Day 5 : 45.25 miles, 4:57 hours, Arreau
[ MAP ]

The shadows from the mountains made it a cool start for the day but it was pretty soon heating up. I crossed the border into Spain, greeted by large warehouse stores offering cheap cigarettes and alcohol. If the English all go across to France to pick up cheap smoke and booze and if the French all go across to Spain to get theirs, where do the Spanish go? I stopped in to get some cheap Cuban Cohiba cigarillos, something I like to indulge in on these sorts of holidays.

Thick forest kept the hot sun off me for most of the climb to Col du Portillon. My left knee gave a few twinges on the way up, by halfway it was really starting to hurt. I rested as often as I could, trying to fix the pain my putting pressure on the kneecap, but within a few metres of starting again the twinges would be back. By the time I reached the summit the "twinges" were causing me to cry out in agony on almost every pedal stroke.

I rested at the summit, joined by other amused drivers watching the wild horses take over the road. They'd just stand in front of oncoming traffic as if they were border patrol guards.

I rolled back into France and through the large spa town of Bagnères de Luchon. Finally managed to restock my dwindling supply of peanut butter. Hard to find here though Nutella is everywhere.

The ride up to Col de Peyresourde was a bitch of a long and steep climb. The unrelenting heat and the lack of shade added to the misery. Will have a bright pink nose now. My knee continued to piss me off. At the end of the hill were four long switchbacks which gave fabulous views of the road I'd just climbed. When I saw the switchbacks I dropped to the grassy verge for a half hour nap. I was buggered. The switchbacks seemed to take an eternity to climb, the descent down the other side couldn't have come sooner.

Arreau. Another campground. Another river. Another head spin-inducing cigarillo. Another mini-bottle of vino and another bag of pistachio nuts. Another Sudoku puzzle. What more could I want for? ... well, maybe a rest. A new knee.

I can't remember one climb from another now, it's just an exhausting blur.

[The hills:
    9.   Col du Portillon: altitude = 1320m
    10.   Col de Peyresourde: altitude = 1569m]