Fargo and Away

Sometimes, life gives you second chances, and if you seize it, you are rewarded with a magnificent cloud inversion at the summit. That was the theme for today for five of us who did not finish the Hautacam climb on Friday and took advantage of the optional rest day to go back and check that box.

Toffer, Steve, Larry, Jack, Ellen, and I left the hotel at 8:45 am for the two hour climb up the Hautacam. Ellen wanted us all to know that she was going to turn back after a mile or so, as she wanted to rest up for our big Tourmalet climb tomorrow. She hung in there a bit longer than she had planned and was climbing very well when she finally bid us adieu. She’s ready for the queen stage.

The name Hautacam translates to “highland” or “high field” — which checks out given the number of farms we passed on the way with fields of cows and sheep.

The Hautacam is rated as Hors Catégorie (HC) climb, which means it is “beyond category.” Smaller climbs are unrated, and most climbs are rated 1 to 4, with 4 being the easiest. Legend has it that the category is the gear a car had to be in to make it up the hill. So, a cat 1 climb meant you had to be in first gear. Only the highest, steepest, and most difficult climbs, the ones the old cars could not drive up in any gear, get an HC rating.

The Hautacam features often as as a stage finish in the Tour de France and is famous for breaking the rhythm of even the top riders. The average grade is just about 8%, but at some parts the undulating road hits 15% and 16%.

Today, we started under cloud cover, with some mist keeping us cool. We warmed up quickly on the climb, but the visibility deteriorated as we ascended into the clouds.

We stretched out across the mountain, and Muriel leapfrogged up ahead to supply us with water if we needed it. The cool temperatures helped as we kept up a comfortable pace. About a half mile from the top, the sun started to gain the upper hand against the cloud cover.

Not long after that, I got my first glimpse of the cloud inversion down in the valley. It was about here that I was starting to feel really thankful that we had decided to do this ride today.

At the top, I had no words to describe the view.

Toffer, Larry, Steve, and Jack all arrived at the top soon after I did.

The restaurant at the summit was opened, so we had coffee and a Coke in the sun.

And, by coincidence, we bumped into the British cyclist we had met the day before in the bike shop. We got to know Louie and his crew, all members of the British Royal Artillery. They are the cycling team for the RA and were training in between races when Louie had his crash, though he was showing no ill effects today.

After a long linger in the sun, we rode back down, but not before we stopped to get a picture in front of the Hautacam sign.

The way down from the top back through the clouds was a bit dicey, with slick roads and only about 50 feet of visibility, with cars, cyclists, and the occasional farm animal in the road. It was difficult to see where the bends in the road were, so we kept a far slower pace than usual. This had the effect of keeping us in the clouds longer, and we were all quite cold before we dropped below the clouds. That perhaps explains our behavior when we came across the sheep for the second time.

We managed to rile the sheep up good and crack ourselves up in the process.

From the sheep, we were quickly back down to the bottom.

Meanwhile, in another part of the valley, the Hautacam veterans were on their own adventure up the Col de Spandelles, a climb that began very close to our hotel. They had the same weather we had, but unfortunately the climb never broke above the clouds, but that didn’t dampen their spirits.

Along the way, Beata and Hal came across the Shire. Sadly there were no hobbitses. Also sadly, neither Hal nor Beata picked up on this reference, and now I’m afraid we cannot be friends.

In addition to bucolic realms, the group passed a rural church as Sunday Mass was letting out. And, there were goats, and not just Ken.

The other group finished their ride about the same time as we did. Lunch was had by all, beer by some, and we commenced with the afternoon stretching, lazing, and napping.

Oh, and we saw a Renault Le Car, which they apparently call the Renault 5 here in France. Here’s hoping I’m not the only car geek that was impressed by this.

It is now time to packed, get a good night’s rest, and wake up ready to tackle the queen stage…the Tourmalet.