Today was a rest day for the Tour riders, but fours, we had to scout out viewing spot for tomorrow, which will be the last stage in the Pyrenees, and very likely the deciding stage for this year's overall winner.
After a leisurely breakfast and conversation with my new BFF, Heinz, we browsed the shops in Arreau and mailed a box to the US for 20€. By the way Heinz' brother is the head dude for Head Skis in Austria and Italy, so Heinz had plenty to say about Bode. Hewasn't surprised Bode was returning to the World Cup, and commented that Bode has the most raw talent of any skier in the last decade or so. He saw Bode was enormously popular in Europe, but had an obvious reputation for partying. Duh!
It was very overcast and foggy as we left Arreau, we could see nothing as we drove over the Col d'Aspin. There were tons of cyclists on the route, so the driving was especially slow, and the fog even made it hard to see them the higher we got.
When we arrived at Marie le Campan, which is the beginning of the ascent up the Tourmalet, we were overwhelmed by the army of cyclists. Eversince the Tour routes were announced in October, cycling tour groups have planned to make the same climb as the TdF riders during the rest day, so despite the threatening skis, anyone who was physically able was heading up the Tourmalet. We were doing it too, but in our Citroen Picasso.
The drive was very slow, and passing the cyclists made it even more so and even more nerve racking. As we approach La Mongie, which is a ski resort about 6 km from the summit it was obvious that attempting to repeat this drive tomorrow would be impossible. There were so many campers already parked along the road that by tomorrow AM, we would be walking 8 km to get to the summit. The crowds in La Mongie were reminiscent of what you see sound Fenway Park immediately before or after a game. We looked vainly for a place to park in order to check out the town and buy some souvenirs, but it was quickly apparent that it was a foolish hope.
We continued to drive thru La.Mongie, but were stopped by a police roadblock about 5km from the summit. So we started to develop "plan b" foe tomorrow's viewing. Plan B brought us to the other side of the Tourmalet, a drive of nearly 60 km. This drive took us through the city of Lourdes, which is really pretty ugly and would never be visited by any tourists were it not for it's religious importance. The drive was slow, lots of traffic, and lots of cyclists, but we actually got to the mountain top village of Viscos, where Joni had planned for us to have lunch. According to Joni's research this was the best restaurant throughout this area, and it definitely lived up to it's reputation. Joni had trout and I had Garbour, a local dishwh cih combiners duck, pork, and a variety of vegetables. The meal was fantastic, and the hotel attached to restaurant was equally charming as was the village. We both said we could spend a week there.
We left Viscos around 3:30 and continued up the western slope of the Tourmalet, stopping in Luz San Sauveur, a resort town with thousands of cyclists on every road and cafe. We bought some gifts, and had a coffee just as the rain began. I really felt sorry for all the cyclists who still had a ride to finish. After my crash in the rain on Cape Cod in 2006 I'm terrified by wet roads. At this point it was 5:15 pm, and we headed by to Arreau, via the highway, which as actually much further but much quicker despite the traffic. We arrived back at our hotel around 7:30 and plan to eat between 8:30 and 9:00. I'm sipping a Leffe as I write, it's a Belgium beer. Very tasty.
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