El Pont de Suert

September 24, 2022

With rain in the forecast we decided on a rest day. The morning was spent planning the next leg of the tour, which cols to cross, what towns and villages to visit and most importantly, what is tomorrow's ride going to look like? There is a major tunnel between here and Bossost, the Vielha Tunnel - Juan Carlos I. The new tunnel was inaugurated in 2007 and is a little over 5km long, but we had read mixed reports about whether or not bicycles are allowed, or recommended. Back in Pobla, the people at tourist information didn't know anything about bicycles in the tunnel, so we went to a local bike shop here in Suert where the owner/mechanic gave us the locals' info. First bit of good news is that, although tomorrow we climb 800m, the elevation actually drops about 200m over the length of the tunnel from the south to the north. So, yes, bicycles are allowed, he said it's well-lit and that there is is a button for us to push on entering the tunnel that lets the cars know cyclists are in the tunnel and, as we are coasting downhill we won’t be deeply inhaling exhaust fumes all the way. Tomorrow is Sunday so the traffic should be lighter and hopefully there will be few trucks. It's a 28 km climb to get to the tunnel, so we have our work cut out for us tomorrow morning.

Here are a some pictures from our walk around town.

A modern church is rare sight in Spain. El Pont de Suert was a sleepy agricultural village until 1948 when they built a huge dam, reservoir and hydroelectric generating station as well as housing and facilities for all the workers. Now the town is quiet again as the operation is mostly automated.

The church was built in 1952 and must have been a shocking design. (pun intended)

The old town church originally from the Romanesque period

The town is on the banks of the Noguera Ribagorçana river which is the dividing line between the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. Here is Steve on one of the four pedestrian bridges that cross the river in the town.

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Suzanne GibsonGood luck with the tunnel tomorrow!
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1 year ago

ann and steve maher-wearyWe made it through! Thank goodness! It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Grateful not many vehicles and they came slowly and in bunches so we could stop and let them pass before we continued on. When there were no cars coming we cycled fast. Since it was down hill we did the 5km in 15 mins.
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1 year ago

David MathersThanks for the update. Tunnels are freaky and every car sounds like a Mac truck 🛻 is coming 😱
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1 year ago

Kathleen ClassenTunnels are sooooo loud. We wear earplugs. It helps when the wee Fiat approaching sounds like an eighteen wheeler. Glad you are through.
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1 year ago