2007 Bike the Pyrenees (Spain & France)

Gary Kelly and Deb Chaney, through the auspices of the Baltimore Bicycle Club (BBC), organized a bike trip to climb the Pyrenees cols (mountain passes) on the route of past Tours de France. Twenty two avid cyclists with 21 bikes (one has a broken hand and couldn't bike) flew from Dulles (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany and on to Barcelona Spain on September 10 and 11. Most were from Maryland but we had a couple from Arizona, a biker from New Jersey and another from North Carolina.

Our route took us up the Mediterranian Coast to Virona, home to Lance Armstrong and many other pro cyclists while training for the Tour de France, and then north and west through the French Pyrenees before looping back to Barcelona. The trip included 11 days of riding with two or more routes most days so each rider could customize their own trip. I biked 623 miles over Col du Tourmalet with over 5200 feet of continuous climbing and two days in the 85 mile range with over 8200 and 9500 feet of climbing. In general the grades were gentle but we had several miles on some climbs with a grade of 7-9%. The scenery was spectacular especially on the high cols where we could see back several miles where we climbed up through the valley.

All 21 riders completed the trip safely despite an ugly pile up of 4 bikers just outside Montrejeu, France. There was no blood and only a few bruises. All 21 bikers experienced a very scary moment while descending at a fast pace from Col du Portlet into Spain. We passed through a long tunnel that was lighted at first but suddenly turned totally black. I could see nothing for 3-4 seconds before I spotted a small circle of light ahead which I aimed towards. I couldn't slow down or stop as Jim Schaftel was right behind me and a car was on his tail. Neither of us had our lights on. Jim said I was on the wrong side of the road for most of the tunnel. Fortunately we all made it safely though a bit frightened by the experience. Someone said there was a biker's tunnel next to it but no one saw it.

The weather was perfect the entire two weeks. We had some rain a couple of days but none while we were riding. The temperature was around 75° during the afternoon and in the 50s at night particularly in the high Pyrenees.

I found the biking very hard. I realize that I have slipped from one of the strongest cyclists to one of the weakest. At age 68 I am over the hill and can no longer do the tough rides. I plan to limit myself to recreational rides in the future. When I retired almost 12 years ago I had elaborate plans for my life. God blocked my planned path and has lead me despite my reticence in the opposit direction. Jesus has led me on a wonderful journey of discovery from under the sea to the mountain tops on all seven continents giving me abilities that I did not naturally posess as needed along the way. With every step I have learned more about God, His creation and have grown spiritually ever closer to Jesus. My prayer is that my family, friends, tripmates and others I have met along the way can see a small part of the love Jesus has shown me reflected in my life.

September 10, 2007   Monday   Fly Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany

I am packed and ready to go. My bike is boxed so all I have to do is think about and take care of all the little details before heading out the door. I load my bike and gear in my Mazda 626 and drive with Anne to the Broken Land Parkway Park n Ride on MD-32 to meet the Flatons at 1:00. I quickly transfer my gear to the van and Pete is off on MD-32 to I-95 south to I-495 to the Dulles Airport access road. We arrive in about 50 minutes though we expecred to be 80 to 90 minutes. Pete and I say goodbye to Sylvia and Anne and head into the checkin counter.

Expecting the usual hassel over our bikes and consequent delay, we are surprised to be quickly processed through without a word about charging us for the bikes and they didn't even weigh the bike boxes. We breezed through security and caught the bus to our terminal with the whole process taking maybe 20 minutes. I eat a green salad with chicken and a soda for $11.53. About an hour later we start to see old friends from previous BBC European bike trips arriving.

We board a Boeing 777 seat 26H a window seat for United Airlines flight 952. We take off on time at 6:48p from Dulles (IAD) on an 8 hour 22 minute 4151 mile flight to Frankfurt (FRA), Germany. I am seated next to Linda Matson an attorney from Tucson, Arizona and is biking with us for the first time. We talk a lot about our biking and legal experiences as we are served drinks and snacks then a pasta meal. I switched seats with Linda's partner Bill Sievers seated in 27G on the aisle. I don't sleep much maybe an hour during the night.

September 11, 2007   Tuesday   Fly Frankfurt to Barcelona, Spain

We had a light breafast flying over Ireland and England before landing in Frankfurt (FRA), Germany several minutes before the scheduled 9:10a.

It felt good to stand and walk off the plane. We had to go through German immigration. I had a young officer who jokingly told me my new passport was not valid because I had not signed it and I may have to go to jail. I obligingly signed it and the officer laughingly said have a good trip. A passing steward from our flight said we were lucky because the airline could have been heavily fined for processing me through without a signed passport. We walked quite a long way and took a train transferring from the international terminal to domestic terminal A. We had to pass through security again before arriving at our departure gate. Most people were snacking on light fare as it would be several hours before we got any food. I had a wurst despite Gary Kelly's touting the soft German pretzels. I later had one of them as well. There was an ATM nearby so I withdrew 150€ (Euros) ($208.40 including fees or $1.389 per Euro). I was relieved because I had been warned my ATM card might not work and I futiley tried to notify the new company handling the ATM card of my trip to Europe.

I boarded an Airbus 321 in seat 32A for Lufthansa flight 4454 departing Frankfurt at 12:55p for Barcelona. I am seated by a window on the left side of the plane. I am treated to some great views of the Alps with a surprising amount of snow in the higher elevatios as we flew southwest and before we crossed out over the Mediterranian. We are served a light lunch in flight.

