Across the Pyrenees. Day 2 (Col de Soulor)

Across the Pyrenees

Day 2

Montory to Arrens

Day 2 started early with one long climb planned towards the end of the day. But before cycling got underway it was petit dejeuner and time to check out the croissant at the L’Auberge de l’Etable hotel. It looked promising as it was the first with any form of curve but it was over cooked on the outside and under on the inside so not a winner.

First Croissant with any shape

With that important part of the day complete pedals were down at 8:00 for another long stint in the saddle. Right out of the hotel we were straight into a short rise and that was order of the day for the first section as the road went up and down for many miles but with  a distinct lack of cafes.

One of many ups in the morning

We then went to Asasp-Arros which it was important we got to as soon as possible.

Important to get there as soon as possible

From there we started climbing through the valley to the beginning of today’s big Col (Col de Soulor 12 km, 9% av, 900m ascent). Even this was tough as the weather warmed up but the scenery was lovely and we had our first site of snow covered mountains.

On the gentle slopes to Col de Soulor

After the hors d’oeuvre it was time for the main course. Originally we had planned to climb the col d’Aubisque, which is the last climb scheduled on this years tour, but there had been a landslide so it was shut meaning that us, and possibly the tour, did this Col instead.

Setting off up the climb proper

After a steep start for the first km then the next 11 km were at a fairly steady 7% and I was up in just over the hour.

Half way up the climb

Knowing that Andrew is slower on the way up than me (as I often like to point out) you might be wondering how the above photo was taken. I may have given the impression it was just the two of us doing this ride but I have to confess we are 2 of 11 (I didn’t know the other 9 before the trip) plus two guides supporting us in vehicles. So they kindly took that snap, plus this one of me in action as well.

More climbing action

Once at the top it was time for a well earned rest and, more importantly, to test the cafe and croissant.

Todays summit cafe

But after all that effort there was no croissant, only waffle available. Spookily though, it was better than any of the croissant I have had to date.

Excellent waffle and hot chocolate to celebrate earning maximum KOM points

There was just time for the top of the col photo, and to read a “short” novel, before Andrew arrived. We were both disappointed with the cafe and it only got a 5.4. I’ll warn the TdF peloton in case they do have to come this way in the end.

Photo at the top Col Du Soulor

The day finished with a very long and easy downhill to the hotel.

Descent to the hotel

Tomorrow is the big one as we climb the Col du Tourmalet which is both the first one ever ridden in the TdF in the Pyrenees and also most climbed col in the history of the tour. It is 19 km, 7.4% av, 13% max and 1400m ascent so ride sounds good but let’s hope the cafe and croissants up their game.

Day 2 Route

Cafe ratings

Hotel du Fronton, Itaxassou. 5.8

Cafe Du Souloe 5.4

Croissant ratings

Venue	Freshness	Frenchness	Flavour	score
Heathrow	4	3	10.9	17.9
Bellevue hotel	5	4	12.7	21.7
Krakada patisserie, Itxassou	7	7.8	4.1	28.9
L’Auberge de l’Etable, Montory	7.5	7.3	13	27.8
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15

Stats

	Miles	Av Speed (MPH)	Time on Bike (H:M)	Metres climbed
Day 1	81.9	15	5:27	1751
Day 2	71.5	13.37	5:20	2010
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Overall	152.4	14.1	10:47	3761

Across the Pyrenees. Day 1 (Ride over the Col du St Ignace and the Col de Osquich)

Across the Pyrenees

Day1

Hendaye to Montory

With cafe and cake matters under control back in the UK I felt it was time for a new mission further a field. As the Tour de France is only a couple of weeks away I thought it would be a good idea to get in the mood by taking on some of the famous climbs used on the tour in the Pyrenees. I would also take the opportunity to check out some of the cafes that the peloton might decide to stop at for a rest on the tough days in order to find the best one. 

