The Bikepacker: Bikepacking - Perpignan to Nébias

Day #

State of Legs

:-)

	Distance (miles)	Distance (km)	Ascent (feet)	Ascent (metres)	Punctures
Today	60 miles	km	4610 feet	metres	0
Trip Totals	1762 miles	km	69280 feet	metres	0

Today's Route

Relive the Route

Route So Far

Travelogue

I'm now in the Eastern Pyrenees and today was a record breaking day (on this trip) for total ascent, with 4610 feet / 1405 metres total. That beats the previous record of 4508 feet in Italy!

The climbing today included a Tour de France (TDF) climb as well. Col de Saint Louis featured in the 2021 race, I think. More on this later.

But ascent and a TDF climb were not the only memorable things about today. The other aspect of the day that will stick in my mind for years to come was just how horrifyingly and relentlessly windy it was for about 30 miles from pretty much the second I left the shelter of the city of Perpignan! The route followed a long valley with steep sided hills on either side. The valley was funnelling a driving, powerful wind into which I spent about 4 hours cycling! It was so strong, it took me over 4 hours to cycle 30 miles and did its absolute best to drain my legs of all strength. Luckily it didn't quite because it was after this stage that the TDF climb appeared!

But please allow me to wind back to the beginning of today's story.....

I was leaving the apartment at 7:00 as quietly as I could, not wishing to wake the hosts who live in the two floors above. But I failed because as I was closing the front door, Patrice came downstairs with the sole intent of saying goodbye and wishing me a bon voyage. We shook hands and said our farewells and off I went.

Leaving Perpignan was easy, with little traffic to contend with and soon I was in the countryside again.

All I'd had for breakfast was a slice of melon and I really wanted coffee and a pain au chocolat or similar! Soon enough I came to the village of Calce, which had a bar/restaurant/cafe. I went in to find a lady behind the bar, who I believe was the owner and 3 male customers, all drinking coffee and chatting. I said "bonjour" and ordered a coffee (alas there was no food on offer). I was asked where I was going and I gave the name of the village my campsite was in, Nébias. They had never heard of it so I showed them my route. The lady said something about ".... Tour de France" but I didn't understand the full sentence and assumed she was pulling my leg or something! But I now have to believe she said something like "That's where the Tour de France went last year"!

I asked how much I owed for my coffee and she said "Nothing, that's my gift to you for what you're doing" or words to that effect! How very nice!

My benefactor did not want her photograph taken so here's the coffee instead

The landscape was changing fast and to me looked more and more like Spain.

In the next village along, Estagel, there was a boulangerie so I finally got my breakfast. Not a pain au chocolat though but instead, a pain au raison. You're shocked, I know. But it was pretty good if a little lacking in the chocolate department.

From Estagel, I continued on the D117. This was a very fast and busy road. There was always a cycle lane so I was safe but it was quite noisy. I have no idea where so much traffic was coming from or going to.

And it was here that the headwind really kicked in. It was brutal. I had to use a very low gear on the flat, never mind on uphill sections. And I had to pedal remarkably hard on the downhill sections just to keep the bike moving forwards. And this went on and on and was really quite draining.

Not sure what the castle is up there but somebody went to a lot of trouble to be secure!

Towns had two names on signs for some reason

If you could but see that headwind!

In Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, I turned off the noisy D117 and joined the D9. This was much quieter and the wind was less of a challenge. I soon started seeing road graffiti and I realised the climb I was now working my way up had been a TDF climb! The Col de Saint Louis was the highlight of the day. An enjoyable climb with lots of TDF reminders on the road. And very scenic too. I really felt like I'd arrived in the Pyrenees.

From here, I had an enjoyable descent, eventually passing through the town of Quillan where I hung around for an hour waiting for a supermarket to open so I could buy food.