2025-Vive la France!: Day 11-Tuesday

One of the things I love about the village of Arreau is that I can go for a brief walk each morning and buy a newspaper or two. Being my first walk down main street I noticed all the window decorations in the local shop celebrating that the Stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday will bring the riders right down the main street of Arreau, directly past the Hôtel d'Angleterre. We would actually be able to look down from the balcony in our room at the riders as they pass below us.

The butcher, baker, hair salon, & bookstore are just a few of the local businesses promoting the Tour.

During our seven days in the Pyrenees we plan to see three stages of the Tour. Our first on will be on Thursday. So our activity for today was to scout out some potential viewing sites for Stage 14. The organizers of the Tour publish a likely time schedule for the riders which includes all of the roads they'll use and the specific times they will pass each locale. Although the race usually doesn't start until noon, road closures begin as early as 6 AM, so if you want to watch at a specific spot, you need to get there early.

Today's scouting trip took us over several mountain passes: the Col d'Aspin, the Col du Touralet, and the Col du Soulor. Most of the mountain passes go through open range areas so you have to stay alert because there are always cows or sheep just sitting in the middle of the road.

It was very foggy at the higher elevations so our views were very limited, but we caught enough breathtaking views to keep us in awe.

A common experience for many amateur cyclists is to ride over the tall peaks that are featured in every Tour, so for the few days right before the Tour arrives, many, many cyclists are testing their mettle on these roads. The fog made it especially difficult to see these cyclists, especially when are descending so rapidly.

On of our favorite villages in the Pyrenees is Luz-Saint- Sauveur which reminds me a lot of Lake Placid, New York. Luz is the start of the 19 km climb up the Tourmalet. It's a vibrant village that appeals to cyclists, hikers, kayakers, skiers, and hang gliders. We stopped for lunch at La Terrace, an outdoor café right in the center of town.

Joni and I both had a very traditional mountain lunch, Leffe Blonde beer and tartiflette.

The above plaque announces the beginning of kilometer zero on the climb up the Tourmalet and highlights the promenade of famous French cyclists, Tommy Voeckler being one of my favorites.

The ruins of the Chateau of Saint Marie, built in 14th century.

The Church of the Templars, whose official name is the Saint-Andre church. Contrary to its popular name, it was not built by the Templars, but rather by the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem in the 12th century. Like the Templars they were a Catholic military order.

Leaving Luz, we headed to the Col du Soulor where we hope to watch stage 14. We really never escaped the fog until we reached the lower elevations, but we certainly saw some gorgeous sites.