ideally the 'official' Raid Pyrénéen time trial, organised by the Cyclo-Club Béarnais, is an 18 col, 710km route to be completed in under 100 hours....
or any alternatives? such as off road options?
when did folk go/time of year/ where did people stay and any other practical considerations to be taken into account...training?
Thanks
I'm currently head-in-maps sorting out an offroad version of this to be done in Aug. There are a few write-ups on the Web from guys that have done it offroad.
C
Just by chance I was there for parts of the 2012 raid, just as a spectator. It was a bit hard to understand what was going on but there were definitely runners and mountain bike competitors. It looked great
Would be interested if you could explain the route etc
I did the Raid Pyrenees with super-lightweight camping kit a couple of years ago. Weather was fabulous; went late summer but it was damn hot -tarmac melting hot. Trainng is a bit tricky as there are no bumps that big here (someone do tell me I'm wrong..). Ride up and down and up and down etc Snake Pass? I did that a few times. Or do the Marmotte a few weeks before. Wouldn't worry about water as streams are plentiful, but you might want to take some puritabs. I've got some photos of my bike set up if you are interested. Roads generally excellent and drivers very curteous. Route card is a work of art. Let me know if you need any more info and good luck. Fabulous ride. Eat lots of banannas.
cheers riden perysoude/aspin/port de bales/superbagneres/aspet and tourmalet/plus rides around prades and some in basque country but never the whole length......................slightly worried over the daily distances.
Port de Bales - ah, the horror. The distances are fine; you just need to get used to being in the saddle for a long time; like 10+ hours. I'm sure you'll love it. Ah - one important tip - do not miss the checkpoint after the top of the Tourmalet; or you'll have to ride back up; like I had to, doh.
lol...nightmare
port de bales ....oh so so steep but brillant