After a nice start in rolling Basque country we did a brutal steep climb ("George's Hill") up a narrow asphalt road the climbed a ridge for what seemed like eternity.
George ran out of water a third of the way up and bailed up a French fellow descending on an e-bike who asked him how old he was then stated "you don't belong here" but then gave him some water.
It was a fast descent into the 40C heat passing some cows with bells and horses on the road.
I had a long stop to recover in Tardets-Sorholus at the Restaurant des Pyrénées for drinks and lunch. George showed up and had a meal and a long rest too. I figured it was better to wait for the heat of the day to pass before continuing.
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| Restaurant des Pyrénées |
But it was still hot when we started cycling again. George and I dipped in a river to cool off during the hot ride to Laruns stopping every 10k to cool down in 40C heat.
The air conditioned MademoiselleChloé cafe in Oloron-Sainte-Marie was a nice stop too.
We then climbed up through forest in very hot and humid air.
We asked at a farmhouse for water, the friendly lady gave us some. She said her son lives in Brisbane.
We had takeaway pizza for dinner in Laruns - all the restaurants were booked out. Its a busy tourist place.
Post script: All six riders say that "Georges Hill" is the steepest hardest climb they have done. Basque Country is known for steep hills.
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| Restaurant des Pyrénées |
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| MademoiselleChloé cafe |
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| MademoiselleChloé cafe |
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