Cycling Heaven
By Mimi Sheean

I took this photo of myself at the top of Col de la Core, a category 1 climb. This view is looking north to France. The last 14 km of this climb averaged 5.5%, with 7.5% for the last 6 km-just steep enough to wear you out. In five days I rode over 8 of the near-by cols, including Col de Port (easy), Col de Port de Lers (challenging from the north, brutal from the south, especially with temperatures of 46 degrees at the top), and Col de la Cruzette, a short but nasty little climb with 2 km of over 12%, a real lung-buster. I felt like I was crawling up that one on my hands and knees.

Looking back down I could see the road circling beneath me as I skirted the bowl created by the peaks of tuc de Quer-Ner and cap de Bouirex. I was climbing the final kilometer to the col de la Core, a 1395 meter pass in the Pyrenees. The ascent was steep enough that I was wishing for a 27 cog, and high enough that the air was a thin. Up above me the ribbon of road edged along the steep mountainside, switch-backing up to where I thought the top must surely be.

At last I hit summit after ninety minutes of climbing, and it was beautiful. There was still snow on the peaks, and the green valleys below stretched out into the hazy sunshine. To the south of me, only 8 kilometers away, lay the Spanish border. To the north was all of France.

From the top the 13 km descent into the village of Oust was steep, twisty, and loads of fun. From Oust I climbed again, over the almost diminutive col de Saraillé, a mere 942 meter bump, before an even steeper and twistier descent back into the tiny hamlet of Biert and the Pyrenean Pursuits Cycle Lodge.

I learned about Nick Flanagan's lodge in Tim Moore's book, "French Revolutions, Cycling the Tour de France," a very funny book in which Moore, an out-of-shape, avid cycling fan, rides the entire route of the 2000 Tour before the racers do. He tells of staying at Pyrenean Pursuits, eating great food and getting to know the Flanagans who came here from England 12 years ago to open their lodge to guests.
Nick and his wife Jan also run cycling tours through the area, including the "Raid Pyrenees," which run across the range from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and have to be completed in 100 hours-a challenge to be sure.

Nick and Jan pose in front of the famous bicycle gate.

The lodge is a renovated old farm house with kitchen, dining room, and a cycling library (with every cycling book ever written, including Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage.) on the first floor, two guest rooms on the second floor, and a loft with 4 beds on top. There is also a bar with TV and dozens of cycling videos-Nick is a true cycling fan.

Staying at the lodge is like staying at a friend's house because, one, it is amazingly cheap-about $36 a day (including breakfast and dinner); two, because Nick is such a personable host he seems like an old friend immediately; and three, because the place is little grubby-but in a cozy, family kinda way.

After a breakfast of juice, coffee, cereal, and toast it's time to ride. Nick can recommend many excellent rides, and he has maps and charts of every col to guide you. The roads are quite safe and in good condition. Needless to say, every ride was memorable.

My trusty Holland at the top of Col de la Core. I'd just ridden up the valley seen in the view.

After riding, the high-point of the day for all us hungry cyclists was
dinner. Eat to ride, ride to eat was the raison d'être at the lodge. Nick is a first-rate cook so this was easy to do. The tone of the evening was set with a wine kir aperitif. The first course could be a delicious home-made soup or refreshing salad, and this was always followed by the most amazing gourmet meal, served of course with a nice vin de pays. Dessert, if you could still manage it, could be crême brulée or fruit or ice cream. There was always ample good cheer and conversation among the cyclists, for it's hard not to be in a good mood when you're in cycling heaven.

The road to Col de Port de Lers. Every col has a sign telling cyclists the distance, the average grade of ascent as well as the maximum. Sometimes it's better not to know.

You can find Prenean Pursuits on the world wide web at www.bikepyrenees.com