Raid Pyreneen 2008

What else could one possibly do with a week to spare in September? The challenge is to ride from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean in under 100 hours. The clock starts when you dip your back wheel in the Atlantic and stops when the front wheel reaches the Med. In between are the high passes of the Pyrenees.

With 19 others, including my friends Helen Prandy and Graham Knight we left Hendaye at 9 after this paddle in the Atlantic. Our international group included ten from Northern Ireland and one Canadian. Here are Helen and Graham energetically climbing the Col d'Aubisque...

...which is marked in the usual way at the top, by a triumphant cyclist leaning on the sign.

The roads were usually pretty quiet and the mountains spectacular

This is the road up the Col de Peyresourde, open and largely deserted apart from us.

We also rode the Col du Tourmalet (which means bad road) - 20 kilometres at 8% with km-posts telling you the average gradient for the next 1000 metres. At the last one, which said 14%, the first 200 metres of which was flat, I felt no shame in getting off and pushing.

We usually stopped for a good lunch...

...and had some good descents.

The Mediterranean side revealed good forts, like this one near Prades,

and finally the sea.  

A bit of a dash, but done with an hour to spare.