The Great Pyrenees with Rick Norton

Rick Norton recently visited the Pyrenees for a cycling holiday and we were lucky enough that he captured a few of his epic rides for FulGaz.

We’d suggest checking out Soulor from Ferrieres, this route is part of the FulGaz Grand Tour and is a cracking climb.

Once you ride above the tree line, you’ll be greeted with lush green hills and dramatic cliff faces. The roads are very tranquil up here, so it’s easy to just disconnect and go on a journey.

You can find these rides under NEW in FulGaz or by searching Norton. 

ARINSAL FROM ERTS

"Welcome to Andorra! Arinsal is 1 of 3 climbs on the NW branch of Andorra (also Port de Cabus and Arcalis). Arinsal is a climb of 2 parts. Part 1 is through the commercial center of the ski resort. Part 2, the final 4.5k, is undeveloped with open views up the ski mountain and back across the towns at the base of the climb. Arinsal is the finishing climb ofstage 3 of the 2023 Vuelta (Ordino precedes it). We know Sepp Kuss is ready as he set the KOM (for the final 4.5k) 3 days before the Tour de France start!"

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7.00km
DISTANCE
00:35:36
DURATION
524m
ELEVATION

ORDINO FROM MASSANA

Welcome to Andorra! Ordino is 1 of 2 climbs which cross the ridge separating the west road from the east road (Beixallis is the other). Ordino is an evenly graded climb, always sticking very close to its 7 percent average. Like many Andorra climbs the start is only getting more developed, but after the first few kilometers the rest of the climb is much quieter. I continued past the top with the col sign for another 5 minutes as there is an additional 1k of climbing after an initial short descent. Enjoy the descending and the open views of the eastern side toward Canilo!

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14.84km
DISTANCE
00:52:50
DURATION
736m
ELEVATION

PORT DE CABUS

Welcome to Andorra! Port de Cabus is one of 3 big climbs on the NW branch (also Arsinal and Arcalis). Cabus climbs past 2 ski resorts with the final 6k with completely open views completing a semi circle to the top. The top of the climb is the border with Spain (the ‘road’ is unpaved with big rocks - mtb worthy!). Andorra is frequented by pro cyclists who use it for altitude training with tons of climbing. As a result the strava koms are crazy fast and held by illustrious riders - Egan Bernal on Cabus! Enjoy the solitude once we climb out of the towns at the base.

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16.80km
DISTANCE
01:08:44
DURATION
1029m
ELEVATION

LAC DE CAP DE LONG

Lac de Cap de Long is the highest (7100 ft) and largest (it’s very deep) of 4 dammed reservoirs on this route. It is also the highest reservoir in the Pyrenees. We ride from the town of Fabian on a road that only goes into this park with the lakes (so it’s pretty quiet). We ride along the Neste River formed from the drainage from these lakes across multiple bridges over the river. After 6 miles and one set of shoelace switchbacks (lacets des Ecureuil - squirrel) we come to a Y at the lowest reservoir - Lac Oredon. We continue another 2.8 miles and 1000 feet to the dam at Cap de Long past another set of switchbacks (lacets d’Edelweiss) with views back on Lac Oredon. 9 miles and 3500 feet of climbing not enough? Fear not - I also filmed the other route from the Y at Lac Oredon to Lacs Aumar and Albert!

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13.50km
DISTANCE
01:03:13
DURATION
1044m
ELEVATION

SOULOR FROM FERRIERES

Col du Soulor has featured in the Tour multiple times but not as frequently from this side. Thanks to Fulgaz and Hiebert’s video we knew we had to tackle this side (hopefully our video does his work justice). This ascent has much less traffic than the main road from Argeles and amazing views of the surrounding high peaks, amazing views of the balcony road to Aubisque, and lots of free range animals (we saw cows, horses, sheep, goats, and even a few pigs at the top!). After a cloudy first climb (Spandelles), we climb mostly in the sun and get bigger patches of blue sky as we climb. We also have amazing verdant green mountains thanks to a very rainy previous month. Enjoy the quieter traffic, the animals, and the amazing open views!

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13.27km
DISTANCE
00:59:27
DURATION
937m
ELEVATION

COL DE MENTE

Col de Mente is another linking climb for the Tour de France. We start at the base of Portet D’Aspet (just 1K down from the Casartelli memorial after his ‘95 crash). This side is easier and quieter than the other side and often leads to the subsequent climbs of Port de Bales and Peyresourde (in the Fulgaz library!). The climb starts out easier including a short descent before it gets serious for the final 6.5K at a smidge over 8%. The switchbacks in the middle of the climb give nice views of the nearby mountains and valleys to the East. After 3 very big days (including Bales and Peyresourde the day before) only this one tougher 6.5K stretch on this ride felt quite manageable. How will you fare? Good luck!

More Info
11.06km
DISTANCE
00:44:56
DURATION
737m
ELEVATION

ABOUT RICK NORTON

A self-described “goofy oddball” Rick Norton took to cycling as a diversion during his college days. Over the years he’s come to enjoy it more and more. Find out more about this Rick and what inspires him to ride.

 

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