The Official Raid Pyrenean 2012

Training Camps

The Official Raid Pyreneen

What is the Raid Pyrenees?
The route of the Raid crosses the Pyrenees and can start from the town of Hendaye on the Atlantic Coast crossing the Pyrenees to Cerbere on the Mediterranean. The route takes you over many of the cols including the Tourmalet, Aubisque, Aspin, Portet d’Aspet and Peyresourde with around 11000metres of climbing the route. Crossing the Pyrenees in the Raid as part of an official organised cycling event is a difficult undertaking, however it also gives you the opportunity to ride most of the famous cols of the Tour de France. These Cols are steeped in history as the route passes through Pyrenees Atlantique, Aquitaine, Hautes Garonne, Hautes Pyrenees, and Ariege to the finish in the Pyrenees Orientale.

The idea of a crossing of the Pyrenees was first thought up by a French cyclist Maurice Bugard in 1912 a young cyclist from the Cyclo Club Bearnaise and the dream was to cross the Pyrenees from the Ocean to the Sea. The first inception of the Raid was first called Randonnee Pyreneen, it was based around a set itenery of different mountainous terrain and gradients of mountain roads and so the set figures of, 18 cols 720 km, for 11000 metres. The proposal was deemed too audacious at the time and then shelved for years until the end of the 2 wars that had waged throughout France and Europe. In 1949, Paul Mathis resurrected the project of Maurice Bugard, and designed the Routier Pyreneen a pre-cursor to the Raid. He looked to do the premier traverse through the mountains from Hendaye-Cerbere in the month of June that year. The route was difficult and he never got beyond the Col du Marie Blanque due to snow still blocking the route he returned home to the Bearnaise countryside to plan for another attempt. In 1950, Mathis, accompanied by Miss Betbeder was to cross from the East of the Pyrenees to west the opposite way he had tried in 1949. Again in June they departed as it says in their diary with tenacity, guile and the patience of the Bearnaise they would arrive victorious in the town of Hendaye. Mathis again passed back across the Mountains in 1951 from west to east him being the first person to traverse the route from both directions. In the winter of 51-52 Paul Mathis decided the official route through the Pyrenees should have certain points to stop for confirmation on the route to verify every individuals crossing and in the spring of 1952 the official organisation was formed the Raid Pyreneen. All persons wanting to cross would be given the 18 cols to climb in any order via the shortest route of 720kms. This is still carried on today and the official documentation has to be ordered a month in advance of the raid. In the words of the Raid Pyrenees. After the solitude of the Soulor through the circle of death the cols of the Ariegeois, the valleys and the Gaves will give you memories that will always have a certain place within your heart, the Cerdagne and, Mont-Louis, the son of the area, will open the doors into the Catalan region. The long days of riding, your team and their spirit everyday will not disguise the pain, suffering, effort and action you put in to achieve your mission but will give you some fantastic memories that will stay with you forever.

Our package includes:-
Experienced / knowledgeable leaders that guide you daily on the road and offer 7 days half board no other Tours do this not for the price shown!!!!!

* Accommodation 2**/*** Hotels 7 days Half-board based on 2 sharing
* Breakfasts for 7 days
* Evening Meals for 7 days
* Pyrenees Cycling Jersey
* Carnet de Route – official route guide from the Cyclo Club Bearnais
* Guiding for 6 stages (Cycling guides on the Road)
* Support vehicles & drivers.
* Hotel luggage transfers
* Airport Transfers from Biarritz and to Toulouse, Carcassonne or Perpignan

The 2012 holiday cost for 7 nights is 900.00€ – £805.00 per person. Place to Place Tour. Single suppl. 175.00€ No hidden costs or added extras.

Scheduled dates: 2012 and Itenery

2nd –  9th June 2012 The Official Raid Pyrenean guided Tour
arrive Biarritz, Lourdes or Pau 2nd, start 3rd finish the ride 8th, return home 9th , via Carcassonne, Perpignan or Toulouse.