Again we arrive in Barcelona (BCN) several minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time of 2:50p. Everyone's luggage and bikes arrive quickly so we walk out the front entrance without passing immigration or customs. We turn left a short distance but our bus is not there. The bus finally arrives late but has limited luggage space mainly because there are two huge tires stowed there. We end up in a Mexican stand-off with the driver as he won't let us take any lugguge or bikes on the bus despite plenty of space (21 passengers on a 44 person bus). After many phone calls and other efforts I understand they were sending a second bus but in the mean time the rental van arrived and we were able to load all remaing luggage and bikes into the van. So we are finally off to our hotel about an half hours drive away. I can really sympathize with Deb as I was responsible for ground arrangements on a bike trip to Italy and things got really messed up despite all my best efforts. We arrive at our the Husa Hotel Oriente on the famed Ramblas, 45 08002 Barcelona telephone 933022558 at about 5:30p. Pete and I check into room 319 before retrieving our bike boxes to our room for bike assembly. The hall is full of our group assembling bikes as we have a long ride tomorrow out of Barcelona. We have conversations with two British couples staying on our floor. After quick showers we gather in the lobby for dinner. No one is interested in searching out a place to eat so we file into the Mikel Extea tapas bar next to the hotel. There are 9 of us including Carl Underwood, Ed Hutton, Tom Talbot, Tom Graham, Jim Schaftel, Joe Wisniewski, Dave Schneider, Pete and I. The San Miguel draught beer is cold and good, the tapas are excellent and I have about 4 or 5 different tapas. Carl, Ed, Pete and I are on one check which we split at 31€ ($43.55) each. It is expensive but we couldn't expect less since we are on the famed Ramblas. I return to our room about 11:00p and after a nice shower, a couple of cold beers, some good Spanish food and being up for 35 hours I pass out for several hours.

September 12, 2007   Wednesday   Bike Barcelona 75 Miles to Girona, Spain

I slept soundly until 7:00a and it is still very gray outside. I stumble down to breakfast on the first floor about 8:00. It is a buffet with everything including hot and cold cereals, yogurt, pastries and breads, fruit and mellons, cheeses and lunch meats, eggs, bacon, sausage, juices, coffees, and milk. Everyone is excited to ride and discussing how to bike out of Barcelona during morning rush hour. By 9:30 we are checked out of the hotel and our bags are loaded into the van.

Sue Miltenberger and Janet Olney have studied the maps and have a good handle on a route out of the city mostly on secondary streets. Within minutes they lead us out heading up the Ramblas away from the water. Occasionally we have to hesitate and verify our route but we make steady progress. One construction area caused some hesitation but we were soon out of the city and heading up the coast to Girona. Our group was mostly intact except for a small group with Gary Kelly that got separated somewhere in the city. We are following C 17 north and switch to C 251 but lose it in Granollers a large suburb city of Barcelona. We are soon back on track heading northeast on C 251. A funny incident occurred in the next big town as we were approaching a left turn lane for a traffic light. I asked Dave Schneider where we were. He replied: "hard to know". While waiting for the long light to change I noticed a sign that said we were in Cardedeu not "hard to know".

At about 12:45p as we were leaving Cardedeu the last large town for a long distance, Carl Underwood, Ed Hutton, Mary Menne, Linda Matson, Bill Sievers, Pete Flaton and I separted from the group and retraced our route about a block to a cafe to eat. We took about an hour to eat a sandwich and drink for about 5€ ($7.00) each. After lunch we were soon into the countryside interspersed with small towns as our new group made good time up to Hostalric where we turn north on Gl 555 and start to get into some hills. Fourteen kilometers later at a round about we miss our turn and go about two miles out of our way to N 11. We retrace our route and turn correctly on C 63 near Riudarenes before turning right a kilometer short of Santa Coloma on Gl 533. We follow Gl 533 into Girona without a problem after stopping briefly in Salitja for an Orangina drink 3€ ($4.20). Last night I realized that the cue sheet for a local ride tomorrow entered Girona the same as today's route and would lead us to our hotel. I followed the cue sheet once I found where we were at on the cue sheet with good success although we had to stop at every turn. We missed our turn at two different large round abouts where our street sign did not appear until exiting the round about about a block later. We biked to our hotel the Hotel Ultonia on Avenida Jaume I, 22 telephone 972 20 38 50 about 6:00p.

Today we were on the road 8 hours and 13 minutes biking 75.46 miles in 5:48 averaging 13.2 mph while reaching a maximum speed of 25.0 mph while climbing 2380 feet descending 2180 feet in 2 climbs >=200'. I am relieved to be out of Barcelona so easily. Thank you Sue and Janet!

Pete and I stow our bikes in a room behind the checkin counter and check into room 503 with our bags. I shower and wash my biking clothes hanging them on a line I strung on our large roof top patio. Afterwards we walked left from the hotel about two blocks to a large square or placa. We check out the numerous restaurants and cafes before settling at the Cafe Royal for a draught San Miguel for 2€ ($2.80) each.. We move to the Casa Marietta for a sidewalk table and a set menu of the day of pork or lamb including wine for 27.20€ ($38.22). The air is quite pleasant, the meal fine and relaxing after a tough day.

September 13, 2007   Thursday   Bike and Rest in Girona, Spain

I'm up about 7:00a and go down to a buffet breakfast similar to our breakfast in Barcelona about 8:00. Everyone is relaxed as today is a rest day. However, Dave Schneider has prepared cue sheets for two local rides which most people are doing. Pete is resting but I plan to ride the southern route up to the Mare de Deu del Part Church in the mountains. Leaving breakfast Pete, Carl, Ed and I got on the elevator. The elevator started to rise about half a floor before the clutch started slipping then sank about a full floor before it stopped. Outside the sign said 4 people on the elevator but I noticed a printed sheet taped inside that said maximum three people. We rang the alarm several times as it got hot and stuffy in the elevator. Finally we heard some Spanish voices and the doors opened. About 3 maids helped us climb up out of the elevator to the floor about chest high.

I bike from the hotel following the cue sheet about 8:45. I follow 2 or 3 turns that match my cue sheet before I realize I am headed out of Girona in the wrong direction. I must have started in the wrong direction at the hotel. I retrace my route and try to follow the road signs to Angeles and end up exiting town the way we came in yesterday so now I am following the route in reverse. It is a beautiful morning with a freshness to the air. I'm feeling pretty good and enjoy loosening the kinks from yesterday's ride. I turn right off of Gl 533 onto Gl 540 and begin climbing a long gentle mountain. As I top the crest and begin descending through several switchbacks I pass through a very large high end housing development. At the bottom I turn left on N 141 into Angeles. I follow the signs to the church and soon discover I am headed out of town on C63 the long way with much traffic. I backtrack and head out of town again but this time on C 63 in the other direction. I return to Angeles and stop at a Super U grocery store for some fruit and a drink. It is getting hot and I decide it may not be worth biking to the church so I decide to head back to Girona via the scenic N 141. It is flat all the way to Girona so I move along quickly despite the fast traffic. I recognize where I am as I enter Girona so I ride straight to our hotel about 12:15.

