After my four-day break in Sète, I was ready to get back on my bicycle. So, where to next? It all depended on the rain and wind. Following the weather forecast and planning the next part of my cycling journey, I decided to continue south rather than west. I would keep cycling through France and head towards Spain, which also meant one thing: cycling the Pyrenees Mountains.
The original idea had been to cycle towards Toulouse and continue to the west coast of France and Spain. Nevertheless, I had absolutely no desire to cycle into strong winds. And did it really matter where in Spain I finished? Heading towards Barcelona and Valencia sounded perfect to me.
However, this change of plans also meant crossing the Pyrenees Mountains in just a few days. Much sooner than I had expected. Was I ready?
Read here about my cycling in France part: Cycling to the Mediterranean Sea on EuroVelo17
Off to Spain
Now that I had changed direction, it was time to leave the EuroVelo cycling paths behind. Thank you for leading me all the way here! Instead, I had to map out my own route towards the Pyrenees Mountains and the Spanish border.
After leaving Sète, I headed towards Narbonne and Perpignan, cycling mainly on the main roads. This part of cycling in France was definitely different from simply following the EuroVelo signs, but finding my own way was all part of the journey. Narbonne is a gorgeous town with a stunning Gothic cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur. I had the perfect view of it from my hotel. Not to mention the delicious ice cream!
And then it was time for cycling the Pyrenees Mountains.
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Pyrenees Mountains
The Pyrenees Mountains form a natural border between France and Spain. The highest peak, Aneto, reaches an altitude of 3,404 metres, but I chose a much lower mountain pass at around 280 metres to take me into Spain. The perfect pass for cycling the Pyrenees Mountains!
A more popular cycling route seems to follow the coast, but that would add many kilometres and maybe more hills? Maybe next time…
It was an unbelievable feeling cycling through the Pyrenees Mountains. The N-II road was wide enough to share with the traffic, and the winding route made the climb surprisingly doable. Or was I just that fit by now? Either way, I seemed to reach the top much faster than expected.
WOW! What an achievement. I felt great!
And right there, at the top of the Pyrenees Mountains and on the French-Spanish border, I reached another huge milestone: 2,000 kilometres!
I had cycled 2,000 kilometres through Germany and France. Awesome!
And as I rolled down the hill for the next 24 kilometres, my first stop in Spain was Figueres, in Catalonia, the town of Dalí.
…to be continued….
(post 114)