Day 1 arrival day 2nd June Biarritz
Day 2 3rd June Hendaye – Oloron
Day 3 4th June Oloron – Argeles Gazost
Day 4 5th June Argeles Gazost – Bagneres du Luchon
Day 5 6th June Bagneres du Luchon – St Girons
Day 6 7th June St Girons – Bourg Madam
Day 7 8th June Bourg Madam – Cerbere

Departure the 9th via airport via airports Perpignan, Carcassonne or Toulouse.

1st – 8th September 2012 The Official Raid Pyrenean guided Tour
arrive Biarritz, Lourdes or Pau 1st , start 2nd, – finish the ride 7th, return home 8th, via Carcassonne, Perpignan or Toulouse.

Day 1 arrival day 1st September Biarritz
Day 2 2nd September Hendaye – Oloron
Day 3 3rd September Oloron – Argeles Gazost
Day 4 4th September Argeles Gazost – Bagneres du Luchon
Day 5 5th September Bagneres du Luchon – St Girons
Day 6 6th September St Girons – Bourg Madam
Day 7 7th September Bourg Madam – Cerbere

Departure Day 8th September 2012 via airports Perpignan, Carcassonne or Toulouse.

The Official Raid Pyrenean guided Tour for 2012, about us and the Raid:-

We live in the Pyrenees on the Col du Tourmalet all year round and speak French. We know the Raid Pyrenees route from the Atlantic to the Med and have ridden all the Cols on route several times and we know the Parcours very well, so you can be sure that the information we give you on the route is up do date and accurate, as well as easy to follow we also include a daily map/route guide as well. As cyclists ourselves, who have cycled ALL of the cols en route, we know what it is you are going through on the climbs, and when you are most likely to need support help assistance for water stops. We follow the exact route of the original Raid, to keep the ride official all of the Cols we climb where on the original route.

The 100 hour route passes over 18 cols:-

  • Le Raid Pyrénéen version RANDONNEUR
  • 720 km – 18 cols
  • 11 000 m of Climbing
  • 100hrs maximum

Climb Location Altitude (m)

1 Hendaye (Control) 0

2 Col Saint Ignace 169

3 Col Pinodeita 176

4 Espelette (Control) 58

5 Col d’ Osquich 500

6 Tardets (Control)286

7 Col de Marie-Blanque(optional)1035

8 Laruns 531

9 Col d’Aubisque (Control)1709

10 Col du Soulor 1464

11 Col du Tourmalet(Control)2115

12 Sainte-Marie-de-Campan 857

13 Col d’Aspin 1489

14 Col de Peyresourde 1569

15 Col du Portillion 1293

16 Col des Ares 602

17 Col de Portet d’Aspet 1069

18 St Girons (Control) 650

19 Col de Caougnous 942

20 Col de Port 1249

21 Col de Puymorens 1915

22 Col de Llous 1345

23 Col Rigat 1488

24 Col de la Perche 1570

25 Prades (Control) 200

26 Col Saint Pierre 185

27 Col de Ternére 233

28 Cerbere (Control) 0

Les Sorbiers and Pyrenees Cycling has been running road cycling holidays since its conception over 18 years ago. Rob, Rachel and the Team has been in the cycling industry for even longer and so you can be sure that we will not overlook any aspect of your trip, from the riding, to the logistics of the travel arrangements and the accommodation.

Who can take Part?
The environment of cycling through the Pyrenees is a tough undertaking and the riders that take part are regularly training for 8-10 hours per week. Most of our clients ride on a regular basis with the CTC or cycling club some will have done cyclosportives or long distance Audax cycling events. However if you have never cycled you can find a coach here who can transform you from a non cyclist into a rider that can undertake the Raid within 6-8 months.

