Stage 12 – Auch to Hautacam – 181km. Thurs 10th July
Total Climb: 3,850m

Today’s stage is a tale of two chainrings. We have around 100km of relatively flat riding, to get us to the start of the Soulor climb at Ferrières, during which we can gear up, get into formation, and draft each other along the plane tree avenues of Occitanie, watching the mountains draw closer and closer on the horizon. Then the climbing starts, and we all click down into the easiest gear we can find, the better to haul ourselves over the three Pyreneen giants (of increasing gradient) that lie ahead.

First is the Col du Soulor, whose occasional 9% sections can’t quite detract from the fact that this is a beautiful climb. A quiet strip of tarmac wiggles its way up out of the leafy valley, and slowly takes you higher and higher up the side of the mountain, until you’ve left the trees behind, and are at eye level with the magnificent peaks that surround us. Welcome to the Pyrenees.

From here there’s a quick descent to the start of Col des Bordères, which is slightly steeper, but mercifully shorter, and has an enticing ‘back road’ feel. And then, after around 17km of descent, we meet the big one: Hautacam, a 13km monster, that steepens cruelly in its higher stretches, and delivers you to a high, windswept finale.

The top of the Hautacam has very little infrastructure so you’re really arriving to a couple of sheds in a field – but what a field! Hautacam (originally just a ski station but with a recent diversification project aimed at making it a year-round destination) is famed for its panoramic views which you’ll want to savour before you roll back down the hill to our hotel for the night.

Tour logisitics
Start: Transfer to Auch
Finish: Cycle back down from Hautacam to our hotel in Argeles Gazost

Stage 13 – Loudenvielle to Peyragudes – 11km. Fri 11th July
Total Climb: 650m

Short and sublime, this 11km ride takes us from the pretty lakeside town of Loudenvielle, up a whopping 650m to the vertiginous altiport at Peyragudes, famous for appearing in a James Bond film in 1997, and for terrorising the quads of the pro peloton with its gradients.

Luckily we’re not racing (or are you?!), and a shorter stage gives us plenty of time to appreciate the panoramic views of the Louron valley as we ascend past its fragrant meadows on immaculate tarmac. The road steepens in its final kilometres, and the small resort of Peyragudes is visible for a long time as we battle our way towards it up the 15% final slope. This being a shorter day, there’s plenty of time at the top to breathe the sweet mountain air and admire the line of peaks stretching away towards the Spanish border.

Tour logisitics
Start: Transfer to Loudenvielle
Finish: Transfer after the Time Trial to Pau

Stage 14 – Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères – 183km. Sat 12th July
Total Climb: 4,950m

Today we ride a replica of Stage 14 from 1986, where Greg Lemond turned the tables on Bernard Hinault and went on to win the Tour. It’s a challenging stage, with almost 5,000m of ascent, the majority of which is packed into its second half – so we depart Pau on relatively flat roads, following the Gave de Pau river south towards the mountains. After admiring the fairytale architecture of Lestelle-Bétharram and the pilgrimage sites of Lourdes, we begin to gain height, and the mountains close in around us as we approach Luz-Saint-Sauveur, where our longest climb of the day begins.

The road up to the Col du Tourmalet is long, and very steep in places, with the highest gradients in its final stretches. It’s never a boring view though with open vistas of the road wiggling up ahead of you to the col. We recommend you take it steadily and adopt a gear that (if possible) makes it almost feel easy; there’s still a lot to come of this stage and you’ll need to remember that the Tourmalet is the first, not the last, of four!

At the top we’ll have a moment to savour the triumph of completing one of the Tour’s most famous climbs, and then there’s a long descent to enjoy, via the brutalist ski resort of La Mongie. Next we climb up out of the remote Payolle valley, to the ethereal Col d’Aspin: a much shorter ascent than the Tourmalet, though it’s slightly steeper.

Descending to Arreau, we then follow the Louron towards the base of the Peyresourde. It’s worth remembering that this valley has an elevation gain of 400m in 12km, so it may feel like a struggle, even if it appears to be flat. The struggle will intensify on the 7km climb up to the col, but we’ll be rewarded with panoramic views, and the excitement of descending into a new valley, via the Peyresourde’s scenic hairpins, and its famous avenue of trees. Passing through the stylish spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon, we then commence our 12km ascent to Superbagnères: through the narrow Lys valley, and then along an increasingly exposed series of switchbacks until we finally put a foot down on the summit, with mountains rolling away on all sides of us.

It’s worth noting that we pass our hotel on the way to the final climb and you’re welcome to stop if you’ve run out of beans.

Tour logisitics
Start: Pau hotel
Finish: Luchon hotel