I was on the road 3:30 hours biking 30.66 miles in 2:34:23 hours averaging 11.8 mph while reaching a maximum speed of 28.0 mph climbing 790' and descending 790' in 1 climb.

Pete was in the room so we decided to go to lunch. I showered and washed my biking clothes hanging them out to dry in the sun. We walked back towards the Placa Independencia crossing the river through the wall into old town. We found a family run restaurant on a narrow cobbled street. We had language problems but finally settled on a 12€ ($16.92) menu with the help of a patron who spoke some English. We had a draught beer, green salad, pork, potatoes and fruit for dessert all very good. After walking through old town we returned to the hotel. My clothes are dry so I pack them and take down my line.

Pete and I met Joe Wisniewski, Tom Graham, Tom Talbot, Jim Schaftel and Dave Schneider going to dinner. We are going to a tapas bar in old town near Lance Armstrong's house that someone found in a guidebook. Walking through the streets of old town we arrive to find it not open yet with Gary Kelly, Julie Boughn and Debbie Chaney waiting. Dave always scouting finds an open Celtic Bar a few doors away so we decide to have a draught. We chat with the bartender who is Irish as I enjoy a pint of bitter for 4€. We go back to the tapas bar called the Zanpanzar. There are 15 to 20 tapas (hor d'ourves) lined up along the crowded bar. I pick up a carbonated bottle of water and 5 different tapas before sitting at a small table in the back of the restaurant near the kitchen door. A waitress is shuttling back and forth between the kitchen and the bar with fresh plates of new tapas. She heads straight for our table each time and we pick off 4 or 5 servings before she gets to the bar. I end up with 3 more tapas for a total of 8. When I check out the tapas tooth picks are counted and I am charged 1.39€ ($1.95) each plus 1.30€ ($1.83) for the Vichy carbonated 500 ml bottled water for a total of 12.10€ ($17.00). It is a lot cheaper than the tapas on the Ramblas in Barcelona.

September 14, 2007   Friday   Bike Girona 86.5 Miles to La Molina, Spain

Today is a big day with big climbs and long mileage as we head up into the heart of the Pyrenees. We want to get an early start but breakfast isn't until 7:30a and the van has to be loaded so we don't get started until about 8:40.

Pete and I are riding with Steve Keene, Carl Underwood, Ed Hutton, Mary Menne, Rob Whittaker and Anna Whittaker on her motor scooter. We go east out of Girona through Sant Gregori on Gl 531 a modification to our planned route. On this 41 kilometer (25.4 miles) stretch we pass over many hills and a pretty significant climb. We turn right on C 63 at Les Planes d' Hostoles heading north. We pass through a short lighted tunnel before Bas where we turn right on C 152 continuing north to Olot. Here we miss a turn but quickly correct it as many others went off route. We turn left on N 260 and start climbing. We pass a large group of elderly Dane cyclists many of them women.

We reach Col de Coubet at 3314' elevation having climbed 903' in 3.62 miles for an average grade of 4.72%. I talk to a 70 year old Danish woman cyclist. We continue on another mile and 360' more elevation gain to Col de Canes at 3674' elevation passing more Danes in the climb. The road is good and the curves not that bad so we descend rather quickly.

It is about 2:00p and most places close at 2:00p. We are looking for a place to eat so we go slightly off route to Valifogona de Ripolies and the Can Polla Restaurant. The nearly full restaurant with locals finishing up is ready to close as 8 cyclists walk in. The man and his wife are slightly flustered but decide to feed us. Ten or so minutes later a large crowd of Danes came in. The poor people were running out of food. Some of us were lucky to get some cheese stuffed cannoli that was excellent but proved to be a problem later as it was not enough food for all the work we were doing. Lunch with a drink was 7€ ($9.80) each as we split the bill.

My shirt is still very wet from the climbing so I am a little chilled after lunch. We climb back up to the road before continuing our descent down to the large town of Ripoli. Here we turn right heading north 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) on N 152 to Ribes. Leaving Ribes we start our last and hardest ascent of the day. Pete and I drop back as we can't keep the pace of the rest of the group especially climbing. I am following Pete and we have to stop frequently as we are hurting. We are running out of water and energy. Fortunately we find a couple of springs at the higher elevations with water running out of pipes. Pete has a bag of gorp which we consume that gives me enough energy to reach the top. We reach the Col de Toses 5902'

elevation about 7:15 having climbed 3638' in 24.64 miles with grades in the 5-7% range near the top. Debbie and Julie are there in the van having just arrived. After pictures Pete and I turn left and continue along the top before starting the descent to our hotel. Pete stopped to put on his jacket so I continued because he descends faster than I. I took my time going down a few miles and through a tunnel. Pete never came into sight so I stopped to wait. I wait 5-10 minutes and no Pete. I decide to continue to the hotel and send Debbie and Julie back in the van. As Debbie is starting the van Pete arrives to everyone's relief. It is about 7:40.

Pete and I were on the road 10 hours and 55 minutes biking 85.85 miles in 8:05:30 hours averaging 10.5 mph while reaching a maximum 35.5 mph climbing 8220' and descending 3340' in 4 climbs.

We check into the Hotel Solineu room 707 Supermolina, 3 - La Molina 17537 - Spain and receive a nice sports bottle. Our hotel is in a ski resort.We head straight for the bar and two large draughts at 4€ ($5.60) each. We proceed to eat everything in sight as I have a large chicken dinner, some tapas, a pizza and ice cream. My share came to 20.60€ ($28.84).

