St-Gaudens
![](http://d2k8htqlk8yn1a.cloudfront.net/img/flags-png/fr.png)
I made decent time, and arrived at St-Gaudens by 19:00, despite having to stop to attempt to make repairs to my continually puncturing front tyre.
Shortly after St-Gaudens a van, driven by someLeia mais
I made decent time, and arrived at St-Gaudens by 19:00, despite having to stop to attempt to make repairs to my continually puncturing front tyre.
Shortly after St-Gaudens a van, driven by someLeia mais
I aimed for the Col-de-port-du-Aspet. A mere Cat 2 Col, and but a speed bump compared with the Tormalet at a just 1,100m tall. Even so, though it is a relatively short climb, it has a 9.7% averageLeia mais
The morning was spent jockeying for position on the Col, so I didn't have time to prepare the customary mountain top Welsh cakes. Instead I ate up the remainder of my bread and cheese.
The SwissLeia mais
Descending the Col to I traveled through some very picturesque villages. Saint-Lary in particular looked glorious in the sunlight.
After descending the Col-de-port-du-Aspet, I had a fairly hard slog through the undulating foot hills of the Pyrenees on my way to Foix. The going was tough, and I took a break in a cafe' to watch theLeia mais
Things continued to be difficult until I got over a final Col at about 600m above sea level. Having dropped down to 365m at Saint-Girons, my last Col (Col del Bouich) took me back up to the altitudeLeia mais
The Chataux in Foix. I was tempted to stop and look around, but wanted to make the distance to Carcassonne. I took route N20 towards Carcassonne.
With the mountains behind me I was flying along, and was making an averaging around 30Kph, despite my load. As I rode down the busy 4-lane road, many of the Tour de France support vehicles passed meLeia mais
The camp site was perfectly situated for watching Le Tour, as the route used the access road for the site. I happened to pick a corner with no less than three groups from Wales on it. I lent my largeLeia mais
After the tour I had the day to explore Carcassonne.
Quite by accident, I found my self entering the city by a little used windy stair case away from the busy main gates. Approaching Carcassonne thisLeia mais