luchon in every direction are enticing: the Peyresourde to the north-west, the Col de Portillon to the Spanish border, the Col de Menté to the north-east, and the road to the Hospice de France, which runs up into wild country.

   The climate is mild by Pyrenean standards, though afternoon storms can build over the mountains in summer, and the town sees plenty of rain. The best seasons for riding are late spring, summer and early autumn, with September often the finest month, clear, calm and quiet. In winter, snow closes some of the higher roads, so check conditions.

   As the biggest town for a long way, Luchon is where a rider can find what they need: fuel stations, supermarkets, banks, a good choice of restaurants and plenty of places to stay. The local cuisine is hearty mountain food, with duck, cassoulet, garbure, a thick cabbage and meat soup, and local cheeses. A coffee on the Allées d'Étigny, in the shade of the plane trees, is a better introduction than any guidebook. From here the Spanish border is about ten kilometres away, over the Col du Portillon, and the Val d'Aran town of Vielha lies beyond.

6. Saint Girons finish

   Saint-Girons is the market town of the Couserans, a green, little-visited corner of the French Pyrenees in the Ariège, and it has the quiet self-sufficiency of a place that has always been on the way to somewhere else. The Salat river runs through the middle, with old houses along its banks and a bridge from which you can see the mountains rising to the south. On Saturday mornings the market fills the main square and the surrounding streets with cheese, honey, cured meat and vegetables, and it is a good place to stock up for a picnic. About seven thousand people live here, so there is fuel, there are supermarkets and the other services of a real town.

   A couple of kilometres up the river is Saint-Lizier, an older and smaller town on a hill, with a Romanesque cathedral and a cloister of the twelfth century, and a very old pilgrimage route runs through it. The town is classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France and is part of the UNESCO listing of the Camino de Santiago routes in France. A visit takes an hour and rewards you with a quiet courtyard and a view.

   The Pyrenees Cols Route finishes here after a long run of passes, and the last ones are the quieter ones. The Col de la Core, at about 1,400 metres, has a long, open approach from the south, through forest and then meadow, with a road that is narrow and winding, and the Col de Portet d'Aspet, a little lower, has a famous place at a bend on the descent, where a memorial marks the spot where the Italian cyclist Fabio Casartelli died in the 1995 Tour de France. Many riders stop for a moment there. The roads of the Couserans are quiet, wooded and scenic, with few tourists.

   This is bear country: brown bears, reintroduced to the Pyrenees in the 1990s from Slovenia, live in the mountains above, though you are unlikely to see one. The local Bethmale cheese, a soft, mild cow's milk cheese, is made in the valley of the same name, and a plate of it with local bread is the right lunch. The weather is mild and humid, with the Atlantic influence bringing rain, and fog can cling to the passes, so ride with care. After the high peaks, the town is a gentle landing.

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