Famous Col d’Aubisque beckons this morning, at 1709 meters one of the highest paved passes in the Pyrenees that is not a dead end. I start the beautiful 900+ meter climb from Laruns in good spirits and reach the top in the glaring sun.
The downhill towards the Col de Soulor has a beautiful panorama view and the uphill to the top is easy enough. At the pass I have lunch and watch the many birds of prey circle and dive for theirs.
Just before I leave I’m accosted by two donkeys, one of which slurps up my banana peel before I can stop him, while the other starts licking my bike bags. I flee before they can do any damage.
The downhill is one of those rare ones where one almost need not brake at all. In the valley I take a side road, which proves an excellent choice leading me away from the main roads traffic and through tiny villages.
I ride up past Luz Saint-Sauveur and up six painful kilometres of the Tourmalet ascent before I stop in Barèges at the first really beautiful campsite of the trip. The sound of the close Bastan river hides even the sound of the nearby road else beautifully.
