Col d'Aubisque from Argelès Gazost via Col du Soulor
In single word - epic
It was a bit of a restless night. Both of us were a bit nervous about our planned ride for today. In our original plan we would not be in Lourdes right now but in the town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. We would then ride to Argelès Gazost and spend two nights there. This would allow us have a rest day before tackling the big ride to Col d'Aubisque. Scott (the name of our guide in case you did not know) had also thought maybe he could organize a way for our four panniers to be transferred ahead to our hotel so that we would not have to carry them. What was he thinking - that this was a Backroads tour?! We can only wish. However, the weather window had set up perfectly for the next two days and we needed to go now. There would be no rest day in Argelès Gazost. It was our time to ride the infamous Col d'Aubisque via Col du Soulor as both cols are within striking distance from Lourdes. We were psyched!
But first, why is Col d'Aubisque so infamous? Well, aside from the Cycleblaze lore, (many CBers have completed this ride) this is from Wikipedia, ¨The Col d'Aubisque is an integral part of the "legend of the Tour (de France)". While the organizers of the first tours did not dare to tackle the high mountains, the step was taken in 1910 with the first major Pyrenean stage. Since then, the Tour de France has crossed it 74 times. ¨ Some cyclists will say that this ride is the very best in the Pyrenees. So there you have it. We had to do it even without buying the fridge magnet.
We had our breakfast at the hotel, picked up two sandwiches at a nearby patisserie and connected with the cycle path that would take us the 15KM to the starting point of Argelès Gazost. All good so far.
This is the view of Château fort de Lourdes from our room and this is as close as we got to it. The area dates back to Roman times and today, the oldest remains date from the 11th and 12th centuries and consist of the foundations of the present fortifications.
It was a beautiful day. We were nervous but we were up for the challenge. The first goal was the Col du Soulor. It is about 20 KMs from Argelès Gazost and requires 1000 metres of climbing. We made our way to highway D 918 leaving Argelès Gazost and the road ramped up immediately. Just beyond the town we saw a sign that clearly stated that the D918 road to both of the of the cols that we had planned to ride through today was FERMÉ!
We were in disbelief. Was this a joke? It certainly could not be because of snow. A yellow sign just beyond stated, ¨RD918 COL DU SOULOR ROUTE BARREE A 3KM DU SOMMET¨. Now, we have seen many route barrier signs and usually think that cyclists are exempt from such road closures. We are always able to pass through them. There was no information signage about bikes - just that the road was fermé.
Time for a huddle. We had no plan B. This was obviously the first time that we had heard of the road closure. If we got all the way up and there was no road, we were hooped. We flagged down the first cyclist coming downhill and asked him what he knew. He said that you could walk your bike through the construction area - he did it yesterday. With this information we agreed that it was go and began the ride up.
Scott AndersonI can’t believe the day you got for this. So lucky! I love this pass - it’s one of the two or three I’d most love to ride again someday. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
The road down for these roadies. But there were very few riders going up and not a single cycle tourer on the road in either direction. This should be a popular route. This begins to gnaw at us.
The real tough climbing to the Col du Soulor began at the small village of Arrens Marsous. The road got serious at this point with 7% plus grades for the next 7KM to the top. A total vertical gain of 500 metres from this point will get you to Col du Soulor.
At Arrens Marsons we encountered many more FERME signs. We stopped and thought that it may be prudent to get a local`s perspective on the route barrée. So we asked anyone who would talk to us. Most said that it was closed, that there was no way through and it may be dangerous. Not what we wanted to hear and more than disappointing . Pat talked to two young guys in the tourism office. They had not been there, had not seen it but had heard that some people had made it through the closed area. They also thought that the road was falling away and if you walked on the far side of the road in the grass you may be okay. We were in too deep at this point, we had to see this for ourselves. We began to climb. On our way up, we stopped the first cycle tourer we had seen all day. He said that he had just come through and it could be easily done. Hurray!!
Early on we decided it if we were going to make it to the top that it was best to eat our lunch. Sitting on the road guard rail was our picnic spot. There were few cars going up because the road only went for four more kilometres before you would be turned around.
