C2C Pyrenees, final day. Prades to Cadaques, we made it!

 The final day of our  tour across the Pyrenees. I was good to go after a big breakfast and our rest day yesterday. I got goiing just after 7 into the cool morning.

Afeter a pleasant ride down the valley to long easy climb to the Col du Fortou started, entering dry forest and passing trhrough a mountain village,, The read was very quiet.

There were good views back to the Pyrenees from the top, The descent was very rough and slow on a narrow road, then the panorama across the plains looking to Perpignan was revealed.

I stopped for a coffee and Orangina to Au Pain Gourmand in Forbes where I chatted to an English couple who have lived in France for 40 years.

Then I bought a delicious nectarine from a roadside seller as I continued along the route, passing an overturned car in a creek with flowers on the bridge.

I crossed the main busy motorway on a bridge and continued on past vineyards. The route took me down a narrow dirt track which vanished in scrub. I hauled the bike through and across a steep creek coming to a paddock.  There was no track but I could see a house so I continued to it and re-joined the road.  RideGPS had presented this section of route that did not exist.

There was another dead end at a railway line so I backtracked through a village, seeing Greg, Mike and Phil riding in the distance. I caught up to them and continued on until we got to the very busy resort town of Argeles-sur-mare where we stopped for lunch. George and John arrived an joined us. The Tartine Catalan at the L'olivier d'argeles cafe was very good.

After lunch we followed the coastal highway for a short distance then detoured through vineyards to a very steep concreted climb that everybody had to walk up before joining a dramatic road the climbed up above the vineyards past the ruin of a monastery for spectacular views along the Mediterranean coast before descending.

I stopped in the border town of Cebere and waited for George and John to catch up. We rode together through coastal towns across the border to Spain to start the final climb inland to the final climb then descent to Cadaques, very pleased to have made it.

After settling in we had a wonderful paella dinner at the friendly family restaurant Casa Pilar.

C2C Pyrenees. Ax-les-Thermes to Prades - three nice cols and good weather

On the road  at 8:45 after a hearty breakfast the Chalet Hotel.  It was cool but not cold, The climb up Col de Pailhères started right from the hotel so I warmed up quickly. Lungs still a bit sore in the cold air after Covid.  

Phil passed me first, then Greg & Mike, the George.  I was riding tempo with my heart rate at 130-135.  

John caught up to me and we rode together for a while until he eased away on the final climb up ot 2,001 m for great views across the Pyrenees including a distant high peak with some snow.

The descent was fast but horses and sheep on the road called for some caution.

John and I stopped for lunch at Le Relais de Pailhères - Maison Labourgade in the small village of Mijanes - we were the only ones that found food on the route today, there were not many cafes or restaurants open,

The next climb up the Col du Garabeil 1262m  was not steep with a change of scenery and another good descent,

The  final climb up the Col de Jau was longer and higher (1506m) with a cracking fast descent most of the way to Prades,

Staying at the Best Western hotel with a pool - it was nice to have a swim and the excellent local Bière du Canigou.

Another very good French dinner with a Catalan influence in the centre of town   This area used to part of Catalan (and Spain) but was ceded to France by the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.

2,481m of climbing and 2,835m descending, I will sleep well tonight!

Bière du Canigou