Road Trip, take two...
After the previous aborted attempt (see 'Pure Bliss' post) at my little road trip I decided to give it another bash only with the wifey in tow this time to keep me sane in the event of any more nightmares. So with the Landy all packed we set off once again, this time making it to the Pyrenees without incident. We were greeted at Luz Saint Saveur, at the the foot of the Tourmalet, by lashing rain and mist so binned the campsite idea in favour of a little B&B. As we were running to a very tight schedule on this trip the only way I could get a crack at the Tourmalet was to be on the bike for 5am the next morning.
Luckily the rain gave way to a dry but pretty nippy morning as I set off with lights ablaze into the darkness on the eerily deserted roads. A little way above Bareges a sign indicated the col was closed but I decided to press on anyway hoping luck would be on my side. Just above the ski station the barrier was closed across the road but I skirted round the edge still feeling optimistic. This didn't last long as rounding the next corner I discovered my way blocked by a 20m wide section of snow where the piste ran off the hill straight over the road. Arse! Still not wanting to admit defeat I shouldered the bike cyclo cross style, remounted and carried on. After repeating this procedure half a dozen or so times the going started to get decidedly sketchy with sheet ice and rock fall debris littering the road. DEFEAT! So after snapping a few pics I had to turn for home feeling a little bit disheartened. Having miscalculated just how cold a true Alpine descent can be I absolutely froze my arse off on the way down. At one point I thought one of my wheels had maybe come loose only to realise I was shivering so hard it was causing speed wobble. I almost ripped past the B&B like a bullet train through a station as my now useless frozen claws refused to apply any pressure to the brakes.
So with project Tourmalet proving elusive once again we had no option but to carry on with our little road trip. The only consolation was a great little ride on two of my favourite climbs, and a day or so chilling out with the wifey, on the Costa Blanca a little later in the week. The rest of the time was pretty much pedal to the metal with the occasional stop to empty my wallet at various service stations. The Tourmalet remains on the list under the heading 'Unfinished Business'. In the words of a great Austrian philosopher "I'll be back".......
This road trip was brought to you courtesy of Red Bull, Peanut M&M's, and vending machine cappuccinos.
Dave.
