Epic Cols Adventure: Legendary Cycling Tour

We will begin our journey at Barcelona’s Sants train station, where our team will greet you at the main door at 3:00 p.m. and transfer you to our hotel in Andorra la Vella, in the heart of the Pyrenees.

You can also arrive at the hotel on your own, but you need to indicate this on the reservation. If you plan to arrive before 19:00, you can check in at the hotel reception.

We’ll begin our most epic journey by exploring four Pyrenean valleys. We’ll start in La Vall d’Aran, then continue through La Vallée du Lys and La Vallée du Louron to La Vallée d’Aure. Three legendary mountain passes connect these valleys, making this stage an unforgettable day.

We’ll wake up in La Vall d’Aran, Catalonia’s highest and most difficult district to reach. We’ll leave the valley by riding up the category 1 climb Coll de Portilló, which, due to its location on the border between France and Spain, has appeared in numerous Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana editions.

Once in the La Vallée du Lys, we’ll visit the beautiful spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon, which is popular with skiers in the winter and cyclists in the summer, and marks the start of the stage’s most difficult climb, the famous Peyresourde.

We’ll be ready for a break once we reach the picturesque Vallée du Louron and the magnificent Lac de Génos-Loudenvielle. We’ll take in the breathtaking scenery before tackling the day’s final mountain pass, Col d’Azet, which will bring us to the edge of La Vallée d’Aure. From the summit, we’ll have spectacular views of both valleys and Saint-Lary, our base camp for the next four days.

We’ll awaken in the heart of the Vallée d’Aure, ready for another epic day of cycling. The well-known Col d’Azet, the massive Portet, and the steep Pla d’Adet await us today.

To warm up our legs, we’ll climb back up the same side of the Col d’Azet, where we’ll get another chance to take in the spectacular views. Today, we can use the quiet and narrow road as a vantage point to assess the formidable Col de Portet, which was recently repaved and is included as a hors catégorie climb in the 2018 Tour de France. The figures for this climb are intimidating: 16 kilometres and 1,400 metres of elevation gain make the ride up to the summit a difficult one, pedalling among herds of sheep at 2,215 metres above sea level.

Halfway down Portet, we’ll rejoin the road that took us to the Pla d’Adet ski resort, which has served as a stage finish in previous Tours. Its natural observation point provides a spectacular view of La Vallée d’Aure and Saint-Lary, and is connected to the ski station by a spectacular cable car. After a quick descent, we’ll find the spa at the wonderful Saint-Lary hotel, where we’ll recover like true champions.

We’ll take it easy today on the gentle lake route after two intense stages. We’ll climb two mountain passes that, due to their difficult access, have never been included in the Tour de France; however, their immense beauty makes them a must-see destination.

We’ll leave Saint-Lary on the road to Spain, but we’ll turn off at the junction and take the path that will take us to our destination today. We’ll begin the climb amid pine trees until we reach Lacets des Myrtilles, where the trees give way to open sky and the road begins twisting and turning up the steep slope. You’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views of the mountains and lake that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. A small mountain bar snack will help us savour the moment.

Our journey continues to the lakes of Aumar and Aubert, which are linked by natural wells and whose transparent waters from the Pic de Madamète will enchant you. The legendary Tourmalet is located on the opposite side of the peak.

We’ll return to Saint-Lary remembering the exposed landscape, our eyes bright and our phones full of beautiful photos.

Since the Tour de France first explored the Pyrenees in 1910, cyclists from all over the world have wished to reach the summits we present to you today.

We’ll begin the day by ascending the mythical Col d’Aspin, a classic feature on the Tour de France calendar and necessary for connecting the Aure and Campan valleys, the gateway to the Tourmalet. We’ll descend from its summit, surrounded by pine trees, to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, which sits at the foot of the Tourmalet, the Pyrenees’ most famous mountain pass. We’ll feel the epic vibes emanating from this HC climb as we ride up its slopes, round its horseshoe bends, and through its tunnels. Together with Octave, le Géant du Tourmalet, we’ll reach the summit at an elevation of 2,115 metres. On the way back, we’ll stop at La Mongie, the legendary mountain’s tourist centre, for some well-deserved rest.

We’ll finish our tour by climbing the west side of the secluded Hourquette d’Ancizan. We’ll return to the Vallée d’Aure after a technical and scenic descent, where we’ll spend our final day enjoying the charms of Saint-Lary before bidding farewell to the Pyrenees.

This incredible experience comes to an end after a few wonderful days of intense cycling. We truly hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

We depart from the hotel at 09:00 and take you to Barcelona-Sants Train Station in the city centre, where we will arrive at approximately 14:00 PM.