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I am vaguely aware of someone leaving the room very quietly (and very early): the guy from the GR10. At the breakfast table I meet a couple of other hikers (I guess from their attire; they have almost finished; not much conversation takes place.) Today the second 'new' pass in the Pyrenées of this tour is on the menu, the Col de Pause, which I missed/skipped twice because of the weather: in 2000 it rained; in 2003 it was too warm. No such excuses today. Though it will be one of the warmest days of the trip, with risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. In the morning it should be okay. And it absolutely is okay. The Col de Latrape, a climb of some 5 km to gain 365 m, over a beautiful serpentine road through the woods (with mostly deciduous trees), with hardly any traffic, is a very nice starter. I reach the summit sweating (not yet in t-shirt) and with fogged glasses.
Super start
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Foggy goggles, sweaty shirt
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More than decent descent
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from Col de Latrape
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The 13 km descent (of some 540 m) to the Auberge "Deux Rivières" (i.e. the Alet merging into the Salat) is enough to cool down. It is a bit too early for a break yet, so I turn left to follow the Salat upstream till Couflens, and then get it over with, 'it' being the Col de Pause. The ride upstream along the Salat to Couflens, 140 m up in 5.5 km is an agreeable warming up. Right before this village I turn right, cross the bridge, and up it goes. UP!
One of the two rivers
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Turn left and ... up!
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Again, I haven't studied the profile recently, but I do know that it offers a few (>)10% kilometers, and that after the pass the road continues to rise another 700 m, unpaved, to the Port d'Aula. I plan to tackle it in the same state of body and mind as the Col de Portet-d'Aspet yesterday: Just take it slow and easy. And for 5 km that works perfectly fine. There are no road signs with climbing info, and at the beginning I can see now (i.e. afterwards) that this is not the steepest part. Well, the fifth km, of 12%, may well be the steepest of the 9 km climb. Then the nasty section starts: shortly after Faup the tarmac disappears. Already!? For a short while it looks like there has once been asphalt, but soon it becomes a steep stony goats' track, bloody steep. I cannot stand on the pedals, because then my rear wheel starts to slip. Twice I lose my balance, once close to the edge (no worries, there is not a deep abyss, it is just very annoying). I'm about to give up when I'm passed by a woman on an e-bike encouraging her husband and son. In the next hairpin bend I meet these guys, compatriots, and Dad tells me it's 'only' three km still till the Col de Pause (at that point I have already put the Port d'Aula out of my head). It's hard! It asks for a lot of strength and concentration, and I manage it with only one more foot on the ground. During the last 500 m I even manage to bring up the speed 1 km/h, which makes it easier to keep my balance, and avoid the rear wheel to slip.
And in between: Col de Pause
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First hairpin bend
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I still manage to manage my camera
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Last well-surfaced km?
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Hard hard hard
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End of the struggle (no road/col sign!)
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Struggle down
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Nice view over Couflens
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At the top I meet mother again, who is so friendly to decant some water from a large bottle into my bidon (she is the family's water carrier), and tells me that not too many years ago they (well, I guess she and her husband) did this road both 'unmotorized', under much less favorable weather conditions. And then, after this short pause at the Col de . . . . (ha! ha!) I have to ride the road back down. The four unpaved kilometers ask for even more concentration than during the way up. It feels like I'll lose control whenever for a moment I let the speed get above 10 km/h. My hands hurt when I finally reach the hamlet of La Serre, where the pavement ended. I make the nice picture 'from above' of Couflens that I spotted during the way up. In Couflens to my big surprise (and disappointment) there is no restaurant (I find out when I ride to the end of the village). So, I enjoy a nice, smooth ride along the Salat, down to Seix. Five days ago I crossed the Salat close to its end point where it flows into the Garonne. Around 12:45 I arrive in Seix, with only 51 km on the odometer, and it feels like a whole day trip already. It's warm again, it's busy, but I do find an empty table on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the Église de Saint-Étienne de Seix, and enjoy a plat du jour consisting of steack, spaghetti and salad, all flushed away with a lot of water and coca cola.
Speeding down along the Salat
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Fellow guest in Seix
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After a thorough treatment with sun oil I continue my second stage sans in the Pyrenées, starting with the long winding road up to the Col de Saraillé, and on the other side a winding road at least as long down to Massat. The fellow guest/cyclist in Aulus liked it because of the woods and the tranquillity, and apart from some agricultural vehicles in the beginning that's what it offers. In Massat I fuel myself with cold calories under a parasol on a terrace facing the north.
Climb to Col de Saraillée
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Refreshments in Massat
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The sky looks all clear; I have no worries about thunderstorms today. But then, when I set off in the best possible mood to the south, because everything seems okay, far in the distance, high up in the mountains, there seems to be trouble in store. Best to turn around and follow the easiest (not shortest) route 'home'. I decide, quite irresponsibly, not to and 'see how far I can get'. It's 17.5 km up to the Col d'Agnes, certainly one of my many favorites, and then 10 km down to Aulus. Well, . . . . it's not okay. After five km I'm already thinking about putting away the map in plastic. There's rumbling in the air. I pass the last village, and register in my head possible places to take refuge. About 1 km further up the rain starts. Hard! A birch tree does not give much shelter.
Next project (NOT)
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Thunderstorms approaching
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The wind gets fierce. After five minutes it doesn't help at all.
On the other side of the stream there seems to be a kind of bunker/cabin, but how do I get there? Less than 1 km back I passed a house with a car in the garden. So, I go back/down. I turn into the garden and take shelter in an open shed, barely dry, full with garden equipment. It feels like heaven. For half an hour. However, the rain (even sleet; I hear the ploink-ploink on the car) continues. My phone doesn't make connection to the internet; I can't even make a call to Christophe in Aulus. After another twenty minutes I decide to knock on the door of the main house, and .... am welcomed very warmly by a couple that want to help in all ways possible: warm drinks, a warm shower if I want to (I don't), and the man (Barthe? or is that his last name) even offers to bring me 'home' by car. It's nice to warm up and chatter along for a while. It will blow over won't it? I just need one and a half hour to get to the 'finish line' in Aulus. The people of the house also have trouble connecting to France Météo, and when they succeed the verdict is negative: risque d'orages jusqu'à 22 h . So I gladly accept the offer of transport 'home'. With my front wheel taken out (I'm glad again I left the low-riders at home) and the saddle set low it just fits. It's quite an adventure to do the Col d'Agnes under these conditions, with mud and stones on the road and many white patches (of sleet) on the roadside; even my chauffeur is amazed.
Temporary abode
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Nice lady, nice house
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Tea of the moment
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All the while he bombards me with geological facts of the area (especially around the Lac de Lers), and a lot of interesting hikes. Around 7 p.m. he drops me off at the yellow door. For which I'm very grateful. The restaurant "L'Étape" is fully booked, and the best restaurant (according to the Saraillé fan) is closed on Tuesdays, but hey, I can manage. I discuss my plans for tomorrow (and other topics – the future of the gîte for one thing) with Christophe, and decide that after today's 'disaster' I definitely I must insert the Col d'Agnes into tomorrow's itinerary.
After quite an unnerving stage, with two challenging étapes to come, and favorable weather conditions in store I put my head to rest for the last time in my sixtieth year.
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