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The Raid Pyrenean720km cycling challenge from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, France, in 100hrs with 11,000m of ascent! |
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A truly historical challenge. |
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OVERVIEWThe Raid Pyrenean is one of the 'must do' rides for any cycling enthusiast.
The route across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean was established
in 1950 taking in most of the big cols en route. If this was not
hard enough the organizers introduced the rule that the route had
to be completed within 100 hours! Although this is a challenge, it is also meant to be a holiday and cycling the back roads and passes of the Pyrenees, France, can be one of the most pleasurable cycling experiences anywhere in the world. The scenery is stunning, the road surfaces good and the occasional car drivers are extremely courteous. THE ROUTEWe follow the official route exactly. Details of distances etc. are at the base of this page, however this is a taster!
This is a real cycling challenge and you need to be fit to make the
most of it. The daily distances are long with a substantial amount
of ascent. This trip is not intended to be a race. Every individual
in the group can cycle at whatever speed they desire during the trip
without holding everybody up. In addition if you are happy to forfeit sleep then you can
do it as slowly as you like! It is important to us that people book the correct
trip. Please do not hesitate to contact
us if you have have any doubts. |
| 5 days supported rides. Route notes and Maps. Entrance to the official "Raid Pyrenean". Airport Transfers (at specified times). 'Marmot-tours' cycling top. Medical and Mechanical support. 5 nights accommodation. 5 evening meals. 5 breakfasts. Certificate and badge on successful completion of the challenge. |  |
WHERE DO WE STAY?
During this trip we stay in a range of 2 star hotels with ensuite facilities. Accommodation will be allocated on a twin share basic. There is a supplement of £100 if you would like to have your own room for the trip, (please let us know on booking). There is a garage / locked room where we can store the bikes every night.FOOD
We include 5 continental style breakfasts which we supplement with cereals, fruit and yogurt. The 5 evenings meals will be taken together either at the hotel or a suitable restaurant in town. Table wine and after dinner teas and coffees are also included. Lunch is not included so you can select your diet while cycling. Vegetarians are welcome and will be looked after very well. Energy bars, cakes, banana's are included and will be distributed by the support vans.GUIDING AND INSTRUCTION
You are accompanied by James and Cathy Thompson throughout the trip. One vehicle will offer encouragement and support during the ride, while the other will offer support to the faster riders, but will always be at the hotel before and riders, so there is no waiting for baggage. The rear vehicle will be kitted out with extensive tools and spares.GROUP
There is a maximum of 20 people plus two support drivers on this holiday. Bookings from single people are welcome as activity holidays are a great way to make new friends.WHY MARMOT TOURS
There are numerous companies offering 'a' Raid Pyrenean, however we stick to the exact historical route, making our raid more official. We also try to fit the challenge into a short as period of time as possible, so that it does not eat into other family commitments. Marmot Tours has over 9 Years of experience in organizing and running road cycling holidays, so you can be sure that we don't overlook any aspects of your holiday.BIKE HIRE
If you do not want to have the hassle of bringing your own bike; you can hire one from Marmot Tours. We have both Commencal Colt and Specialized Allez Sport bikes available. The hire charge is £90 for the week. This must be arranged in advance as there are limited bikes (and sizes) available. For more information on hiring or packing up your own bike for travel please see the Bike Hire section.HOW DO I GET THERE?
The trip starts at Biarritz Airport and ends at Girona Airport. Ryan Air provide a reasonably priced flight service between London Stansted and both these airports. If booked in advance flights should not cost more than £80.2008 DEPARTURES:
Recommended Ryan Air flights:
Out to France - Monday, FR 372, depart Stansted 1215, arrive Biarritz
1505.
Back to UK - Saturday, FR 9807, depart Girona 1715, arrive Stansted 1825.
A minibus transfer will be arranged
to tie in with these flights (30 / 70 mins respectively).
For further flight information please look at www.ryanair.com.
Ryan Air charge £15 for the carriage of a bike (each way) and do
have a limited number of spaces for bikes on each flight. Ryan Air also serves the UK with regional
connections, but please be aware that if you miss your flight due a
delayed connecting flight Ryan Air have no obligation to find you an
alternative flight out to France.
