After a night in the wild, while bears and wolves crept around my tent*, I ventured back onto the road and a downhill that was surprisingly less cold than expected at 8 a.m.
After a bit of flat riding along the Ger river, I reached the start of the Col de Portet d’Aspet and the prime example why road cycling signs in the department Haute-Garonne suck. Yes it’s good to know that I’m going to rode 4,4 km at 9,7% average elevation. That’s steep, especially as one has to expect some flatter sections. Would it kill to add one more number, though? How about the maximum elevation so the unsuspecting cyclist knows to expect quite a long stretch of 17% elevation? Note that’s really a lot, if you’re lugging along two thirds of your body weight.
Well there was a very nice view at the top and I had an early lunch before riding down through Castillion-en-Couserans and up towards the Col de la Core. A leisurely ride compared to this morning’s, but with over 800 m ascent not easy.
Down to the town of Seix in partial sunshine and up the Alet river was quick and the final climb to the Col de Latrape mercifully short.
Down in Aulus-les-Bains I find the second best campsite of the trip. Quiet, river in the background an even the cheapest one, too.
84 km, 3100 m elevation
* the chances of that actually happening are very, very low. It’s probably much more likely to be shot by a hunter than to be eaten by one of the 40 bears in the Pyrenees. Chances quadruple on a weekend when everyone** goes hunting.
** It’s the French’s third favourite pastime, right after setting up ‘do not [enter, fish, hunt, camp, park, stand] here’ signs.