RAID PYRENEAN

ARRIVAL DAY
We'll be at the airport to meet your flight, usually coming into Toulouse, Carcassonne, Biarritz or possibly Bilbao. Then we load up your luggage and head off to the hotel, where we'll have tool kits and track pumps available so you can put your bikes together, and perhaps even go for a quick spin before dinner.

DAY 1 - HENDAYE TO ARUDY - 182KM, CLIMBING 2,300 METRES
We start at 9:00 am and you now have 100 hours to complete the challenge. We begin our ride along the undulating coast road, with stunning sea views, before heading inland through the distinctive Basque country with its red-timbered buildings and rolling green hills. We have a couple of small climbs today, the Col de St. Ignace (169m) and the Col d'Osquich, only 500 metres high, but enough to wake you up. Even so, it's quite a challenging day, especially if you've not cycled mountains before, but soon we'll be in Arudy and you'll be able to relax and enjoy a hot shower, a cold beer, and a good meal.

DAY 2 - ARUDY TO ST MARIE DE CAMPAN - 114KM, CLIMBING 3,000 METRES
Today we really start riding the mountains, starting with the 17km climb to the Col d'Aubisque (1709m), passing through the pretty town of Eaux Bonnes on the way. You'll see us every few kilometres as you climb, so you can always top up your water bottle or grab something to eat - or just stop for a breather and a chat. When we finally get to the top there's a cafe where they make the best Cappuccino we’ve ever found in France.

From there it's almost 10km to the top of the Col du Soulor (1474m), beginning with an 8km descent that takes you along the famous Cirque de Litor, where in 1951 the first Dutch rider to ever wear the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France fell over the edge and landed 20 metres below on a tiny ledge, avoiding a fall of several hundred metres and certain death. His quick-thinking manager tied a tow rope to 40 spare racing tyres and pulled him back up. Unfortunately, the tyres all became so stretched, the whole team had to abandon the rest of the tour. We descend into Argèles-Gazost and follow the valley for nearly 20km to Luz-St-Sauveur. Just when you thought it couldn't get any harder we tackle the mighty Tourmalet (2115m), another 19km climb. Again, you'll see us frequently on the climb, and there's a café on the top where we can stop for coffee and a snack if you need to recharge your batteries. Finally, it's 17km downhill all the way to the hotel in St Marie de Campan.

DAY 3 - ST MARIE DE CAMPAN TO MASSAT - 170KM, CLIMBING 3,000 METRES
St Marie de Campan is famous in Tour de France history because one of the cyclists in the 1913 Tour, Eugène Christophe, broke his forks 10km up the climb to the Tourmalet while he was in the lead. The rules at that time stated that riders had to make their own repairs, without outside help, so he walked 10km back to the town, weeping all the way, and the local blacksmith showed him how to use the forge. Finally, hours later, after finishing the repair, he was disqualified; he had allowed a seven-year-old boy to pump the bellows. You’ll see a picture that commemorates the event on the wall of one of the buildings in the town. From St Marie de Campan we head straight into the climb up to the Col d'Aspin (1489m). This is one of the most undeveloped cols in the Pyrenees (there's literally nothing there except grass and cattle) but the descent into Arreau is probably the fastest and most enjoyable descent on the Raid Pyrenean. When we get to Arreau we start the climb to the Col du Peyresourde (1569m). There's a little café at the top where most riders like to stop for an omelette or crèpes, before descending again into the charming spa town of Bagnères de Luchon. We cycle along the valley for 22km before turning off to make the modest climb up to the the Col des Ares (797m). Afterwards we ride along a ridge for a while, then we start our last climb of the day, the short but very challenging Col de Portet d'Aspet (1069m), passing the magnificent marble monument to Fabio Casartelli on the way up. This young cyclist was tragically killed in the Tour de France in 1995. From the top we descend for around 30km to St Girons, before turning right and cycling almost 30km along the more or less flat Arac valley to Massat, near our home base. Since we're at home, we're happy to do a load of laundry for everyone if you need clean kit.

DAY 4 - MASSAT TO PRADES - 157KM, CLIMBING 3,000 METRES
This is a demanding day, on a par with Day 2. We head out of the village of Massat and straight into the fairly gentle climb up to the Col de Port (1250m), passing our house half way up. From the top we descend into Tarascon-sur-Ariège, and then cycle 27km along the main valley road to the ski resort of Ax-les-Thermes, which is probably the busiest and most boring part of the whole route. We usually stop in Ax for coffee and perhaps a pastry to give you a quick energy boost, and then we start the long but amazingly beautiful climb to the Port de Pailhères (2001m). Once you're out of the town, the roads are very quiet and the scenery is spectacular. From the top we descend for a while and then climb briefly again. The road here is undulating until we get to Mont Louis and then we begin the fast, 36km descent down into Prades, where we stay the night. If you get to the hotel in good time you can enjoy the swimming pool before we head into town for dinner.

DAY 5 - PRADES TO CERBERE - 92KM, CLIMBING 700 METRES
Traditionally we treat the last day as a team time trial. The pace is fast because you have to be in Cerbère before 1pm if you want to meet the conditions of the challenge - and it's the last day, so everyone gets excited. The record so far is just under three hours. You ride past endless vineyards and fruit farms on a slight downward slope, before you hit the coast where there are some fairly short, sharp climbs onto the headlands between the towns, and then it's the long, fast descent into Cerbère. We usually chill for a while with a beer before we pack up the bikes, and then there's time for a swim and perhaps a nap if you wish before we enjoy our celebration dinner overlooking the sea.

DEPARTURE DAY
We can drop you back to Perpignan, Carcassonne, Toulouse or possibly Beziers.