Dutch Wheelman Bicycle Tours

Today we head back to Spain by first climbing the beautiful Col de Peyresourde with it lush growth of green as we start the climb and the sparkling snow capped peaks as we reach the top.  It was mini quiche for lunch today followed by delicious pastries for afternoon snack.  Every stop for a break in the climbing was well appreciated today as we topped the Col d’ Azet andCol de Bielsa.  At the top of the Col de Bielsa there was a two mile long  tunnel that we needed to go through. BUT, when we arrived,we were greeted with signs stating that no bicycles or pedestrians were allowed to go through.Border crossings are very limited and we would have to make a 100 mile detour,so we tried to go through the tunnel despite the warning.  That didn’t work!  Sirens and alarms went off loudly and we resorted to making three trips with the van to get us through.  The Pena Montanesa hotel was a welcome sight and the cooling pool and the buffet dinner made us all happy cyclists.

Luchon, France is a fun,busy,touristy town, which some of us visited two years ago on our trip to The Pyrenees. One of the Tour de France stages finished here and the towns’ support is still evident.  Well known for its’ Spa,it is the only natural thermal cave is Europe and some of us were able to enjoy the 105 degree, 100 percent humidity.

After a nice breakfast, we left for the day at 9:00 a.m.  The forecast was for 60% chance of rain, but the forecast was wrong, and we completed the 70 miles by mid afternoon.  We started off with smooth, flat roads through several small villages and then came the CLIMB!  The Port de la Bonaigua presented a new challenge.  As we went higher, it became colder and colder. Jackets and leg warmers were pulled out of the van.  Then came the clouds.  When we reached the top, if the car wouldn’t have had the lights on, it would have been difficult to see it.  Ham and cheese sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly, along with a can of coke were on the lunch menu today, as it has been every day.  We had to be very careful on the descent, but were excited that we had reached the highest elevation of our trip to date, 6500 feet.  Then on to, up and over, the Col de Portillon which brought us into Luchon, France.  The heavily armed French Military Police were at the top of the climb checking on visitors going from Spain to France .

Back to Spain today and climbing the Col del Canto…15 miles of MOUNTAIN!  Is it ever going to end?  How far yet to the top? Closer the end of the day we rode through some cute little villages and along a beautiful mountain stream on the way to Tavascan.  What a quaint little village we found there at the end of the day. We sat outside soaking up the sun and suds, resting from a long day.  Concert of Spanish guitar music,which was outside in the garden of our hotel and started at 10 p.m.,kept most of us from getting to sleep too early.

Today was a “rest Day” for most, but Thorr, Helmut, and Scott decided that a day without cycling would not do.  They had mountains in every direction we looked to ride up. The other riders spent the day roaming the city which is a Shopping Mecca for many French and Spanish people, since this Principality has no taxes.  The diesel fuel for the car was 15 euro cents per liter than in Spain, so it was fill up time!  We had a DELICIOUS dinner at Don Denis with champagne on the house!

Leaving Berga today and heading to Andorra.  Getting out of town this a.m. was our first challenge! But after acouple of tries, we were on our way.  We encountered some beautiful climbs (well, at least in the minds of some!).  Our first mechanical malfunction happened at the start of the first climb when Sara’s shifter cable broke.  That took about 45 minutes to fix and then the 12 mile climb began.  Hairpin turns are something we can now see in our sleep!

Today we traveled in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The hills got a bit longer and steeper during our 75 mile ride with over 8000 ft. of climbing. As we entered the city we got greeted by a big storm that drenched the area. It was a challenge to walk down the steep cobbled streets on our cleats as it was to slippery to ride.

Great day of cycling today!  It was bright and sunny, getting very hot in the afternoon,and we culminated the day with 92 miles ridden and 7300 feet of climbing.En route we had a brief stop at the Abbey of  Montserrat. Everyone was happy to arrive at Mas de la Sala, where we enjoyed a variety of Catalonian food and drinks in beautiful Spanish surroundings.

After a delay at Newark airport, we finally took off but arrived one hour later than expected at Barcelona. And things got worse. After we got off the plane we spent close to three hours in line to get our passports checked. But with the help of the hotel shuttle service we finally made it to our destination. we assembled all the bicycles and went for a warmup ride to the Olympic stadium at Montjuich mountain. The views from the top were spectacular.