Col du Tourmalet
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- Sep 28, 2024, 12:00 PM
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Altitude: 411 m
FranceCastet Miu43°5’46” N 0°4’33” W
Day 23–24
5:17 / 61 miles / 4,321 ft. Another great day cycling in southern France, which feels less touristy and more sparsely populated. The roads have fewer cars, and the landscape resembles Iowa, with its rolling hills and farmland. We’ve encountered a peculiar bug hatching, similar to mayflies hatches, and it seems like we’ve been riding through millions of them. When they get tangled in our hair or down our shirts, it’s hard to tell if they’re biting us, but we haven’t felt any itchiness. We stopped in a small village around noon as the church bells rang and the Tuesday market was concluding. We bought some olives for dinner, and Lisa picked up a new pair of sunglasses from a cycling vendor. Today marked our first day without rain while riding, but later, as we walked back from getting takeout pizza in Lourdes, it started to rain, making it our 13th consecutive day with rain. Although we cannot pronounce Lourdes to the satisfaction of the French, it is one place that everyone recognizes the name once they figure out what we’re talking about. Lourdes, in southwestern France, is known for its Christian religious significance and natural beauty. It attracts millions of visitors annually, especially to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a major pilgrimage site. The city is set against the backdrop of the picturesque Pyrenees mountains. To celebrate finally reaching it here we decided on takeout pizza, one of the more holy things that I know. 🙂 Two days ago I forgot to mention that I heard a scream from Lisa as she was riding behind me on the moist pavement. I couldn’t figure out what was going on, but she was holding up her hand and yelling, yuck, and Ugh, etc. I wasn’t sure if she was injured or what the problem was but we were on a pretty fast descent. I got my bike stopped and she stopped also. I guess a giant slug flew off of my wheel and hit her in the face. She then wiped it off and it was stuck on her hand. I’m sure you’ll hear more about the story, but in summary she says, “SO GROSS!”🤢 Video of the market: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAT62CXuXZr/?igs…Read more
