June 28, 2025 to June 29, 2025
To/In Argelès-Gazost
June 28, 2025
Today’s ride to Argelès-Gazost had a little bit of everything – a gradual downhill to start, a hump in the middle, and a cycle path when the heat became almost unbearable. A camel ride.
I retrieved Vivien George from the equipment building where she had spent her nights in the company of vintage bikes, snow shoes, and exercise equipment. We enjoyed a fairly speedy jaunt to Campan and crossed the Adour River onto a lovely shaded lane that paralleled the main road down the valley to Pouzac. I re-crossed the Adour River and headed east towards the only climb of the day.
The climb was not that arduous for these parts – less than three miles, averaging just over 6%. About half-way up I arrived at the Hôpital le Montaigu and was happy to comply with their suggestion that I stop for a bit. The climb continued to Neuilh where I met Ainara and Xabier from San Sebastian. We chatted quite a while about cycling in the Pyrenees and Pays Basque and then suddenly heard a crashing noise in the distance. It was a cyclist who’d taken a fall coming down a steep hill up ahead. None of us saw him crash, but I recall seeing his bike bounce down the road. He appeared to not be seriously hurt, as we could see him walking around a bit before disappearing with his bike behind a roadside building. I stopped by a few minutes later and he indicated all was okay – he had lost control and hit a wall. He was scraped up but his bike was not broken, nor was he – he assured me with a big smile and a thumbs up.
According to my new Basque friend Xabier, there are two route choices to make from Neuilh to Argelès: one goes up a steep climb over the top of the hill and offers spectacular views; the other runs roughly parallel along the hillside – the views aren’t as great but neither is the grade. My plotted route went along the hillside and I was happy to keep with the plan. There was slightly more climbing to do, then four miles of bliss - a splendid two mile flat stretch winding along the shaded hillside followed by a two mile downhill run that even I could relish. And my reward at the end the road – a sign for Col de Lingous.
The route continued winding down toward Juncalas on a pretty thick layer of new gravel – it wasn’t too bad except in areas where the cars had caused the pea-sized stones to pile up between the tire tracks. It was getting hot and hungry out so I pulled over when I spotted a shaded picnic table near Saint-Créac and dipped into my bag of trail mix. And true to form, within ten minutes of getting back on the bike I arrived at a restaurant, one located on a bike path that would take me all the way to Argelès.
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12 hours ago
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The afternoon air was heavy and there was an eerie silence along the cycle path – no birdsongs or even the sound of insects. Small herds of cattle crowded in splotches of shade and my every stop for photos was accompanied by rivulets of sweat streaming down my face. It seemed as if it took hours to travel the eight miles from the restaurant to my hotel, and it wasn’t just due to the heat.
For some reason, I’d neglected to include my hotel in the route for the day. On paper, it’s easy to route with Google Maps, but I find it almost impossible on a bike – between the giant blue arrow and the glaring afternoon sun I couldn't see well enough to orient myself. I kept going in circles, getting more frustrated at each wrong turn – no doubt exacerbated by the heat.
Finally, I reached the Sanna-recommended, bike-friendly Au Primrose Hotel where I was welcomed with a big smile and rapid-fire French by Valerie, who operates the hotel with her husband Phillipe. Vivien George was stowed in the underground bike garage and I retreated to my air conditioned room. After a few hours of rest I ventured up into town for dinner where I was able to secure a shaded table at the Italian restaurant La Piazza. I devoured a delicious bowl of pasta Bolognese and topped it off with two scoops of sorbet, feeling full and almost human by the time I left.
June 29, 2025
The heat dome continued its grip on Europe, with temperatures in the mid-90s or higher. I had planned a day off in anticipation of a ride tomorrow over Col d'Aubisque via Col du Soulor. It was the ride I was most looking forward to when planning this trip and I’d already arranged for David to transport my panniers over the pass. However, there were a number of factors that gave me pause. The Col Hourquette d'Ancizan was tough on a day when there were less miles and less elevation gain, a day where the grades were similar but temperatures were ten degrees cooler. I decided the wise thing to do for health and sanity was take a “heat-check” and save the climb for another day, one not in the midst of a heat wave. Once the decision to forgo the Cols was made, I contacted David. He offered to drive me up Col du Soulor so I could experience Col d’Aubisque but I declined, wanting to save both for another time, perhaps as early as this fall.
There is nothing else to report for the day, which was spent reworking plans for the coming week in the comfort of my air-conditioned room.
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 999 miles (1,608 km)
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10 hours ago
10 hours ago