Day 4 - The Col du Tourmalet.

Rule# 10 it never gets easier you just go faster (or further or higher - or all three)

Training and racing is hard. It stays hard. To put it another way, per Greg Henderson: “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”

When the end is the other side of the mountain, short of digging a tunnel, you've got to fight the gorilla!

After two days of climbing back to the hotel we decided a down hill finish was in order. After some more good advice from Rob we agreed on a loop heading out close to Lourdes, finishing on the Col du Tourmalet from the east.

Route = black dotted line

So we set of on our usual 5 mile descent, happy in the thought that we would not have to come back that way, at least not that day.

The route down towards Lourdes was the same route we'd done on day one, we then joined a cycle path that headed further down the valley. Just before we hit the town we headed east into what I can only describe as a typical British dale, short ups and downs, narrow roads, green grass and enclosed roads, just like being at home. Only sunny and dry! After a excellant 10 mile route across country we hit the main road heading East out of Lourdes, luckily it was fairly quiet as we took a right and headed towards Bagneres de Bigorre and started climbing.

What country are we in again?

Pic du Midi, the Tourmalet is just behind.

That's about as busy as it gets

Excellent back roads, they know how to lay tarmac in France.

As we left Bagneres we started looking for somewhere to eat, it wasn't until we got to St Marie-de-Campan, right at the foot of the Tourmalet, that we found a decent spot.

During the Tour de France in 1913, on the slopes of the Col du Tourmale,t Eugène Christophe broke his forks; he then walked for 14km to the village of Saint-Marie-de-Campan where he worked for almost four hours at a blacksmith's repairing the damage. The blacksmith shop is still there.

We found a little cafe, 'we'll just have a small snack' we agreed. A three course meal including trout and pasta for the main course and about an hour later we emerged, stuffed with food. Not sure if it was because we we're hungry after 4 days of riding or just putting of what was about to come! PAIN.

We knew what was about to come........

So all we had to do now was ride to the top of the Tourmalet and freewheel back to the hotel.

There was a distinct split in the team after our stop, one half consisted of those who had managed to digest at least some of the meal, the remainder who were struggling to keep the contents of their stomach where it should be. I believe the battle was lost.............. once or twice.

It was mid afternoon, no wind, mid 30's in the shade, 10 miles and about 4000ft of climbing. I can safely say this was the hardest single climb of our week.

The road just goes up, with hardly any hairpins, its relentless. As the road reaches the ski resort of La mongie it gets steeper and the buildings just seemed to radiate heat from every direction.

Procy in La Mongie, self portrait, 'fighting the gorilla'

Its another hot and steep 3 miles from La Mongie to the summit but at least there are a few hairpins to break the monotony.

Llamas or Alpacas?

The last drag to the summit.

The summit, 2nd time in 4 days.

And that was it we'd fought the gorilla, we were tired but we'd won and the slopes had gained some pasta and trout on the way.

Its all downhill from here. The hotel is 8 miles that way!

Day 4 - 65miles and 8,600ft of very hot climbing.