Raid Pyrénéen

The Raid Pyrénéen is organised by the Cyclo-Club de Bearn in the heart of the Pyrénées. The challenge is to ride from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean over 18 classified cols in only 100 hours including sleep! A carnet de route is provided, and when returned to the Cyclo-Club with all control stamps present and correct, a prestigious medal is awarded. Not for the faint-hearted or under-prepared, the Raid is one of the toughest, but also one of the most rewarding, things you will ever do on a bicycle.

Day 1

We collect you from Biarritz airport (direct flights from Paris and London Stanstead and Dublin) and Biarritz TGV station (direct trains from both Paris centre and Charles de Gaulle airport) and whisk you the short distance along the coast to our 3 super 3 star hotel in the Pyrénéen foothills.

A leg loosening ride along the Corniche Basque will sharpen our appetites for a splendid dinner at the hotel just outside of Hendaye.

Day 2

We roll down to the port in Hendaye armed with our Carnets de Route. We get them stamped at the harbourmaster's and we're off! 100 hours to get to the Mediterranean, 710 km and 18 cols to cover!

Luckily, the first day is a relatively gentle introduction. Into the foothills we tackle the Cols de St-Ignace (169m) and de Pinodiéta (176m) before the first control at Espelette, famed for its red peppers. No let up through the gently rising terrain, we have the Col d'Osquitch (392m) before arriving at our stop for the night at Arudy, having depatched 182 of the 710 km.

Day 3

An early start today as we tackle four of the legendary cols on the route. A brief warm up to Laruns, then we head up the Col d'Aubisque (1709m) before dropping to 1358m before the short (from this side at least) attack on the Col de Soulor (1474m). We descend to Argeles-Gazost before the long drag up the valley of the Luz that marks the start of the Col de Tourmalet (2115m). Sweeping through Ste-Marie-de-Campan, we keep the momentum going over the Col d'Aspin (1489m) into Arreau. Today's total is 133km (315 km so far)

Day 4

The morning starts with the beautiful ascent of the Col de Peyresourde (1569m) before tackling a pair of relatively short, but tough, cols: the Col Des Ares (792m), and Col de Portet D'Aspet (1069m). On the ascent of the Portet d'Aspet, stop at the Fabio Casartelli memorial where the young Italian tragically lost his life in 1995. The route continues through St-Girons then along the beautiful gorges of the Ribaouto, before tackling the final two cols, the Col des Caougnous (947m) and the Col de Port (1250m), then descending to Tarascon for our hotel. Total kilometres covered today : 170. (485km so far)

Day 5

After riding through the spa town of Ax-les-Thermes, the high mountains have one last obstacle to throw at us as we tackle the Col de Puymorens (1920m). The route gradually descends, interrupted by the Col de Llous (1345m), Col Rigat (1488m) and Col de la Perche (1579m). From here it's downhill all the way to Prades and our hotel for the night. (136km) (621km so far)

Day 6

Nearly there! An early start from Prades past the huge Vinca reservoir sees us conquer the last two cols, the Col St-Pierre (231m) and the Col de la Ternère (233m) in quick succession, then we fly all the way down to the sea at Banyuls before our final run in along the coast to Cerbère and the warm waters of the mediterranean. It's over! Chapeau! (89km today, 710 km for the week)

Reward yourself with an afternoon on the beach, or maybe go back to Banyuls for a winetasting. Dinner tonight is lavish, as we can forget about big distances to do in the morning.

Day 7

After breakfast we say our farewells to new-found companions of the road. We transfer to Perpignan airport for flights to London, Birmingham (England) and Southampton, and to Narbonne TGV for direct travel to Paris and beyond.

2008 Dates & Prices

Tour comprises seven days and six nights. Tours begin on Sunday.

Start Date	Price* **
8 Jun	£985
29 Jun	£985
31 Aug	£985
14 Sept	£985

* Single room supplement

Prices are per person based on 2 sharing. The single room supplement for this tour is £175.

** Group bookings

A 5% discount will apply to all bookings of 6 persons or more.

What’s included

• Coach transfer to and from the local airport or major train / TGV station.
• Character hotel accommodation.
• Buffet breakfasts.
• Gourmet dinners with half-bottle of wine per guest per night.
• Experienced bi-lingual guides.
• Welcome pack with full information, route guides, advice and a water bottle and French Cycling Holidays t-shirt.
• Luggage transfer. When we move hotels your baggage will be waiting for you in your room when you arrive.
• Full minibus back-up and mechanical support, including inner tubes.

What’s not included

• Travel to pick-up points
• Bicycle (you will probably want your own best bike; we do have a limited number of race bikes in a few sizes — please phone or e-mail to discuss)
• Lunches, although we will recommend good spots for lunch. For those who don't want to stop for lunch and would prefer to eat on the road, Tour de France-style, we will, for a very reasonable supplement, provide food suitable to be carried in your jersey pockets.
• Additional drinks or minibar costs (including beers, soft drinks and coffees).