Day 1 - Lourdes - Gripp (71km)

[Rich] Arriving in Lourdes in a less than fresh state, after a sleepless journey in the jostling night train from Paris, we decided notheless to tackle the challenges head on. A sugar-charged French breakfast and a gallon of coffee gave us the ephemeral buzz we needed to believe that the Tourmalet could be conquered on Day 1 - despite the looming threat of rain.

Just 20 minutes down the road, the threat was concretised, and we donned our new luminous cagoules, congratulating ourselves on the foresight we'd had to line our non-water-resistant panniers with bin bags. Up to Pierrefitte-Nestalas (the first 20kms), there is a pleasant bike track. From there, the road starts going up. Only gently at first, but with the rain now pelting down, it was enough to give us a taste of what was to come. At Luz St.Saveur, the Tourmalet proper begins. And we were attacking this Tour de France legend, the highest pass in the French Pyrenees, on its more difficult side. Some 18kms of climbing at an average of almost 8%.

About half way up, I felt myself bonking and proceeded to devour a pack of cheap chocolate-coated biscuits - the only food we had. That sugar high kept me going until, in the last kilometres, we entered the clouds and visibility dropped dramatically. Dropping down into bottom gear, struggling to keep the bike going in a straight line, with the rain and cold penetrating ever more, it was a struggle. Especially as the last stretch gets ever harder, cumulating in a final kilometre at over 10% average, where the muddy rainwater gushes down towards you, threatening to destabilise your already wonky trajectory.

Luminous Paul and his luminous panniers (l) Rich shivers atop the Tourmalet (r)

The café at the top was the most welcome and welcoming café I have ever frequented. After the hot drinks came free dry T-shirts, blankets and more hot drinks. As we got the sensations back in our extremities and stop trembling enough to drink tea without spilling it, the weather came good. The 2 hours spent recovering in the café saw the cloud disperse and revealed a magnificent view. We posed for pictures, bought postcards, and descended to our gite d'étape on the other side of the mountain.

And what a gite d'étape. A chalet set near the bottom of the Tourmalet, run by the most friendly folk you can imagine. Our private en-suite room, three-course meal (including wine and cognac & tonic aperitif), and breakfast cost just 31 euros per person. Magnificent.

View from Tourmalet

Tourmalet conquered (l) Paul descends to La Mongie (r)