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Rebecca's sabbatical host, Andreas, isn't a "cyclist" but his ultra-marathon fitness was enough for our mountainous 140k ride

This report continues documenting our Summer 2006 cycling trip through France.

While based in Toulouse, France in the summer of 2006, one of our weekend excursions took us to Ax-les-Thermes (beautiful photo ), 100k or so south of Toulouse in the Ariège Pyrénées. The Ariege is one of our favorite cycling destinations, but calling it the best cycling locale in the world would be presumptuous. We both fell in love with this region during our September 2005 visit. If you missed our three episodes, then here's the first in the series which has links to the others.

Rebecca's sabbatical host, Andreas Merdes, drove us to "Ax" where the three of us camped near the busy town. The next day we set off for an excellent 140k loop with 3500m of climbing through the Pays de Sault region east of Ax. Now Andreas might not look like a cyclist, but as the former ultra-marathon champion of Scotland and an avid recreational runner, he's in excellent shape. His thin frame was well suited for the mountainous route en-store, but the same couldn't be said for his bike frame. His heavy commuting bike with toe strap pedals wasn't ideal, but amazingly we never had to wait too long at the top of the cols and he never complained although we noticed him grimacing from time to time.

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Being so close to the tourist and tax haven country of Andorra makes neighboring Ax-les-Thermes a very busy place. But, long before its popularity as a gateway to tax-free shopping, this place was frequented by the Romans for its therapeutic hot springs, which is how its name was derived: Ax (from Latin, Aquae - water; French, Thermes - hot springs).

From Ax, we headed east on D25 up the long, difficult two-tier climb to Port de Pailhères also known as Col de Pailhères. Approaching it from the west, as we did, is the slightly easier way to tackle Pailhères, the second highest French Pyrenees col at 2001m. On this day like many others, the top was shrouded in an eery fog that occasionally exposed the narrow, sharp switchbacks leading down the other side into Mijanès. While descending the tight switchbacks, we shot clips for one of our videos. When we stopped for water in a small unmarked park in Mijanès, Rebecca commented how much steeper the east side of Pailères is. The climb is about 15k from either side but the east side averages 8.1% vs. 6.8% from the west. We then headed left on D118 as the descending leveled out for our approach to Gorges de St Georges. The 2007 Tour de France cycled this route in the opposite direction (Gorges de St. Georges, Port Pailhères and Ax-les-Thermes) during the stage that finished on Plateau de Beille won by Alberto Contador ().

Gorges de St. Georges is not exceptional by France standards. In fact, if you've already gorged out on your trip to France, you could cycle through it without even stopping. But, we pulled over to get out the camera and I shot some bikecam video of the narrow road that cuts through its vertical walls.

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At the end of the gorge is the sleepy, quiet, almost vacant town called Axat marking the east end of our loop. We made a left onto D85 to start a modest climb and the return leg of the trip. At the top of Col Dent (1231m), while resting and snacking, I said to Andreas: "It feels good doesn't it" in reference to the climb. He winced and said "Oh, I don't know about that." He never complained or made excuses unlike some image-conscience roadies; his lack of bravado was refreshing. "How was cycling 140k in running shorts?", I asked at the end of the day. He just shrugged and said, "fine." Some people think cycling 140k is an impressive feat, but how about running a 100k race like Andreas has done several times before.

The break passing through the fog on Port de Pailheres at the 2007 Tour de France

For most of the north part of the loop and up to Camturac, we rode 40k of hilly terrain through picturesque French countryside that overlooked several Medieval villages frozen in time. In deserted Rodome, we stopped for a sip at a fire hydrant-like street tap. We then carried on to Galinagues before climbing back up to the Plateau to Sault to pick up the main road at Camturac. On our way back to Ax-les-Thermes, we slipped off the main road that most cars take back down to the valley and instead took the D2 corniche. Also, the night before we recon'ed another one-laner carved into the side of the valley hill, which offers a fabulous view of Vallee d'Orlu and Ax-les-Thermes. The haze and late-afternooon glare on both days is evident in the photos. In general, the photo conditions were poor for most of the ride; it was either foggy or hazy. That's my excuse anyway. I hope you enjoyed the ride. — Steve, December 15th 2007

The longer and steeper east side of Port de Pailheres (courtesy of cyclingcols.com)

The west side profile of Port de Pailheres

We found a quiet site at the busy campgrounds in Ax	After already climbing 4k we were officially greeted	The west side of Port de Pailheres isn't as scenic
Andreas climbing well in sneakers and jogging clothes on a heavy bike	Reaching the top of one of the French Pyrenees highest paved roads...	...second only to Col du Tourmalet
All smiles at the top while seeking shelter	First glimpse of the spectacular east side through the clouds	Needless to say, the Tour has passed through here before
Pailheres was shrouded in fog for the 2007 Tour de France as well	Rebecca curving her way down to Mijanes; Pailheres in the background	Horsing around a corner
Lots of tight switchbacks on the east side	Andreas was grateful for descending the steeper side	Stopping in Mijanes for water and a picnic lunch
A castle overlooking our long descent to Axat	Entering Gorges du St Georges	If not for the road you wouldn't know a gorge existed around the corner
The middle portion of the ride was less scenic but even quieter	One of several Medieval villages along the way	Filling our water bottles (quickly) at a high pressure communal street tap in Rodome
The final climb from Niort to Camturac was a quiet and gentle 12k	Rebecca noticed a lot of butterflies	Caussou viewed from the D2 corniche
Sun rays penetrating the valley below	The narrow descent on D44 above Ax-les-Thermes	Lots of glare but you get the idea
	We had a great post ride meal in Ax; the owner standing in front of his cool establishment