September 15, 2007   Saturday   Bike La Molina, Spain 73 Miles to Foix, France

Today is another long day with a big climb that comes early and then it is basicly down hill or flat. The same group of eight as yesterday plus Linda Matson and Bill Sievers start down the mountain in the cold morning air at 8:40. We turn right on E 9 at the bottom which soon intersects with N 152 which we follow into the large town of Puigcerda. About a kilometer later we enter Bourg- Madame crossing into France through the abandoned border station. We turn left and start the slow long climb up the valley

on E 9 and N 20. After 17.92 miles and 2513' of climbing we reach Col de Puymorens at 6263'. We stop for pictures. The last 100 yards of climbing and the first couple of miles descending are grated for repaving and are extremely rough. On the descent we pass the Andorra border.

We stop at a small hotel in the first town Merens-les-Vals we come to as it is about 12:30p and time for lunch. The man and his wife are very friendly and they ask us about what we are doing. Mary Menne's French is kicking in and we have a pleasant meal at the ETS Rouan for 17.50€ ($24.50) each.

We continue descending to Ax-les-Thermes where we stop to wait for everyone. Bill Siever's chain fell off from the vibrations on Puymorens. As I was standing on a sloped street waiting my front wheel suddenly turned 90 degrees while my handlebar still pointed straight ahead. A bit shaken by thinking about what might have happened I straightened my wheel and tightened it down to the handlebar. We get into some rolling hills and the group is running them pretty fast. Pete and I need to heed the call of nature so we stop and separate from the group. We take our time the rest of the way stopping at a Super Mart in Montgaillard outside Foix. I buy a pack of Snickers bars to carry with me the rest of the trip. We come in on D 618 then D 117 to turn left across the l' Ariege river into Foix and bike straight to our hotel at 5:24.

We were on the road 8:44 hours biking 73.16 miles in 5:25:24 hours averaging 13.4 mph while reaching a maximum speed of 37.0 mph climbing 3310' descending 7290' in 2 climbs.

We check in to the Hotel La Barbacane room 214 at 1, avenue de Lerida 09000 Foix, France telephone 33 05 61 65 50 44. After a shower and washing my bike clothes I join a group on the front veranda for a can of beer and some bread and cheese. While waiting for Pete, I cross the street to a patiserrie for two French fruit custard tartes. I look across the street at our hotel and it is in bloom with colorful biking shirts drying in every window. We join Barry and Mary Menne, Carl and Ed for dinner. We walk the narrow cobbled streets behind our hotel beneath a fortress perched high atop a schist protruding up in the middle of town. We see Janet and Sue at the Le Jeu de l' Oie and they are enthused about the food so we stop. I enjoy a mixed grill for 15€ ($21.00). I am running short on Euros so I pick up everyone's money and charge 89.50€ for our meals.

September 16, 2007   Sunday   Bike Foix, France 27 Miles to St Girons, France

Today we have two routes to St Girons. The longer southern route has nothing exciting to offer. I am beat up and had decided two days ago I would take the short route. I am determined to climb Tourmalet so today is an easy day. Pete is also beat up and developing seat sores. We bike from our hotel at 9:35 back across the river turning left on D 117 and begin climbing up away from the river. We climb 692' in 3.75 miles then descend 771' over 5.45 miles. The weather is beautiful and we are in no hurry. We are in a valley and have a 525' ridge to go over at the far end a distance of 5.43 miles. Once over the ridge we have a gradual descent of 426' over 7.9 miles into St Girons. We meet Sue at the edge of town and ride through town together but miss our hotel. Pete and I loop back around the beltway while Sue goes back through town. We arrive at our hotel about the same time at 12:30 and Debbie is down the street a few doors motioning us into a restaurant.

We were on the road 2:55 hours biking 28.55 miles in 2:07:21 averaging 13.3 mph reaching a maximum speed of 32.0 mph climbing 1250' and descending 1210' in two climbs.

We park our bikes in the rear of the restaurant and join the assembled group for lunch. The lady from our hotel reserved the restaurant for us and is closed except for us. She is quite nice and speaks good English having gone to school in England. We have a nice lunch of pork, fries, green salad and a draught beer for 17 € ($23.80). We walked to our hotel and parked our bikes in the garage around the side. Pete and I checked into the Hotel Le Valier room 2 at 29 AVENUE D'AULOT 09200 ST GIRONS, France telephone 33 (0)5 61 66 22 25. The van has not arrived yet so I ask the lady if the restaurant is open. She says no and asks what I want. I would like a beer so she leads Pete and I to her kitchen, pulls out two beers and shows us their private patio where we can drink them in the shade. The van arrives so we help unload and then shower and wash our biking clothes.

We decide to walk through town though everything is closed. St Girons is a beautiful old town with a cathedral, parks and a river with a series of low dams with water spilling over them. We spot Gary Kelly sitting in a window and go in to discover it is a hotel in which our group has 4 rooms. We walk back to our hotel and dinner in the same restaurant that we had lunch. Everything is closed so our entire group has dinner there in the large back room where we parked our bikes earlier. We have salad, mussel and shrimp pasta served family style, steak and pie with ice cream for 20€ ($28.00) each.

September 17, 2007   Monday   Bike St Girons, France 39 Miles to St Gaudens, France

Again we have a choice of two routes, a shorter northern route and a longer southern route with a major col. I decide to do the southern route after yesterday's easy day. Pete and I bike out of St Girons at 9:11a with Mary Mennes who is nursing a bad ankle that grinds when she flexes it. We are headed west and slightly south on D 618. It is fairly flat farm country. We enter the town of Moulis (plenty of moos) and are met by a large herd of cows coming down the street leaving plenty of droppings in their wake. We soon enter some hilly country and are passed by the fast riders. We turn right near Audressein to remain on D 618 and start climbing up the now familiar narrow valley towards a col. Including the hills we climbed about 16 miles gaining 2227' to the top of Col de Portet d' Aspet at 3513' elevation. The last third of a mile was quite steep at almost 12% grade.

