Col de l'Aspin - Sainte Marie de Campan

i didn''t have the weather that mr foot had. quite the opposite, in fact. on a recent tour in the pyrenees, having toiled up the tourmalet with camping gear - and having to remind myself that i was doing it for pleasure - and descending through the clouds i tackled the aspin. unfortunately it started to rain as i left st marie de campan and the rain developed to torrential proportions and soaked me to the skin. the ride down to arreau was one i''ll not forget or wish to repeat in a hurry. the road was awash with water running down the road like a river. so, after a single figure descent which seemed to take forever, i arrived at the campsite almost too wet and cold to speak ! had i been able to quit and go home then i would have done so but fortunately it wasn''t possible and i had to carry on. of course, after a slow but enjoyable climb of the peyresourde the next day - albeit in wet clothes - all was well again and my time on the aspin had become a memory and a story to tell. i''d still recommend the aspin to anyone who''s never been as it''s a great climb from arreau and i''m sure that it''s probably even nicer coming up through the trees from the west if the weather''s good.

My personal climb rating:

Did Col d''Aspin on Sunday 12 June 2011 in marvellous sunny weather. This was my first ever tour col and so I really didn''t know what to expect. My wife was following me up and as a relative novice rider had even less experience to call upon. I made the basic error of tracking some locals at the start and then thinking I could overtake them. They seemed to be going slower than me so I sailed past them (and quite a few other folk) but put my heart rate straight into the red zone. Hence, whilst I greatly enjoyed what is a beautiful and very fair climb, I was really feeling it towards the end. Sure enough, as a result, from nowhere 3 of the local guys passed me within about 300m of the summit. A lesson learnt! This is a really nice climb and a great one to do as a first ascent when you first arrive in the Pyrenees. There are no hidden difficulties and it doesn''t seem too long. There is a nice ambience at the top with a local cheese selling and plenty of day trippers to keep you company.

My personal climb rating: