Raid Pyrénéen Touriste

[richpips]

I've had a google and have found some info on the Raid Pyrénéen Touriste.

I'd be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has done this who has camped en route.

Oh, and has anyone got a .gpx file for the route? I can find plenty for the 100 hour version, but not the 10 day one.

Thanks Rich

[Bendy Bianchi]

I know there are a couple of people who organise the Touriste version, they may be willing to let you have a .gps for a small fee.

I've done the official Raid version, if I can be of any help let me know.

[salar55]

Hi    No problems camping lots of campsites and rough camping easy high up.   You can get a  little route book for both 100 hrs and tourist route with more cols.  Think its 30+ cols for the tourist route.  Lost mine it gave all the info needed, a bit out of date but good for distance and total climb each day.   Book had alternative sections as well.   Also the Club des Cent Cols have one.   10 days might not be enough as its 100 cols and 1400 kms +.    Route and controls card  are only 7 euro.

[richpips]

Thanks Bendy Bianchi, I may be in touch.

salar55 - Good news on the camping.

The Cent Cols would be well outside my lads capabilities, in fact the RPT within 10 days will be a good effort.

Guess I better send of for our control cards, and see what info I'm then short of.

Thanks Rich

[De Sisti]

I've done the official Raid version, if I can be of any help let me know.

Can you give some brief details of what this event is about?

[Hillbilly]

It's essentially a ride from the Atlantic to the Med (or vice versa) taking in many of the most iconic climbs in the French Pyrenees.  There are two versions: one that has to be done in 100 hours, and another that has a much more relaxed time limit.  The former is 720km or thereabouts from memory, the latter longer (and with more cols).

Although a long distance event, it is not an audax.  Enjoyable, with some stunning scenery and with lighter traffic than the Alps (at least away from the coast).  Climbing the Abisque, cresting the Tourmalet, etc never gets dull. 

[pioto]

Not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but maybe worth taking a look:

http://www.gpsies.com/mapFolder.do?id=11736
http://www.gpsies.com/mapUser.do?username=Didi34

You can set the language to English in the upper right corner.

Here's one more
http://trainingstagebuch.org/gpsies/show/blryvfkeeymcxyry

[don black]

If you're not camping Gerry Goldsmiths write up of her solo
ride on the tourist version was in Arrivee 105 Summer 2009.
One of the  most useful articles  I've ever read in Arrivee.
Don Black

[De Sisti]

What about accommodation/hotel transfers, are these catered for?

[richpips]

If you're not camping Gerry Goldsmiths write up of her solo
ride on the tourist version was in Arrivee 105 Summer 2009.
One of the  most useful articles  I've ever read in Arrivee.
Don Black

I know Gerry, funny, I hadn't thought of asking her. 

[Hillbilly]

What about accommodation/hotel transfers, are these catered for?

It's like a permanent event, so no. You need to sort these out yourself, or get someone to sort it out for you (tour company etc).  There are quite a few do the 100 hour version, but as the tourist version is longer this is less commercial and so will tend to be self organised.

[Charlie Boy]

I've got the official info from the Cyclo Club Bearnais - if you'd like it PM me. It's from 2010 so may be out of date but it's got the route and some accommodation options etc.

[richpips]

Thanks Pioto and Charlie Boy.

[3peaker]

Following chat on T-T developing into Raid Pyreneen, here is a topic on the subject:

Transferred from T-T:
"Quote from: LiamFitz on August 10, 2019, 04:56:48 pm
I think your write up at the time in Arrivee has always been at the back of my mind...


I rode the Raid Pyreneen in 1989 after reading an account in a copy of Cycling Weekly a few years earlier; that article inspired me to seek it out. Traversing 18 Pyreneen passes seemed an impossible target; back then I had never climbed an alpine pass.

I was serving in Germany at the time and led an RAF expedition. For training Shirley and I went to Norway for climbing. I took my bike and rode from the fjord base to a summit top at 1000m/hr. Then went to Switzerland for climbing around St Moritz. Did a big circuit of the Bernina as final training for pass climbing.

Our Raid Pyreneen was supported, so we could concentrate on the climbs. To qualify you have a time limit of 100hrs. With dawn starts and late finishes and sending the support crew ahead to set up camp, we achieved in 62hrs, 3 days riding. It's an incredible journey and well worth taking up most of the 100hrs!"


Raid Pyreneen is essentially a 'Permanent' timed event of 100 elapsed hours and can be achieved in 4 1/2 days cycling with overnight stops: 4x 24hr + 4hr on 5th day. Several organisations organise supported rides. Ideal for anyone with Audax legs and low gears (AAA-style)? The climbs are memorable and the descents sublime, especially the final one to sea level in Cerbere (W<>E). A supported ride enables faster climbing, though modern Audax-style riding with overnight stops in the villages would probably make it achievable without too much weight penalty.

Just Google Raid Pyreneen; Touriste is an option though I went for sub-100hrs.

[mzjo]

The classic french way of doing this was staying overnight in hotels like a diagonal used to be. Then someone discovered the camping-car!! Doing it in an organised fully supported way is a very anglo-saxon thing (and would have been frowned upon by certain french randonneurs once upon a time - although a lot of them have now died of old age or take pride in saying "the ones can't hack it like we did" as they snort into their pastis in their retirement homes  as indeed the current generation will in 40 years time as they watch the then generation belt round it in 3 days with a 500W VAE  )

There are a few accounts on the web. I have some of them printed out so that I can enjoy them at my leisure (total breach of copyright of course. More in english than in french.

[postrestant]

Just done this last month. Very enjoyable. Flew into Bilbao, and cycled up to Hendaye, with an overnight stop.  Followed the CC Bearnais route to the letter.  Day 4 had too many busy roads of the 'A'-road variety.  There's an option on the CCB route sheet to change this from N roads to D roads -- after 488 km. I'd advise having a good look at the two options on the map. (I didn't.) Marmot tours also seem to avoid the N-roads after 488, but use a different route to CCB, but seem to have a less nice Day 5 / run-in to Cerbere (? I don't know this, but the original route from Prades to the end has a very nice climb Marmot do not have). Lots of nice small family hotels along the route -- if you want such.