Mountain Biking

 

The Pyrenean mountains and foothills in this area are perfect for mountain biking. There is something for every standard, whether it is an advanced downhill, single track or well marked and easy going cross country trails. The map below covers the immediate area of foothills that are 20 minutes of cycling away (5 minutes in the car) from Maison Cage and Chez Bertrand.

An added attraction after a day of cycling in the heat is usually the large public swimming pool, which is surrounded by cool grass banks. Peyragudes has slightly fewer amenities for rest and relaxation but it is fairly well equipped considering its location further up the valley.

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Luchon, known as the Queen of the Pyrenees is 40 minutes away and is an interesting spa town.

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The trails are split logically, by area into three distinct groups – Barbazan, Aspet and Saint Beat. The latter includes the Col de Mente (Le Mourtis), which features on the Tour de France. Where possible, the areas are usually linked together off-road, but in some cases you will need to use one of the empty local roads to link across to a new area. All of the trials are graded in a similar way to ski pistes - Green (minimum change of altitude), Blue, Red and Black (maximum change of altitude). They are all clearly marked, numbered and easy to follow with distance markers at appropriate points along the way. As well as the many kilometres of marked trails, there is plenty of scope for “off-piste” activities in other nearby locations such as the beautiful Barousse valley and the historic village of St Bertrand de Comminges.

Each of the main villages has its own VTT (French for Mountain Bike) station, which provides everything from guide books and tools to friendly advice from fellow bikers. There are plenty of places to refuel and relax when you reach the villages and many places of interest along the way.

Further up the valley into the Mountains are the more challenging locations of Luchon/SuperBagneres (http://www.luchon.com/uk/index.php?lan=UK) and Peyragudes, which hosts another Tour de France col (http://www.peyragudes.com/). Unless you are really fit and fancy the challenge of another 30km - 40km of solid climbing (some by main road), accessing these areas requires motorised transportation. However once you are there, each location has a well planned network of trails and lifts to keep everyone happy. Taking the bubble lift up to SuperBagneres provides cyclists with access to a wide choice of tracks around the top as well as some challenging routes back into Luchon.

Luchon has many bars, restaurants and even a casino but the main attraction after a day of cycling in the heat is usually the large public swimming pool, which is surrounded by cool grass banks. Peyragudes has slightly fewer amenities for rest and relaxation but it is fairly well equipped considering its location further up the valley.