Riding from Narbonne into the heart of the Pyrenees Bagneres-du-Luchon. All day long I am following the traces of the Tour de France which is in this area at this time of the year. Pass roads are painted, campers are parking everywhere and villages and cities along the route are well prepared to take care of the spectators.

Unfortunately the weather is not cooperating this day. It is getting very foggy and wet and it is difficult to make distance - especially when on very tiny minor roads.

I reach the mountains and get magnificent views back to the mediterranean scenery

Tiny little roads all day long. This one here looks very promising but the road is closed. So I have to turn around and find a different way

Clouds are haning in the mountains and make it quite foggy. On one pass I had about 30 feet visibility. I could only go about 10 miles an hour there.

More clouds, more wet roads

The day starts as the previous one has ended. Clouds and wet roads.

This is the view out of my hotel window in the morning

Getting up on the pass it still looks like this

But when I reached Spain the weather suddenly changed to sun and dry roads

I pass a woderful gorge on a tiny little road just 6 feed wide and with a lot of gravel on it but the views are amazing.

A town on a hill just in front of me

A reservoir with very blue water in it

Dizzy from all the twisty roads

Another great view into the flat lands while entering a huge 3000 feet high plateau

On the way up to the last pass this day. Weather has changed again to overcast sky and some wet roads

Finally nice weather. We will head back to France and included into the tour is about 120 miles of freeway. The roads before and after are great. Passing Bilbao is rather eating kilometers in heavy traffic.

Morning sun over the moutains at Potes (HDR picture)

Chris is getting ready

Computer aided riding. Hector just putting in some extra horse powers for the freeway.

Paul and Chris having lunch in a little restaurant on the freeway

Stop on a wonderful little road between Spain and France

The view from the mountains very close to the French border

A french cow is watching

This view is from the French side of the pass

Chris and Hector working their way through a flock of sheep

Chris and Hector finally made it

Tourmalet is our goal today. It is one of the highest passes (2114 m/6300 ft) in the Pyrenees and full of bicycle riders. You have campers all over the place waiting for the Tour de France passing by on Sunday.

Having a caffee after riding through a lot of ugly french villages

View from Tourmalet eastern ramp. The clouds are hanging low and we expect not to see much on top of the pass

The summit. A bicycle rider monument, hundreds of cyclists and due to the clouds nothing to see

View down from the summit. Some clouds are below us. From the picture one cannot really imagine how steep it is.

Hector looking for a hole in the clouds

And the view up the western ramp of Tourmalet

Later in the day we climbed another beautiful pass called Col d'Aubisque (1709 m / 5100 ft) with a lot of gravel but amazing views - if there weren't any clouds

A nice loop over the pass into Spain and back to France. We revisit a pass we did two days before. We have blue sky all day in Spain and good weather in France too. Roads in Spain are phantastic compared to France and elsewhere in Europe. We have a lot of fun on big and smaller passes with little traffic.

View on the northen (french) ramp of Col du Somport (1650 m/ 4900 ft)

Paul and Hector on the summit

A nice little valley. Find Paul on the picture

A great little pass with top views

Paul, Hector, Tom and Chris

Another pass which we were on two days before (the one with the cow). Now it is sunny and beautiful up there

Chris, Paul and Hector...

enjoing this view

View from the top

Paul and Hector are arriving

I have to return to Narbonne to get my train back to Germany. I have to be there by 3 pm so in order to make the 400 km in time I leave at 6:30.

Morning fog in the valey is hit by the fist sun beams (HDR picture).

About 80 km into the ride I see Tourmalet on the right hand side.

A wonderful Pyrenees panorama

Beautiful place for a rest in between

Coming closer to the Mediterranean Sea. Vineyards everywhere.

Bike is loaded.

Farewell France, farewell Pyrenees.

Just getting home. Fast country roads and some Autobahn. Nothing to report.