Three kilometres from Col de Soulor we reached the road barriers. There were a half dozen motorcycle riders that were milling about and seemed unhappy about the route barrier. We walked around the barrier with our bikes and stopped short of a pile of gravel that a small digger was placing beside the road. There were two men working and we politely asked to cross. ¨NO¨ was the answer with his arms crossed indicating an X. The road is closed. We begged, we pleaded, we bribed. They were not going to let us through. Pat said that we should just go. With no other options, we pushed our bikes past the pile of rock, around the small digger machine and out past the far barrier. We did not take our eyes off the road and did not look at the two workers. Our hearts were pounding. What would they do in the face of this defiance? As it turns out, absolutely nothing! In the end we think that they would/could not grant permission but would not stop you either. We were home free!
Here it is what the fuss was all about. This is taken after we passed through. We are not sure where the road on the left comes from but pretty sure it could not be used as a detour route.
Steve Miller/GrampiesAt times like this it is our default to neither speak nor understand any French and just push on through. Looks like this was a normal French "route barre", that is, a big nothing on a bike. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Ann OBrienI only just heard about the closure today so it was good to see your post:) We are heading across the Pyrenees next month and looking forward to Soulor and Aubisque. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Scott FenwickTo Ann OBrienTo us it appeared to be such a small section of road and the working being completed was minimal. BUT you could see that the entire road surface needed to be replaced. Not sure what this would require, but it would be more substantial than what was happening. You would think with the importance of this road there would be some urgency = so maybe the repairs will be completed before you arrive. I would also think that stronger enforcement of the closure may also be inevitable. We were so lucky! Reply to this comment 6 months ago
The only cars on the road were these old MGs (I think that is what they are). They were part of a tour that went down to the barrier to have a look and then passed us again on their way back up
Barry DevlinWay to go! But only 1,474 m? Our Colorado ranch is more than 2,500 m. Bring your bikes next time and we can take photo. Or better yet, you can ride up to Pike's Peak at 4,300 m! Reply to this comment 6 months ago
We stopped at the top and had coffees at the restaurant on this warm afternoon. It was really quiet here. Almost no cars and just a handful of cyclists talking about the route barrée. The consensus was - do not ask, just keep walking. After savouring the completion of our first objective, we still had further to go to our ultimate goal of the Col d'Aubisque.
Simple math - 350 vertical metres to go. Do not let that 4.7% fool you. It is an average grade over the next 7.5KM. The road starts out quite flat and you pay for that later. We found that the last few KM to the col were crushers at this stage of the day.
We laughed at this sign as it seems that there are no barriers for these Canadians! The sign actually warns of metal cattle crossing bars in the road ahead.
Jacquie GaudetWhat I remember about Col d’Aubisque (one of my favourite rides ever and a reason we’ve returned to the Pyrenees) is that it was so beautiful I didn’t want to leave. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
This is a good shot showing the ski area of Gourette. From wiki, ¨Gourette is one of the few resorts in the Pyrenees to offer a difference in altitude of more than 1,000 metres (between 1,350 and 2,450 metres), all regularly covered in snow from November to April; indeed, the Atlantic climate of this western part of the Pyrenees is very often snowy when the north-westerly flows block against the high Pyrenean wall. While the Spanish Pyrenees, a few kilometres further south, suffer from dry winters, the northern French side is buried by heavy snowfall.¨
To wrap this day and the long blog entry up, we stayed in the small town of Eaux-Bonnes. It is a thermal spa town that now looks really quiet. This suited us fine. We had a fixed menu of lamb for dinner at our hotel and crashed early to end this epic day.
Patrick O'Hara Nice work, guys. Funny, when Sue and I were in Laruns in 2018, we were to ride Aubisque, but it was closed because of the road giving way. We heard that it was possible to get through, but only super early in the morning before the workers arrived. We decided not to take the chance and instead went the long way around and up and over Soulor. Glad you had a chance at both cols! Bravo. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Jacquie GaudetCongratulations on doing it! You might find, like I did, that the sense of achievement is addictive (as long as there are distracting views). Reply to this comment 6 months ago