Most importantly I would also being on the hunt for the Ultimate croissant (UC). Obviously the 3 F's of croissant tasting will be used to decide the winner. They are Freshness, Flavour and Frenchness (covering authenticity and aesthetics of the croissant). I shall rate both the hotel croissants and those found at each cafe en route. I also had a croissant at Heathrow airport to act as a baseline to rate future croissants against and it set a pretty low bar.

It is a 6 day tour following the route below.

The route

Yesterday we arrived at Bilbao airport, transferred to Hendaye and attempt to rebuild our bikes. As always my Di2 gears did not fit back together as they should but after 3 hours, 2 bike shops (where the mechanics looked like 1960's left wing professors), much hammering and 20 Euros everything was good to go for the Grand Depart in the morning.

Bike pre not going back together

The morning started with a traditional continental breakfast and the first French croissant to taste at the Hotel Bellevue. It was ok but I’m sure won’t be the UC I’m searching for. 

Ready for the Grand Depart

It wasn't only the croissant but the weather which was disappointing, being damp, as we made our way to the Atlantic Ocean for the official start.

The official start at the Atlantic Ocean

Andrew (Who is notoriously hard to please) is accompanying me on the trip to act as my personal photographer and help with cafe and croissant scoring. As a reward I have put in a picture of him in today’s post.

Special treat as Andrew gets a photo in today's post

The next sea we would see would be the Mediterranean. Once we had left the Atlantic behind us the countryside reminded me of cycling in Devon, not that I have, as it was raining, the landscape was green and the route lumpy. There were a couple of named Cols but none worth getting excited about as we easily made it to their summits.

Devon type conditions on stage 1

After a couple of hours we arrived at our cafe stop in Ibxassou. 

First cafe stop of the trip

Due to Brexit I can do longer use the EU approved cafe rating system when in Europe. Instead I will just be awarding each cafe a mark out of 10. I found the Hotel du Fronton drinks rather average and they had no food but it was cosy inside so scored a 5.8. There was a patisserie up the road so we got some croissants from there. They were the best yet and rated at about 75% of what a UC would be.

First decent Croissant from the local patiserie

After a long dull section on a busy road in the valley we hit our first decent climb the Col de Gamia (6 km, 5.5% av, 12% max) which was short and sharp although we were rewarded with great views, but sadly no cafe, at the top. Instead a picnic lunch was taken.

Top of our first proper climb

After the descent we hit the final climb Col d’Osquich which had excellent signage at both the bottom and then every km. I expect the TdF riders appreciate this sort of thing.

Good signage on most Cols across the route

Once climbed there was another sign letting you knew you had finished in case you hadn’t realised. Once again no cafe so any TdF riders wanting a coffee and croissant here would again be disappointed.

Top of the Col

With climbing over for the day there was just the descent and a final 15 mile stretch in the valley to tonight’s hotel.

Final push to the Hotel

A good day of riding but little progress in finding any good cafes or the Ultimate croissant. Let’s hope for better news on those fronts tomorrow as we tackle some bigger climbs.

Stage 1 Route

Cafe ratings

Hotel du Fronton, Itaxassou. 5.8

Croissant ratings

Venue	Freshness	Frenchness	Flavour	Score
Heathrow	4	3	10.9	17.9
Bellevue hotel	5	4	2.7	21.7
Krakada patisserie, Itxassou	7	7.8	14.1	28.9
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15

Stats

	Miles	Average speed (Mph)	Time riding (Hrs:mins)	Metres climbed
Familiarisation
Day 1	81.9	15	5:27	1751
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Overall	81.9	15	5:27	1751

Catch up. (Great Bircham Mill, Great Bircham)

Great Bircham Mill,

Great Bircham,

Opening times Everyday 10-5,

Recommended

This post is a complex one as it makes reference to several other trips and associated posts. So if you want the complete picture of today's ride I have put all the necessary links in the post so you can undertake your background research for maximum enjoyment. However I believe most people only read this blog to find out about potential cafes for their next ride, in which case I suggest you scroll down to the photo of a windmill and start from there.