We decide to stop and eat at the first town we come to on the way down. When we arrive the town is off the road and not very promising as is the next town so we cycle on to Aspet picking up the D 5 just outside Sengouagnet. We arrive about 1:40 to find our group eating in town. The local grocer and bakery have just closed so we eat outside on the step where Tom T, Tom G, Dave and Jim are eating. On their recommendation I order a pizza (in France?) and a .5 liter draught Leffe. Both are very good and cost 11€ ($15.10).

We take the direct flat route of 9 miles into St Gaudens on the D 5 with Jim riding with us arriving about 3:00p. We pass our hotel looking for it on the left when it is on our right. We retrace our route back and stow our bikes in the large garage under the hotel. We were on the road 5:49 hours biking 39.53 miles in 3:28:12 hours averaging 11.4 mph climbing 3060' descending 3020' in two climbs.

We check into the Hotel Du Commerce room 207 at 2, Av. de Boulogne 31800 Saint-Gaudens, France telephone 33 (0)5 62 00 97 00. Our room is over the hotel front entrance marque and faces the large Super U market. After cleaning up I walk to the Super U for some fruit and carbonated water. I have to walk through a large group of gypsies with dogs and kids. When I come out a squad of police are dispersing the gypsies. St Gaudens is an industrial town and not very nice. Pete and I walk through the old town and it is not impressive. We have a hard rain and thunderstorm that lasts about half an hour. Pete's seat problems are worsening and he thinks they are open sores. Our hotel is nice and since there are few options in town most of us eat in the hotel. It is a good choice as the food is excellent with the large dining room almost filled with locals. I have an excellent vegetable soup, fish, salad served family style and an apple tart for 19€ ($26.60). Julie asks me if I saw the monument and plaque where Lance Armstong's Italian teammate got killed in the Tour de France a few years ago near the bottom of the descent from the Col de Portet. Apparently everyone saw it as it is very obvious except our group. I was searching for a restaurant at that point so that is my excuse.

September 18, 2007   Tuesday   Bike St Gaudens, France 37 Miles to Bagueres de Bigorre, France

It rained heavily during the night and continues off and on during the morning. Plans to shuttle people to the Bagneres- Bigorre are made and constantly revised. Pete's rear is so sore that he is riding in the van. Everyone cannot be shuttled so I intend to ride after waiting some time for the rain to stop.

We are ready to ride so when the rain lets up and stops at 9:00 a large group of us bike out of St Gaudens on D 8 before turning on D 34. It is flat country so the biking is easy as the weather continues to clear and slowly warm up. There is some wind but not strong enough to be a problem. Our group separates off and on but is in frequent contact. I drop off the back in Montrejeu to look around because I spent a night here on a bike trip in 1997. The problem is I don't recognize anything and am disoriented. I head out of town on D 638 and see Gary ahead who also has dropped back. We round a bend and see an ugly pile up of Rob, Carl, Steve and Jim blocking most of the road. Miraculously there is no blood. Carl got the worst of it with a few bruises and sore spots. We take a break in a park with facilities in St Laurent de Neste and pick up D 938 to Capvern. Here we stop at a potisserie for two fruit tartes 4.40€ ($6.16). We follow D 938 to Bagneres-Bigorre then a small street south to the village of Gerde on the edge of town.

We ride into this huge complex at 12:50p. We were on the road 3:50 hours biking 37.54 miles in 3:04:01 hours averaging 12.1 mph reaching a maximum speed of 32.6 mph climbing 2520' descending 2070' in 2 climbs.

The van is there so Pete and I check into the Relais des Pyrénees room 503 at avenue du 8 mai 1945 GERDE 65200 BAGNERES DE BIGORRE telephone 05 62 44 66 67. We stow our bikes in one of many special rooms for bikes behind a locked door with a combination lock. There are training rooms with sauna, whirlpool and other equipment. We are staying in the Laurent Fignon training center home to two French teams Agricole and Cofides that compete in the Tour de France. Laurent Fignon won the Tour twice and was headed for his third victory when Greg La Monde edged him by 6 seconds on the last time trial in 1989.

Pete and I walk into Bigorre for a nice lunch and beer for 11€ ($15.10) at the Cartisienne the only place still serving food. Many people are buying bike shirts at the bike shop. I walk over with Carl to buy a shirt for 58.80€ ($83.48) when Laurent Fignon entered the shop. I didn't recognize him but the clerk did and asked if we wanted our picture taken with him. We agreed and did.

That night I went to dinner with Wis, Tom T, Tom G, Jim, Dave, and Pete at the restaurant connected to our hotel. The waiter and the cook, the only people in the restaurant, spoke no English. For some reason they only would serve eight people and turned away others from our group as well as other hotel guests. The cook, an understudy, turned out a wonderfull gourmet meal of an egg and truffle soufle, roast duck with potatoes and an ice cream dessert. Dave ordered two bottles of fine wine. When we tried to pay the waiter said no he would charge it to our rooms but never asked for our room numbers. He made a phone call presumably calling the hotel. We warned Deb that she would see a charge for our meals but we were never charged.

September 19, 2007   Wednesday   Bike Bagueres de Bigorre 41 Miles to Argeles-Gazost, France

I came to France for this is the day to climb Tourmalet. I lead Jim from the hotel across the little bridge turning left on D 938 and begin climbing albeit very gradually at 9:00a. It is a beautiful clear day a bit cool but gradually warming. We are not fast but moving at a steady pace and keep going. We turn right on D 918 leaving the l' Ardour river and begin to climb in ernest. As we pass through several avalanche tunnels Dave and the two Toms pass us.There are no trees up here just rocks and grass. We reach Artigues so we stop for a hot drink and toilet. We spend a long time there and see many from our group go by.