Alternative Flights. Stansted may be inconvenient for you
but there are some good alternative Ryan Air flights from Girona to
Glasgow (dpt 1800) and Girona to Dublin (dpt 2125). Unfortunately there are no
alternative flights Ryan air flights to Biarritz, but there are cheap connections at
reasonable times of the day from Both Glasgow and Dublin to
Stansted.
Easyjet have just started a flight from Bristol to Biarritz arriving
at 1410 (1hr before the group flight) although the only way to get
back to Bristol is Ryan Air from Girona departing at 1015, so you
would need to spend a night in a hotel near the airport.
Please see the Transport section
for more information on airlines, airport transfers, driving to the
start or taking the train from the UK. If you want advice of packing
/ transporting your own bike then see our bike
hire section.
In 2007 we used Perpignan Airport for the return flights, but unfortunately
Ryan Air seem to have changed their pricing policy and these flights
are now very expensive, hence the change to Girona.
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HOLIDAY ITINERARY |
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DAY 1 |
Meet at Biarritz Airport. Transfer 30mins to our Hotel in Hendaye. We will have plenty of time to assemble your bikes or tweak the hire bikes before a briefing and dinner. Hendaye is a small attractive seaside town with plenty of charm |
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DAY 2 |
Hendaye to Arudy - 183km with 1290m of ascent After dipping our toes in the Atlantic, we head up the coast road for a while before turning inland on a selection of beautifully quite roads. Today we pass through the Basque heartland with distinctive burgundy and white buildings, bullrings and pelot courts. Unfortunately we will not have much time for sightseeing as we undulate our way over the Col De St Ignace (169m) and the Col De Pinodieta (176m) and our first proper climb over the Col D’ Osquich (500m). The sign of the small town of Arudy will no doubt be very welcome at the end of this 180km monster day! |
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DAY 3 |
Arudy to St Marie De Campan - 113km with 3075m of ascent The big day - over the most feared cols in the Pyrenees. We have a nice gentle warm up to Laruns, base camp to the stunningly beautiful Col D’Aubisque (1709m), the cafe on the top provides a deserved rest before dropping down and back up the Col de Soulor (1464m). The swoopy descent to Argeles-Gazost is great. Here we met out first busy road up the gorge to Luz-St Sauveur. Next up is the Col De Tourmalet (2115m), a hill which needs no introduction. After a bit of souvenir shopping we descend to St Marie De Campan a small village put on the map by a legendry Tour de France incident.... |
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DAY 4 |
St Marie De Campan to Massat - 165km with 2137m of ascent |
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DAY 5 |
Massat to Prades - 168km with 2495m of ascent The Col de Port (1249m) is a beautiful climb and has a great descent to Tarascon. Unfortunately the rest of the days route is on fairly major roads filed with cars heading for Andorra to do some tax free shopping. Soaking your feet in thermal waters in Ax is highly recommended, before taking on the seemingly endless Col de Puymorens (1915m). We are now over the watershed and we drop into the Spanish frontier town of Bourg Madame. We continue east across a wide plane undulating over the Col De Llous (1345m) and the Col De la Perche (1570m). From here a unbelievably long descent takes us nearly al the way to our hotel. Prades has a reassuringly Mediterranean feel about it, with lots of courtyard cafe's and clay tiled roofs. |
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DAY 6 |
Prades to Cerbere - 91km with about 300m of ascent, then transfer to Girona Airport for a flight back to Stansted with Ryan Air. Although there are no major climbs, don't be fooled into thinking the ride will be flat! We head through Thuir and hit the Mediterranean at Argeles—Sur—Mer. From here we undulate (some fairly large undulations!) along the coast road through the fortified town of Collioure, to our final destination of Cerbere. Cerbere is a pretty fishing village with a beech and seafront restaurants serving a fine range of seafood. There will be time to box up your bikes, shower and change before
lunch - we have made arrangements with a hotel to use their
facilities. Refueled and feeling sleepy we will transfer to Girona airport
(1hr 10 mins) in time for the 1715 flight back to
Stansted. |
