Pyrenees, September 2023
This year again on the original route and again with Marcellus and Extreme Tours.
This time we have the best weather. Sun and warmth all the time. On the French Tour de France passes it is sometimes foggy and otherwise overcast but there is no rain on the whole tour and very pleasant temperatures.
Here is a video with all pictures taken by Marcellus and myself during the tour
This time there are seven of us. Six ride a motorcycle and Wolfgang drives suitable routes with his car.
The Pyrenees are very far away. This time I make the journey in three days.
First I drive 700km from Berlin to Marcellus at the Ammersee. There we load the bikes on the trailer.
The next day we move on to Beat, where Klaus also joins us. Their bikes go on the trailer and then we go to the French Vercors to Gresse-en-Vercors to the hotel Le Châlet. There we meet Wolfgang as well.
The next day we continue to Perpignan to the meeting point.
Felix and Hans-Gerd also drive with the trailer to Perpignan.
Today, the beautiful coastal road along the Mediterranean Sea is on the agenda. It is very warm there.
In the afternoon we turn into the mountains and have as a highlight the beautiful pass Coll de la Creueta in the late afternoon.
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A dream day.
In the morning sun over fog and then sun and very pleasant temperatures.
We drive across numerous borders. From Spain to France, Spain, France, Andorra to Spain.
In the evening we have an adventure with the local police in Vielha, about 70 kilometers before the day's destination Benasque.
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We overtake a civilian police car by crossing a solid line, the car turns on the lights and stops Hans-Gerd.
I wait with Felix a little further down the road and we get called back by the officer. I turn around and drive back on the opposite lane despite the solid line.
The policeman gets very upset that I have crossed the solid line twice.
I get a ticket for 200 Euros (instant pay 100 Euros) and so does Hans-Gerd.
In total, four police cars and nine policemen are on the scene.
A really long route is on the program. We want to go over the big Tour de France passes of the Pyrenees.
In the morning we need to spontaneously reverse the direction of our round trip because of a construction site.
In France it is overcast and on the Col du Tourmalet and the Col d'Aubisque it is foggy.
As soon as we are back in Spain it gets sunny and warm again.
But the highlight is the sighting of a vulture on the Hourquette d'Ancizan directly at the side of the road. The animals are very rare and we were very lucky to see it so closely.
We arrive back at the hotel just before sunset.
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Today several highlights.
First, there are the incredibly long passes Coll de Bóixols and Coll de Jou, each with almost 40 kilometers of turns, and then there is La Cantina de Llinars, where we get a paella made by mom for lunch. Very tasty.
In the evening, tires are get replaced and there are good tapas for dinner.
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We ride a big southern loop. Again over Coll de Bóixols - but in the opposite direction.
And we have a fine lunch again - this time at Cal Majoral.
The afternoon belongs to the incredibly twisty pass Coll de Merolla. There are no 50 meters of straight road. We return to the hotel via Coll de la Creueta.
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Already the last day in the Pyrenees.
We drive through Andorra again and then wind our way through France and Spain back to Perpignan in France on the Mediterranean coast.
The Collada de Toses offers another 45 kilometers of turns.
The last pass is then Coll d'Ares before heading back through the Tech Valley to the tour's starting point.
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This time only two days. That is extremely exhausting.
We drive from Perpignan directly back to Germany to the Ammersee.
We're on the road from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., interrupted only by small breaks and dinner at Beat's place.
The next day, I drive the 720 kilometers back to Berlin on country roads.
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