to go or not to go

The profile of the first five kilometers is between 9 and 10%. Your first objective is to get to the village of Soulan without feeling like you’re in a constant state of apnoea. You can zigzag once or twice on the road to relax your legs on the steepest slopes and take advantage of the little lucidity you have left to admire the scenery. Don’t be surprised when your speedometer tells you that you’re progressing at between 7 and 8 km/h, and don’t forget to warmly greet all the cyclists who drop you off with a compassionate smile. As for the woman who keeps asking you “How are you feeling? “think of all the happy moments you’ve already shared. When you get to the village of Soulan, don’t forget to fill your water bottle at the fountain. It’s the last water point up to the Col.

Take advantage of the little flat spot at the end of Soulan to wind down a little. It’ll lift your spirits and take your mind off the 10% kilometer ahead. This one has the particularity of seeming endless. This is certainly the moment when you’re going to ask your partner to go ahead. Otherwise, you run the stupid risk of forgetting “all those happy moments you shared”. Tell yourself that after this kilometer, you still have a choice. When you get to the crossroads, you can give up with dignity and just turn left to get to Pla d’Adet, otherwise… it’s to the right. Once you’ve reached the sign indicating that you’ve only got 8 kilometers to go at an average speed of 8.6%, take a selfie with the woman you’ve finally made up with, and enjoy a well-deserved break.

The trap in starting this climb to the Col du Portet is to think you’ve done the hard part. You forget that you’ve already got a few kilometers of climbing in your legs. All those that remain will gradually seem … extremely long. That’s when you need to enjoy the scenery … and think about the descent. That moment when your companion, not very comfortable in this exercise and with a bike weighing a ton, will suddenly lose that unbearable little smile. I’m not going to lie to you, that’s when I had the hardest time. You feel like you’ve got less slope, but you don’t have enough leg strength to accelerate. Keep a low profile and keep telling yourself that you have to finish “whatever it takes”.

Think of yourself as being in a pastoral area, so cast an amused glance at the flocks of sheep and the few cows. You’ll be able to read the encouragement in their eyes. Once you’ve mastered the twists and turns, you’ll find yourself back on a slightly gentler slope all the way to the tunnel. A word of friendly advice: as you pass through the tunnel, don’t try to make friends with the sheep or cows that sometimes take refuge there. And if you start trying to strike up a conversation with one of these four-legged creatures, swallow all the gels you’ve got left – you’re hypothermic. During the last kilometer, don’t hesitate to talk about the descent with your companion, giving her that little smile that should definitely calm her down.