The grade gets steeper as we continue through a series of switchbacks and tunnels around la Mongie. We stop for a 30 second break and continue up. The average grade is between 8.59% and 9.16% as we pass through more switchbacks before topping the Col de Tourmalet. We just climbed 5157' in an 18.6 mile climb. We take pictures and go into the cafe for a hot chocolate and blueberry pie for 7€ ($9.80). The pie is very sweet so I can't finish it. Mary joins Jim and I for the descent which is spectacular, steep and switchbacked. At one point we have to stop for sheep and cows on the road. We are looking for a place to eat but find nothing so we









push on to the large town of Luz-St -Sauveur. It is 1:50 when we stop at the La Terrasse for lunch. It is served cafeteria style but the food is outstanding and we sit outside in the sun with stunning mountain views in every direction. I have salmon pasta with a green salad (delicious) 6.90€ ($9.66), a fruit custard pie (the best ever) 2.60€ ($3.64) and 500 ml mineral water 2.10€ ($2.94). We are the last served as several from our group and a large group of Frenchmen stop but can't get anything. We enjoy the food, sun, grand views and the other patrons are very friendly to us (we are bikers).

We depart town on D 921 for a leisurely 18 kilometer mostly downhill ride to Argeles-Gazost at 3:30. Today I was on the road 6:30 hours biking 40.64 miles in 3:56:07 averaging 10.2 mph climbing 5213' descending 5492' in 1 climb. It was an up then a down day.

I check into the Hôtel Arrieulat room 9 at 28, Avenue des Pyrenees 65400 Argeles Gazost, France 33.05.62.97.14.48 as Pete is not in yet in the van. I walk to the Champion store for wine, cheese, crackers, fruit and carbonated water 12.20€ ($17.08). Most of the group gathered in the back garden around a couple of tables for wine, cheese and other snacks. Wiz, Pete and I walk up the hill to the center of the old town and the cathedral. A wedding party is coming out so we enter the cathedral for some nice interior pictures. There aren't many restaurants open so we stop in a small restaurant with most everyone else in our group. I have a salad, pasta, brownie and wine for 17€ ($23.80). We talk to a French couple behind us who speek very good English. They want to know about our trip and have driven today from Jaca. They are impressed that we are biking there tomorrow. I am running low on Euros so I stop at an ATM for 100€ ($140). Most people go to a concert in town that they said was very good.

September 20, 2007   Thursday   Bike Argeles-Gazost, France 82 Miles to Jaca, Spain

Today is another monster day. Someone said we have over 10,000' of climbing and over 80 miles to ride. I check Dave's cue sheet and it is 9508' of climbing and 84.4 miles. I am really concerned as I have never done that much climbing before and had a rough time making it to La Molina 6 days ago with less climbing. I have to be smart pacing myself and managing my day.

At 8:25 Jim and I bike from our hotel with several others. We miss a turn and exit town in the wrong direction requiring us to climb back into town before leaving town north on D 918. We are climbing immediately on the Route des Pyrenees and the grade quickly steepens to about 8% for a mile and three quarters before moderating to an average of 3% for another 3.6 miles. We pass through the picturesque village of Arrens-Marsous greeting several homeowners out tending their flower gardens. The grade immediately gets steeper in the 7-9% range rising another 1966' over 4.7 miles of switchbacks. We reach the top of Col du Soulor 4836' having climbed 3331' from our hotel in 12.6 miles. The col is very remote and beautiful as we can see for miles into the valley in front of us with two snaking roads winding up the mountain to us.

We take the left fork and have a nice little descent of about 400' over 1.4 miles passing through a tunnel with a large number of big buzzards congregated above on the mountain slope and in the air. D 918 takes a sharp left turn up a very narrow canyon and we start climbing again. The grade is 4-5% for 4 miles before turning up to 7-9% for the last 0.7 mile through a series of switchbacks. We top Col d' Aubisque 5616' having climbed another 1171' over 4.7 miles. We join Tom T, Tom G, Dave and Janet at the cafe for a ham sandwich and drink for 8.80€ ($12.32). There are several very large fabricated bikes like the ones on the Heritage Trail in York County, Pennsylvania.

Jim and I start our descent which is very scenic, steep and switchbacked. We drop 3848' over 12.7 miles into Laruns where we turn left on D 934 following the Gave d'Ossau river. We are on our last major climb of 4117' for the day. The grade is gentler than the earlier climbs but still starts at over 3% constantly increasing to almost 7% near the top over 17.3 miles. The climb seems to last forever but Jim and I keep going and reach the top of Col du Pourtalet in good shape. It is after 2:00p and the cafe has stopped serving food. We stop for a drink and move on.

In about 100 yards we pass through the abandoned border station crossing into Spain on A 136. The difference is noticeable as neither side has any trees but the French side is green and wet while the Spanish side is a dry brown. We have a nice downhill of 3225' over 24.5 miles. There are few curves that are not bad so we should be flying but we are headed into a stiff wind. We have to pedal all the way down requiring us to work. Near the bottom when we were somewhat protected from the wind and have built up our speed we go through the long scary tunnel where the lights went out. Lower down the population density increases with more traffic and industry causing a deteriation in the scenery. Fighting the wind is taking it's toll on me as I begin to tire, dehydrate and run out of energy. We stop and I eat a Snickers bar chasing it with plenty of water. The punkish feeling leaves and my energy level is okay but my deteriating rear end is quite sore now from all the sweat and rubbing. Just north of Sabinanigo we turn right on N 530 headed west toward Jaca. We gain some relief from the wind as we now have a mountain ridge to the south (left) instead of heading into an open valley. I have been favoring my rear end at the expense of my feet that now start complaining by hurting. We keep moving and cruise into Jaca and our hotel at 6:20. Today we were on the road 9:55 hours biking 82.32 miles in 7:54:44 averaging 10.2 mph climbing 9570' descending 8300' in 5 climbs.

I check into the Gran Hotel Pº de la Constitución at 1 22700 Jaca (Huesca), Spain telephone 974 360 900. After a shower I join the few people that have arrived in the garden by a closed bar for wine, cheese and snacks. People keep joining us as they arrive at the hotel. I understand that some didn't get in until 8:40p long after dark. We are discussing going to dinner and I am fine with any place as long as they have beer as I am very dry. Within minutes an unnamed angel appeared with a half liter draught San Miguel from the bar. That one soon disappeared and another magically appeared. Sated we walked about half a block to the smaller Arban Hotel for a nice set menu dinner with wine for 20€ ($28) each. I survived another very tough day. I hope my rear end survives a few more days as it felt raw in the shower.