Followers of my Cake Crusader Facebook page or twitter feed (@cakecrusader1) will know that on Saturday I cycled up to Holkham Hall on leg 6 of the Norfolk cycle parkrun challenge (details on my Norfolk cycle parkrun challenge Facebook page) in order to run the Holkham Hall parkrun. It was an excellent 75 mile bike ride but although, for auditing purposes, we did record ratings for the Holkham Hall cafe I had already been there so won't be posting about it due to my one cafe, one post rule. 

Runners preparing for start of Holkham Hall parkrun

Yesterday I returned to North West Norfolk for a full blown cafe cycle ride with cycling guests Mrs Crusader plus Cliff and Sharon who were part of the team who cycled across India with me in search of a decent cup of tea (worth more than 7 out of 10). You can read about that adventure on the trips page of the Cake Crusader Website. As Cliff and Sharon are based in Ely and Crusader Towers is in Norfolk I used the gift of the ruler to find a point equal distance between us to start from. It turned out to be in a field just East of Kings Lynn so we met up there.

I had planned a 54 mile loop taking in a couple of tearooms where I could help educate Cliff and Sharon on British cycle cafe rating (which includes cake) rather than that used in India (which does not). 

My cycling guest at the start of our ride

As we cycled North towards Thornham Cliff brought me up to speed with what he had been up to since we waved goodbye at Cochin Airport. On our Indian trip I had told him how I always mend that years pile of punctured inner tubes on Christmas Eve while I listen to carols on the radio. He had been very taken with my approach and had recently run out of new inner tubes so had to fix his 12 punctured ones. He too had settled down to mend them in one go on a hot day in May but had been unable to find any Christmas songs on the radio so missed out on the full experience. 

We made use of cycle route 1 for a lot of today's route

As you can image with our inner tube based chat (including a flow diagram of Cliff's post repair testing process which I will almost certainly implement this December) the time flew by and we soon found ourselves at Thornham Deli in Thornham. 

I reviewed Thornham Deli a few weeks ago and today it performed equally well maintaining its highly recommended status. There was much tea drunk and the cake was not only good but extremely large although for some reason served on wooden chopping boards instead of plates (very North Norfolk).

Very large cake served on chopping boards

From here we weaved our way through the undulating countryside towards Great Bircham. Cliff asked how sales of the Cake Crusader Book were going as he had downloaded a copy to his Kindle during the promotional period when it was available for free. He hadn't actually read any of it but thought it looked like the type of book that once you had put down you couldn't pick up. I told him I was very happy with progress and the book is available on Amazon (for a small fee) and all good bookshops (as long as it is Jarrolds book department in Norwich).

Start reading from here if you just want to know about today's cycle cafe stop

We arrived at Great Bircham Mill and took our seats in the outdoor courtyard seating area.

In the courtyard area beside the tea rooms

I checked out the cake selection which was quite good with another enormous Coffee cake available, which Cliff opted for. I had carrot cake with my hot chocolate and Mrs Crusader just an Americano as she was still full from the previous cake. Sharon had tea and a cheese wrap (which isn't cake).

Cake selection with another very large coffee cake

My hot chocolate was a Cadbury offering which is not my favourite but Mrs Crusader thought her coffee was good. The coffee cake was excellent and superior to the carrot one I had gone for. 

Mine and Mrs Crusaders refreshments

Great Bircham Mill was a very pleasant setting and has decent refreshments so I recommend a visit. For an additional fee you can even climb the windmill, pet a small furry animal and play in the sandpit but sadly we didn't have time.

But that was not all because as a bonus there was another event going on and I discovered that standing in field next to your Land Rover all afternoon is actually a thing.

A field full of Land Rovers

With the sun now fully out we enjoyed riding the final few miles back to the field where our cars were.

I told Cliff there was a second point where the rulers had met which was just East of Thetford and would be a good starting point if they wanted another cafe cycle ride. Unfortunately Cliff explained he had checked his calendar and it appeared he had something on every weekend for the rest of his life so it might not be possible. 

Scores

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
5.1	7.5	6.7	7.2	7.4	6.78

Route

Click here to downlaod 54 Mile North West Norfolk loop gpx file for your GPS