Stage 5: Tour De France

This was the first of two consecutive mountain stages with over 10,000 ft of climbing. It did not disappoint.

Essentially we got schooled in mountains stages with bad weather. We did not take jackets and paid the price. We were eased into the climbing with a few first tests before hitting the big one (a 15km at 7.2 gradient average). We made it to the top wet and very cold. The downhill was equally challenging with my body shaking like a leaf.

Grabbed a quick snack before the last climb of the day

Given I was already cold and wet, I took the opportunity to bath in the river with even colder water (why not?!).

We had a few more climbs to hit before reaching Laruns but nothing compared to the major one (col de Soudet). By the time we made it to the top, we were once again short of water and @donnonsdesellesauvelo came to the rescue. It was our first time to meet the group and looked to learn more about why they were riding these hard hills like us.

By the time we made it to the car, we all appreciated what the Pyrenees had to offer. I will repeat it for the sake of it - the mountain views and rivers make it worth the pain.