Yesterday, we decided that would be up bright and early today to have a bash on the roadies at a circuit which takes in the Col de la Core. The Col has been on my 'to do' list for the past 2 years, so I was both excited and apprehensive about the prospect ... it is a fairly serious proposition on its own with the hardest gradient towards the top...
.... but we had decided to make things more interesting by combining it with a bit of 'cross country' on some minor roads through some totally unspoilt, picturesque scenery between Sentenac-d'Oust and Moulis, taking in the Col de Catchaudégué and the Col de Portech.
This 'cross-country' section turned out to be tough in its own right, with 20kms of undulating riding with some steep ups (over 13% in sections) and downs on narrow roads. We arrived down in Castillon not sure whether we could make it up to the Col de la Core, prepared to head down the road to St Girons and then back up the main road to where we had parked the car. However, after refreshments, we decided to crack on and tackle the col. The first 9 or 10kms of the 17.5km climb did not present any major problems, but the last 7 or 8kms were sustained, averaging a gradient of around 7%. The fact that the sun had made an appearance after hiding behind clouds for most of the morning did not help matters! However, thanks to steady fuelling with my SIS mix, I finally arrived up at the Col - the view back down to Castillon-en-Couserans made the effort worthwhile.
However, Andy was not faring so well, had long since run out of water and was suffering badly from dehydration. I tanked it down the other side of the Col to collect the car and met him half way back up the Col. The heat of the sun have probably also contributed to a mild case of heatstroke. It had been a challenging ride all round. Sum total 74kms with 2258m of ascent.
.... but we had decided to make things more interesting by combining it with a bit of 'cross country' on some minor roads through some totally unspoilt, picturesque scenery between Sentenac-d'Oust and Moulis, taking in the Col de Catchaudégué and the Col de Portech.
This 'cross-country' section turned out to be tough in its own right, with 20kms of undulating riding with some steep ups (over 13% in sections) and downs on narrow roads. We arrived down in Castillon not sure whether we could make it up to the Col de la Core, prepared to head down the road to St Girons and then back up the main road to where we had parked the car. However, after refreshments, we decided to crack on and tackle the col. The first 9 or 10kms of the 17.5km climb did not present any major problems, but the last 7 or 8kms were sustained, averaging a gradient of around 7%. The fact that the sun had made an appearance after hiding behind clouds for most of the morning did not help matters! However, thanks to steady fuelling with my SIS mix, I finally arrived up at the Col - the view back down to Castillon-en-Couserans made the effort worthwhile.
However, Andy was not faring so well, had long since run out of water and was suffering badly from dehydration. I tanked it down the other side of the Col to collect the car and met him half way back up the Col. The heat of the sun have probably also contributed to a mild case of heatstroke. It had been a challenging ride all round. Sum total 74kms with 2258m of ascent.
3 comments:
What's that funny double peak at the top of Col de la Core on your ride profile? Did you have to go back for something?
Yes, I retraced my steps to try and help Andy out
Dis donc, faut faire attention. Il ne faut pas maltraiter son mari comme ça! ;) Il s'est remis j'espère?
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