September 21, 2007   Friday   Bike Jaca, Spain 44 Miles to Huesca, Spain

Today we have two routes. The short one follows the main roads through the valleys ending on a limited access highway. The longer route is a bit mountainous but more scenic on secondary roads. I choose the long route despite needing a recovery day and not wanting to aggravate my rear end because the route doesn't look too hard. Pete is back on his bike and raring to go after three days in the van.

At 9:50 a large group of us bike out of Jaca on A 1205 briefly downhill for 190' before starting to climb. My cue sheet tells me the climb is 492' up and 1.9 miles long. Not wanting to push myself or aggravate sensitive areas I quickly fade to the rear and drop off the pack with Pete. We keep moving and pass Wis and Tom Heine about half way up the mountain. Pete and I don't stop our slow steady pace until we reach the top of Porto de Oroel 3005' elevation. We ride along the ridge a ways before starting a long gradual downhill. We have some headwind that is annoying but not as bad as yesterday. We drop 1358' over 28 miles of nice country scenery. We reach the A 132 at Santa Maria and turn left on it crossing a long narrow bridge aross the Rio Gallego passing through a short tunnel at the far end. We bike up and down descending slightly in the river canyon with stunning rock formations on each side.

It is about 1:15 when we stop in Averba. A park in town center a ringed with shops and cafes. I go to the Alvi Supermercado for some fruit, rolls, cheese, tomato and a soda for 3.69€ ($5.17). Without thinking we sit at a cafe table instead of a park bench. A man came out so we order a drink apiece. Wis and Tom stop briefly and move on.

The terrain is rolling all the way to Huesca. We have a pretty good headwind so Pete is pulling me as we pass Wis and Tom taking a break from the wind. Pete is feeling frisky so we move pretty fast considering the wind arriving at our hotel in Huesca at 3:35. We were on the road 5:45 hours biking 55.91 miles in 4:19:53 averaging 12.8 mph reaching a maximum speed of 32.0 mph climbing 2240' descending 3340' in 3 climbs.

We check into the Hotel Pedro I Aragon room 318 at C/ Del Parque, 34 22003 Huesca, Spain telephone 34 974 22 03 00. Our hotel is on a corner diagonally across the street from a large park. We store our bikes on the second floor in a large dining room. The van arrived and we unloaded it taking the luggage up the 4 or 5 triangular steps. After a shower I go down to the bar off the lobby for a 250 ml (8.45 oz) draught Ambar and a San Miguel 2.40€ ($2.88). I like the Ambar that is heavier and more flavorful. Pete, Wis and I walk around the town and through the park but see no good restaurants. We return to the hotel as does most of the group and eat in the large restuarant behind the lobby. I have a salad, stuffed tortilla meal, mellon and wine for 17.22€ ($24.11).

September 22, 2007   Saturday   Bike Huesca, Spain 77 Miles to Lleida, Spain

I decided a few days ago that today was my last biking day because the ride tomorrow into Barcelona is 110 miles through dense population and of no interest. Today it seems everyone is taking a different route to Lleida. I decide to take the shortest route possible as I am feeling pretty flat and am not looking for any challenges. My rear end continues to deteriorate and I'm hoping to finish today.

With directions and a marked map from the hotel concierge, I lead a large group out of Hueca on A 131 at 9:11a. Once outside of town a small group would peel off at each intersection on their own route. Pete and I forked left on A 1217 and were alone riding the rolling countryside through small villages. We did some climbing but nothing serious. We crossed a branch of the Rio Alcanadre at Pertusa and had a short steep climb out of the small canyon. We biked around Berbegal, a town situated atop a high steep sided upthrust rock, to pick up A 1223. At Silo we turned left a short distance into Monzon a big town on the N 240. Pete has been pulling me for 40 miles and we are making good time as it is a little past noon.

We decide to eat so we go down a side street to a small local restaurant called La Taberna del Muro a tapas bar. We both order a sausage, potato pie (very good), Orangina and what we think are mushrooms. When I start to eat the mushrooms I realize they are small squid with round bodies about half an inch high with little eyes and several tentacles hanging down. They are not bad but I wouldn't highly recommend them. Pete and I have a good laugh and enjoy a tasty meal for 5.30€ ($7.42).

I lead out of Monzon on the N 240 for 10 miles. The N 240 is busy with fast traffic but has a wide shoulder, smooth pavement and the grades are very gentle. We move pretty quickly though we have to stop occasionally for a break or drink. Pete takes the lead for the next ten miles and then asks me to lead us in. I'm pretty well spent but lead for 2 or 3 miles. Pete is tired of my listless pace and leads us the rest of the way to Lleida at a good pace. We bike to the green square where our hotel is located. We are puzzled because we see only a train station. We decide to bike around the square and then we spot our hotel integrated into the train station at 4:05p. We were on the road 6:54 hours biking 74.02 miles in 5:14:29 hours averaging 14.1 mph reaching a maximum speed of 30.0 mph climbing 2330' descending 3320' in 4 climbs.

We check into the Hotel Catalonia Transit room 110 at Plaza Berenguer IV 25007 Lleida, Spain telephone 34 973 23 00 08. We stow our bikes in room 206. After cleaning up we go to the Mikel Etxea resturant next to our hotel lobby in the station for 250 ml draught Aguila for 1.40€ ($1.96) each. I talk to an information clerk about taking our bikes on the train tomorrow and pick up a schedule. Pete and I walk around town a few blocks checking out restaurants recommended by the hotel clerk. None suit us so we return to the hotel for dinner as does many in our group. My dinner with wine cost 15.30€ ($21.42).

September 23, 2007   Sunday   Train Lleida, Spain to Barcelona, Spain
I got up at 6:00a and packed up. I went downstairs and bought my train ticket incuding my bicycle to Barcelona for 9.25€ ($12.95). After a good buffet breakfast I retrieved my bike to board the 8:44 train. Everyone is taking the train except Dave, Tom T and Jim who are taking a later train to spend the night at a beach resort south of Barcelona. Wis, Steve, Pete and I get on the front car and stow our bikes in a rack for large luggage. The conductor directs everyone else to the last car where they can stow their bikes. Before we leave the conductor asks Wis to take his bike to the last car because it was in the aisle.

