Day 6 - Collioure to Bagneres de Luchon
Day 6 - Collioure to Bagneres de Luchon
Monday 26/06/2023
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Back into the mountains
Slept pretty badly as it was too hot to get to sleep. Looked forward to getting back into the mountains and having some slightly cooler weather. So far our bikes are holding up well but the heat is playing games with my sat-nav and comms and telephone charging.
Today involved riding through Perpignan which none of us were looking forward to. Thankfully we got through it quickly and headed West through wine country (Rue de Vin), on nice twisty roads towards Quillion and through a gorge, before going up Route du Portel to Ax-les-Thermes and on twisty roads to Bonascre Ski Resort. Lovely ski resort areas. I actually felt cold when it went down to 19C! We stopped for lunch and had a local lasagna thing and BBQ ribs, before heading back down the windy mountain, heading West again to Tarascon sur Ariege. We came across a bit of drizzle on the Col du Port- our first time on this trip together getting a bit wet and a complete opposite from 30c heat on the coast. We rode on through the misty mountains to Saint Gironde, taking in another Tour de France route on the Col du Ares to Cierp Gaud where we stopped for fuel. After that we headed south to a quiet campsite in Moustajon, getting hot dogs, beer and white wine in via an en-route Intermarche. The evening temperature is a very pleasant 19C which is such a contrast from the last place. It was lovely by the coast but really busy and just too hot to sleep in tents. Thunderstorms forecast tonight so we have actually put our tents up properly this time!
Leon and Konrad are both riding better than ever. Today's roads were so much more fun than I expected. I didn't expect the gorges, trees, lovely small villages and towns and also how quiet it was. Road surfaces whilst variable are generally better on the French side. Loved every second of today, but it was a very long day and we are all tired - we didn't stop much for photos as we had a lot of road to cover so it was all a bit of a blur. Amazing how it can take a whole day to ride 180 miles on these roads. Hats off to the cyclists who can do this day in and day out without 100 horses propelling them up the mountain passes.
Tomorrow we aim to finish the Pyrenees and potentially see some of the most famous Tour de France passes. Hoping it will be as spectacular if not more so than today. After that we may stay in Lourdes or potentially Pau before we head back homeward.
Konrad and Leon's rear tyres are past their best so we'll take a relatively direct route home without too many detours, but first we have another day in the mountains to enjoy.
Fines: 0 (possibly 2 in the post)
Bribes: 0 (£45 tolls)
Ass pain: 6/10
Mechanical issues: 1 Puncture, 1 lost toolbox cover, 1 lost front wheel weight
Accidents: 0
Wetness: 3/10
Coldness: 2/10
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