cycling Col d'Aubisque - along the asphalt balcony

I have a new climbing partner today. A Dutch bike, painted black and silver, from the Focus company. I hope he's not related to the horrible Prog-Rock band of the 1970�s, also called Focus. I quickly offer my friend a new name, Tjalling, in honour of the translator of my books in The Netherlands. When I�m not riding a bike, I�m an author of books for children and young adults, and Tjalling, the translator, has done a sterling job on four of my novels.

In cold but clear conditions, Tjalling and I set out from Argeles-Gavost, a lovely village in the Pyrenees, to climb Col d�Aubisque, one of the legendary climbs of the Tour de France. So legendary in fact that it was included in La Grande Boucle every year from it�s debut in 1910 until 1977.  Astonishing!

However, the first few kilometres are hardly welcoming, offering a brutal 8.5 % gradient. I�m being tailed by two riders who are gratefully getting assistance at the beginning of a long climb. When we reach level ground in the Val d�Azun, they swing past me and suggest our own little peloton. But, I say, �No, merci.� The truth is I always feel as if I�m pushing too hard when riding with other cyclists. I�m not here for a time trail, only the views and the exercise. And the beer at the finish. They speed off and I�m left alone with Tjalling, who has an aluminium frame with a carbon fork, so he�s a touch heavier than I�ve had in the past few days. But after last night�s magret de canard, so am I. 

The valley road takes me through peaceful villages, each with a church and a rushing stream of snowmelt. However, I'm a little confused. I expected more serious climbing. The gradient slips between 2% and 6%, all relatively easy. 

Until we reach Arrens, when the sign tells me that the Col du Soulor begins here with an impressive 8% rise. I�m aware I have to climb Soulor before d�Aubisque. I guess that means I can claim I�ve climbed two mountains in the one morning. If I make it. I�ve ridden twelve kilometres and still have eighteen to the summit. Soulor offers no respite, hardly dropping below 7% for nine kilometres. 

To my left are mountains shrouded in cloud and a lovely stone barn appears every few hundred metres, for keeping animals in winter, I imagine? I round a bend and see the most attractive rubbish bin I�m ever likely to encounter. Built of stone with two timber swing doors, it�s backed by a pine forest and has an excellent view down into the valley. All for the rubbish.

I reach the summit of Soulor, finally. It�s taken more energy than I�d expected. I�m greeted by one of the cyclists who offered a peloton earlier. He congratulates me and advises me to wear a jacket and eat something before continuing. Do I look that bad? 

The problem is I haven�t read enough about the climb before starting out this morning. I'm not aware that the road now descends for three kilometres before climbing again for seven more. 

But, what a road! The tarmac drops quickly, hugging the outside of the mountain before turning left. After one kilometre of descent, I stop. I am gobsmacked by the view. Ahead of me, I can see the road I�ll be riding is seemingly chiselled into the side of a mountain. It�s like an asphalt balcony. What�s even more exciting, is the gradient doesn�t appear to be too steep. I�ll be riding along a narrow platform, halfway up a mountain with sweeping views to the valley below and mountains opposite. I take a photo, but I know it won�t do justice to the view. Dubbed the Cirque de Litor, it's a corniche beyond compare.

It�s an unforgettable ride. Craggy peaks loom directly above the road, which along the balcony offers an easy gradient, so I can relax and enjoy the vista. To my right, two hawks chase each other across the valley, until they are only a hundred metres from me. Then suddenly, one hawk drops, falling swiftly for fifty metres, followed by his acrobatic partner. Wow. I almost ride off the road. The �safety rails� are sixty centimetre high stone blocks. They�re not stopping a wayward cyclist from a sheer drop to the valley below.

The first tunnel is short and perfectly frames a mountain ahead. The second tunnel is pitch black, damp and I cannot see the road I�m riding on. I hope there are no rocks ahead. Once out, I�m in a cool forest section for one kilometre and I catch my breath and drink the last of my water. My lips are dry, not from exertion, but from excitement. 

The last three kilometres are steep, as if d�Aubisque is not letting us have all this pleasure for nothing. I pass a herd of cows, one is knee deep in mud right beside the road. She doesn�t appear concerned, munching on the grass on the bank. And, finally, at 1,710 metres, I reach the summit. 

The view is spectacular, although many of the mountains are cloaked in clouds. The temperature is noticeably cooler. Across the road from the hotel and snack bar is a sculpture of three giant bicycles, each painted a colour of the Tour winning jerseys - yellow for overall winner; green for the sprinter; white with dots for the king of the mountain. They have a lovely backdrop of snow-capped clouded mountains. I can�t resist standing Tjalling and myself in front of them for one quick snap.

I don�t stay long at the summit. The descent along the balcony is spine-chilling in all sorts of ways, particularly when we hit the tunnel. It�s also the first time a car pulls off the road to let me through because he can�t go as fast as me on the winding narrow road. After I pass him, I realise I now have to keep the pace. So, a few hundred metres on, I pull over and pretend to check my rear brakes until he passes. There. Now back to a casual dawdle. 

On the three kilometre climb back up to Col du Soulor, my muscles are cold from the descent and it�s an effort to push myself further. At Soulor, I stop for lunch, a fromage and jambon baguette from a cheese shop. Not surprisingly, it�s full of delicious fromage. 

The extra weight speeds our descent to Argeles-Gavost. I stop at the first bar in the town square for a beer. 

Col d�Aubisque is one of the best routes I�ve ever ridden. It ranks up there with Col d�Aspin and Col de la Croix de Fer. I now understand why it�s used by the Tour so frequently.

Col d'Aubisque is a 'hors category' climb in the Pyrenees with an elevation of 1,710 metres and an average gradient of 4.1% over 30 kilometres with an elevation gain of 1247 metres.

Note: Don't be fooled by the low average gradient. Ten kilometres are along the valley floor. If you removed those from the equation, the average gradient would ramp up to between 6 and 7%.

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