Day 2 - Saint Blancard - Lourdes

Start: 10:10
Finish: 16:40
Distance: 83km
Cycling time: 4:40

Total climbing: 1446m
Punctures: 0

Mechanical failures: 0

Top speed: 69kmh

Lunch in Tournay at 13:20-14:35

Part of route on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/63797742

Today's route has been upgraded from Easy to Medium :-). Rather more rolling countryside and a fair few sharp climbs over several kilometres with plenty of hairpins and a fair few 10% and 12% warning signs to drivers. The landscape having changed from yesterday afternoon's Cotswolds to something more like the Brecon Beacons.

Highlights of the day included our 3-course Sunday lunch at a restsurant in Tournay; being cheered on by 20-30 drunken yoofs (getting "ready" for their town fete later) in Oleac-Dessus; and hitting 69kmh on one of the descents on the road from Montgaillard to Lourdes.

On the latter, there were three sharp climbs and descents on that road. We'll be repeating all three in reverse first thing as we head back that way, due to our re-route of the Tourmalet challenge tomorrow (floods on the western side).

Oh well... Onward and upward... and upward... and upward.

Me and Pete taking a morning stroll in Saint-Blancard

The road out of Saint-Blancard

Adam and Pete enjoying a 3-course Sunday lunch in Tournay

Adam, somewhere :-)

Our first sight of the Pyrenees

Day 1 - Toulouse - Saint Blancard

It's 4AM. 4AM... Eternaaaaaaal... Early start at London Gatwick to catch 6am flight. Thank you Premier Inn for our 4 hours sleep. Flight arrived 8:30am local time, bikes assembled and we were off...

Start: 10:00

Finish: 15:40

Distance: 84km

Cycling time: 4:10

Total climbing: 460m

Punctures: 1

Mechanical failures: 1 (UTS error)

We found an easy route from the airport and out of Toulouse, joining the D632 towards Fonsorbes. Not long and our first puncture: John's tour puncture curse strikes again.

Generally flat route for the first half of the ride but a very strong headwind. After St Lys the countryside got more interesting with a few sharp ascents, including one around 15% near Cadeillan. A good warm up for the legs ahead of the hills to come.

Lunch was hard to find, ultimately a jambon et fromage baguette from a boulangerie in Lombez. More rolling hills thereafter and several stops for John to try and remedy mechanical problems with his bike. After several attempts to fix we paused near a dead buzzard by the side of the road and realised he'd been riding all day with his back brakes locked on. A bit early in the tour for resistance training.

Our final climb was the short 3km into our destination, Saint Blancard. All of us felt wobbly legged by the time we reached the town. Just a little more effort than wanted for the first "easy" day. Still, the hotel, Le Relais du Chateau, was quickly found, and all of us changed for a relaxing beer...

Outside Premier Inn, Gatwick with Adam

Bike assembled and kitted up

Puncture!

Outside the hotel in front of Saint Blancard's chateau

Packing the Stoatmobile

Pete and John at Gatwick packing John's bike... the last bike to check in.

Already plenty of banter and reminiscences of hills gone by.

The 10 year reunion tour / giro / vuelta

Ten years on from our first long-distance bike trip, and just over three years since the last annual event, we're on the eve of a reunion tour, and probably our toughest yet... a long talked about dream tour through the Pyrenees, taking in some of the major Cols often ascended by le Tour and La Vuelta. (See our 2013 route.)

Six of us made that first trip - a three day jolly from Oxford to Paris, that took in an overnight ferry, snow in Le Havre, a scary ride over the Pont de Tancarville and ended under the Eiffel Tower.

We became a well-drilled touring unit over the next six years, with a further six tours across various parts of Europe, ending in a variety of major capital cities, including Madrid, Rome, Budapest and Athens. A variety of tourists have taken part in the trips, with the Stoat and the Badger being the ever present members of our motley crews, sharing rooms and beds and many adventures along the way.

So, after a few years off, it feels like we're back where we started. Total blissful ignorance of the scale of the challenge, and the hills, ahead of us. Looking forward to the banter and the cameraderie, the beer at the end, and meeting up with the girls for a relaxing weekend in Barcelona.

Finally, a shout out from John, Nick, Pete and Adam to those who couldn't make it this year: Jake, Adrian, Steve, Nick Corbett. We'll be raising a glass and two fingers to you every pedal we take.