Over Col d'Ares into France

July 4, 2016

Camprodon-Prats de Mollo-Ceret

The trouble with hotels is that breakfast is never early enough! The included breakfast has been quite good, and good value, in Spain, but never available before 8, if then. Of course, restaurants don't serve meals before 8 or 9, and then I usually can't get to sleep before midnight, if even then. The result is I'm never on the road until 9:30. Maybe it will be different in France.

I had to ride over the Pont Nou before I left town. Then, of course, I got lost on the other side.

The climb up Coll d'Ares was nice and still mostly in the shade. Although the road was red on my Michelin map, there wasn't much traffic. I actually enjoyed the climb, though I had to stop and wipe sweat, take a drink, and let my heart rate slow down many times.

First coll on this trip with a sign at the bottom!

I was worried about traffic, but it died away not far out of Camprodon.

At the top I met another cyclist, on a light road bike. Dany lives in Camprodon and told me a bit about the history of this pass. There's a monument here to commemorate the revolutionaries who fled Franco over this pass in the winter of 1939. They drove up, pushed their vehicles over the edge, and walked into France—where they were rounded up and held in camps. Dany and two friends cycled the French Pyrenees over the famous cols last year with just a change of clothes and a credit card. A different way to do it. He said they requested an early breakfast, which the hotel would put out the night before, so they could be on the road early. Weather in the Pyrenees is changeable but the storms are usually later in the day.

After the pass, it was down, down, down to Prats de Mollo, where I bought bread and cheese and apricots for lunch, eaten on a bench in the town park. Back on my bike, it was more down along the valley of the Tech, a beautiful ride. Approaching Arles-sur-Tech, I noticed that my Garmin had shut itself off. It does that every so often and it drives me crazy. No record of my first real Col.

Welcome to France! It seems I'm on a bike route.

This house next door to the church had interesting trompe l'oeil paintings...

I picked up the rail trail somewhere before Amélie-les-Bains and it was a reasonable alternative to the D115. A new-looking rail trail, I like to use these when they are provided. I wish my government at home would build intercity bike routes!

I followed it all the way to Ceret and the municipal campground. Very clean, but sadly no restaurant. It took me some time to find a place to eat. I sat down at a place that seemed to have a food menu, but then it was only drinks and ice cream. So I had my first real beer of the trip and, feeling parched, it went down way too fast. Now feeling light-headed, I rode around and finally settled for pizza. I was early; they opened at 8 and it was 6:35. They obligingly brought me a big bottle of water (tap water! so free) to drink while I waited. A green salad, just lettuce and dressing, not the best lettuce, follows by a tasty pizza. More veggies tomorrow!

Because my Garmin quit, this is a copy of my route created after the fact!

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Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 324 km (201 miles)

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