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Day 7 - To Bielle, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine - 256 miles
Day 7
Day 7 profile
On the bikes by 9:50 we headed northwest. The first fuel stop was a mere ¾ mile from the Parador. The N330 became the N334 and then we joined the A23 or Autovía Almudejar which is 23 miles long. This motorway was empty. Can you imagine being on an English motorway for 23 miles at 10:30 on a Saturday morning and only seeing about a dozen other vehicles - no, I didn't think so. Again, I was using the motorway to cover some ground to get to the more interesting roads. The A23 becomes the N234 again and slightly more interesting. As we passed northwards the Moorish influence on the architecture became more apparent. At 11:00 we stopped at Burbáguena.
Moorish architecture at Burbáguena
At Retascón the road again becomes the N330 and at Cariñena we turned up the A220 to join the N1i. The roads up to this point were generally a good surface with mostly straight sections but every couple of miles a few interesting bends. Pleasant, but nothing to write home about.
At 11:48 we started the 80 miles of motorway riding. It took us 1 hour 40 minutes due to a navigational error by "yours truly".
As we approached the junction between the A2 and the N330 (again) the instructions on the GPS read "Take exit 322A to the right onto Avenida de Los Pirineos". 120ft later there is the instruction "Keep left onto Avenida de Los Pirineos ramp". Problem was we were doing 60ft/sec and 322A was the right fork and in two seconds the GPS didn't update the instruction. It must be a "right fork" thing I have about Spanish motorway junctions. The fact that I was looking for junction numbers and missed the sign saying Huesca just shows how reliant you can become on seeing only what you expect to see. So right we went. In the opposite direction to that we wanted and straight into the heart of Zaragossa.
Well the architecture was interesting as we crossed Puente Santiago looking straight towards some magnificent buildings. Next time I might make a deliberate detour through Zaragossa,
We found a roundabout and retraced our steps.
Two miles past this junction we stopped for fuel, water and a sandwich at 12:30 and rested for 15 minutes.
Just as we about to pass through the tunnel between Huesca and Sabiñánigo there was an ambulance attending a downed biker - pedal cyclist - considering the speed these guys achieve on the downhill sections I wouldn't like to meet tarmac without protective clothing - he had, unfortunately, and looked in a bad way.
As you descend from 4000ft on exit from the tunnel to 2360ft before climbing again for the border there are some fantastic views over the Pyrénées. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to stop to photograph them. There are some good sweepers too.
I had said that if we got to Sabiñánigo by 2pm I would consider the alternative route I had prepared which took us over the pass Alan and I did in 2001. In any event we got to Sabiñánigo at 14:14 and decided that to do the alternative route would mean no stops for pictures so we took the A136. L'Ayguelade very kindly phoned me on the day we left Alicante telling me that the pass had just the previous day been opened (I had asked if they would do this for me - very much appreciated) so I knew it would be a good ride. What I hadn't taken into account was it was a Saturday on a French bank holiday weekend!
View from Sabiñánigo
So we started the final 50 miles of this day's leg. The most demanding and, at the same time, the most picturesque.
14:38:01 (UTC+2) 3569 ft N42.68506 W0.32014 gave these views:-
Near Búbal looking SE
Near Búbal looking NE
14:56:08 (UTC+2) 4334 ft N42.75891 W0.32831 gave these:-
Looking towards Sallent de Gállego
Different view of the same
And 15:20:51 (UTC+2) 5875 ft N42.80608 W0.41825 gave
these:-
The border from the French side
North into France
Downhill from the Col du Pourtaler was very scenic but very crowded. As I said, I hadn't taken into account that it was a French bank holiday weekend, and everybody, yes, everybody was up that mountain. Coaches, camper vans, 4x4s, the whole caboodle so the downhill trip was a bit of a bore. The scenery was good. The trouble was, after you had managed to overtake a few of the above, you were not inclined to stop to take photos and let them pass you again. It was the sort of road that you wished you were going up with no traffic. Indeed, if I were to do multiple crossings of the Pyrenées I would choose to cross into France by the route Alan and I took via the Port de Larrau and back into Spain by this route .... on a weekday!
4 miles into France and 1500ft lower
At 16:24:03 (UTC+2) 1713 ft N42.98170 W0.42272 we were fuelling up at Laruns. Andy asked if I wanted to go up the side road he had seen just before this stop, leading off to the right. This road was the D918 which leads to the Col d'Aubisque, a well known biking favourite, but I was tired after all the slow downhill work* and looking forward to a beer and a shower so declined** (I didn't even tell him of its significance). It is reputably a demanding road best taken fresh and not at the end of a long day.
* The average speed from the border to Laruns was 17.6mph :-(
** I was also (rightly, as it transpired) concerned about fuel conservation for the next day
So with a disappointed Andy and full tanks we headed north to our hotel.
At 16:40:02 (UTC+2) 1423 ft N43.06368 W0.42463 we arrived at L'Ayguelade and we were greeted by M. Lartigau and invited to put our bikes in his garage.
As before, L'Ayguelade was excellent. The food and hospitality superb. They have increased the size of the restaurant so, obviously, their reputation has spread. Andy was very impressed and at the end of the trip said that the one place he would definitely wish to revisit would be this. Now, persuading his wife is this year's project.
Hotel L'Ayguelade
Stats
Moving time 4:52
258 miles
Moving Av 52.9 mph
Overall Av 36.6 mph
Total Time 7:02
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