We are on a regional train so we make at least a dozen stops on the 100+ mile 3 hours 40 minutes ride into Barcelona. The train stopped in the small city of Manresa where Julie, Deb and Janet got off to bike over Montserrat into Barcelona. We had great views of the impressive Montserrat as the train arced around the end of the ridge line. We got off the train at Placa de Catalunya at 12:20p a few blocks up the Ramblas from our hotel.

The streets are jammed with people celebrating the 3 day holiday festival. We wind our way through the masses walking our bikes to our hotel. I check into the Barcelona Husa Hotel Oriente Ramblas room 319 the same room we had when we arrived at 45 08002 Barcelona, Spain telephone 933022558. We stow our bikes in our room and walk with Wis across La Ramblas and a placa down a narrow street to the Karpanta a small Greek restaurant. I have a Sawartha kabob and 7 Up for 6€ ($8.40). It is very good. We walk around town which is difficult because of the masses of people. The are street performers of every discription, mimes, bands and a parade that seemed to be everywhere. The parade consisted of about 15 large statues on poles that probably had some religious significance the moved on in pairs to music. This parade seemed to be everywhere morning, day and night Sunday and Monday. Wis, Pete and I walked a long way on back streets to a quiet neighborhood and La Viena Blanca for a good pork dinner with wine for 13.50€ ($18.90).

September 24, 2007   Monday   Tour Barcelona, Spain

As is my custom in a foreign city I like to decode and ride the subway system. Pete and I decide to take the subway to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece and the most visited site in Spain. We walk up La Ramblas to the subway station and puchase a ticket for 1.25€ ($1.75). Checking my subway map I see that we go north from the Catalunya station on the purple line one stop to the Provenca station then transfer to the blue line east two stops to the Sagrada Familia station. Simple. We ride to the Provenca station but can't find a connection to the blue line. We ask everyone including rail employees how to transfer but are not successful. After an hour we give up and return to the Catalunya station.

We walk to the Karpanta for a Grec (gyro) and two 7 Ups for 8€ ($11.20). We study the maps and digest what we learned. The integrated subway system is not integrated at all. There are four rail systems including the TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) system of subways and buses, the FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) a rail system, the Renfe a special system to places like the airport and the TRAM which goes up the mountain rimming the north and west sides of the city. Some stations for are located near each other but are not integrated and the tickets are not interchangeable.

Armed with this information we return to the subway but enter at the TMB entrance. We board the L2 purple line towrads Pep Ventura for four stops and exit at the Sagrada Familia. We walked around the chuch taking photos. The crowds were large with long lines to get in for an 8€ charge so we decided against it. Returning to the subway there were there was a crowd around the two coin ticket machines. I walked to the an vacant credit card ticket machine. A lady called to me and motioned for me to get in line in front of her. I refused but somehow Pete ended up in front of her. When he was getting his ticket she picked his wallet containing dollars, euros, credit cards, licenses and other important papers. When Pete realized his wallet was gone she had already disappeared onto the subway. Pete reported the theft to the National Police and called home to cancel the credit cards.

Wis, Tom T, Jim, Pete and I walked to a recommended dark cavernous bar run by an Irishman that had free snacks. We walked a couple of blocks to the Milk restaurant for supper for 21€ ($29.40).

September 25, 2007   Tuesday   Tour Barcelona, Spain

The crowds are gone with the end of the festival. It is threatening rain so Pete and I walk down La Ramblas past Columbus' column to the waterfront. The waterfront is upscale with marinas, parks, high end shops and entertainment. We circle back through the neighborhood where we had dinner last night. We stop at the Karpanta which is closed. We cross La Ramblas and go into a Turkish restaurant for a curry meal for 8€ ($11.20). We have a bit of a hassle as other customers do but the food was good. Crossing te street we have a Gelati at 3€ ($4.20) for dessert. We continue our walking tour of the cathedral, Santa Maria Placa's Basilica del Pi and the nearby old neighborhoods. The Basilica is having a classical guitar duo concert (Barcelona Duo de Guitarra) tonight at 9:00p featuring Albeniz's "Suite Espanola", Sarasate's "Piezas Espanolas", Rossini's "El Barbero de Sevilla" and Bizet's "Carmen Suite" for 18€.

We return to our hotel and retrieve our bike boxes from the storage room. I remove the pedals, seat, wheels and turn the handlebars strapping them into my Crateworks bike box in the hall outside my room. I return my biked box to the storage room and shower before a slight flooding problem occured.

Steve, Carl, Ed, Pete and I walk to the Can Bari on the placa by the Santa Maria church for a paella dinner for 12€ ($16.80). They have at least a dozen different paellas to choose from which was very hard. It is a very pleasant evening eating outside in the placa (square).

September 26, 2007   Wednesday   Fly Barcelona, Spain to Frankfurt, Germany to Dulles

Today we fly home. We walk our luggage and boxed bikes half a block to the concert hall where our bus can pull in to load. A large bus pulled in on time and we load everything with room to spare. We have little traffic going to the airport and arrive in half an hour. We check in with no hassle about our bikes and smoothly pass through security. Our Lufthansa flight number 4453 from Barcelona (BCN) departs on time at 12:50p arriving in Frankfurt (FRA) ahead of the scheduled 3:00p. We have a smooth transition to the international terminal. We board United Airlines flight number 933 on a Boeing 777. Couples are separated so Rob takes Barry's seat next to Anna, Barry takes my seat next to Mary and I take Rob's seat. Our plane takes off at the scheduled 5:00p from Frankfurt (FRA), Germany. We fly over England, Wales and Ireland then across the north Atlantic on a 4453 mile 8 hours and 43 minutes flight to Dulles (IAD) Airport in Virginia arriving before the scheduled 7:43p. Our luggage and bikes arrive quickly and Sylvia and Anne are waiting as we exit immigration and customs. We have little traffic and no problems driving home. This entire trip has been almost seamless. A great big thank you Gary and Deb!