The aim of the Raid is to complete it our daily routes are set down in the official Carnet de Route / Route guide, you will also be accompanied by a guide to help you navigate and encourage you to get across the mountains in the set times. The guide(s) are there to pace the group and ensure no-one is left behind we do not need to cycle fast in order to manage the daily routes and time limits. With our service vehicles for support, we are happy for you to take as long as it takes to do each days route, and we will give you all the support and back-up that you need. All you need to do is eat, drink, cycle and sleep – we will do the rest!

Contact us by phone or email with any questions we can advise you on fitness levels on clothing gear ratios and other equipment. All the hotels we use cater for various dietary requirements. We use small friendly and family run hotels that we know and have previously used and understand our needs regarding cyclists.

We limit our group sizes to minimum of 6 and a maximum of 16 so you get the benefits of being with enough other cyclists to find others of the same abilities who cycle at your pace. But we also pride ourselves on our individuality and get to know anyone else in the group; your leaders will know where and when you will need that extra bit of encouragement. We expect the group to be of mixed abilities but still offer everyone the same, high level of support. It also means that in the case of any emergencies or mechanicals, our van is placed at various points where we know you will be in need of a refill of water or an energy bar.

Food and Fuel
The evenings meals will be taken together either at the hotel or a suitable restaurant in town. A 3 course evening meal is included. We know that the hotels and restaurants offer only best local produce. Vegetarian options are offered daily and other dietary requirements are not a problem to us. Local dishes are sometimes on the menu but then the Hotels work to the seasons and what is available to them, Pasta nearly always features on the Menu. Along the way you can sample some fine Pyrenean cuisine, Garbure is one of those hearty vegetable soups made with Tarbais beans and fortified with ham hock. Toulouse cassoulet with pork, sausage and goose a very rich meaty stew. Four different types of cheeses Ossau, Iraty, Val D’Aran & Bigorre. Desserts include egg batter, open fire, spit cooked gateau Brioche rum and orange sponge. Local wines include Madiran, St Mont, Jurancon and Pacherenc.Vegetarians are welcome and will be looked after very well. Cereal/energy bars, cakes, bananas and other snacks for during the day are included and will be distributed by the support van. We have our own energy powders/gels/bars to keep you supplied en route although we do have our own. French Hotel Breakfasts have advanced from just a croissant and coffee although it is based around a continental style but our hand picked hotels provide not only that but cereals and fresh fruit, a good breakfast designed to give you enough energy to undertake each days ride. Lunch(NOT INCLUDED) is normally taken on-route at a pre-arranged stop that is if you want to, where we can all re-group and find out how the mornings’ climbs went…..

Transport to the Pyrenees?
The trip starts at Biarritz or Pau airports and ends at Carcassonne or Perpignan airports. Ryanair and Easyjet provide a reasonably priced flight service between London Stansted/Gatwick and both these airports. If booked in advance flights should be relatively inexpensive. Minibus transfers (30 minutes and 60 minutes respectively) are arranged to tie in with the recommended flights.
Currently the flight timetables for June to September 2010 are not yet out – we will update our website with the recommended flights as soon as the times are available.
Ryan Air and Easyjet currently can carry charges vary from year to year for the carriage of a bike and do have a limited number of spaces for bikes on each flight (see www.ryanair.com. for more information).

Flights:-

Flights are not included. But the information on getting here as follows.

From London Stansted/Gatwick, Manchester, Belgium Charleroi to Pau or Lourdes with Ryanair or BMIbaby.com we can transfer from here to Biarritz. Other international airports to Biarritz are Paris CDG, Paris Orly and Frankfurt-Hahn.
Stansted, Birmingham, and Luton from the South to Biarritz. Ryanair Alternatives from north of the UK are Birmingham and Manchester or from Ireland, Shannon and Dublin. We are able to give lots of help and advice in sorting out which travel arrangements might suit you best, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for some advice and other information we have on how to get here.

Please see the prices section for more information on airlines, airport transfers, driving to the start or taking the train from the UK. Or you may even want to try Bike Express.

 


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