Five days across the full width of the Pyrenees, from the Basque coast to the Mediterranean. Starting near San Sebastián we drove east over the Spanish and French sides of the range, through Andorra and down into Catalonia, with a normal and a longer sport route on most days. It was the third Collen Pyrenees, and as always it was about driving in its purest form: well-prepared routes, plenty of steering and a landscape that never stopped changing.
We gathered on 1 July at Hotel Iriarte Jauregia near San Sebastián. The first stage ran through the Basque Country and over a long string of quiet cols to Canfranc. There we slept in the former international railway station, opened in 1928 and once one of the largest in Europe, now restored as a hotel.
Culinary experiences ranging from fine dining to local specialties.
Flexible car options: bring your own car, transport it, or rent a car.
Professional support: GPS tracker, digital roadbook, and on-site organization.
From Canfranc we crossed into France over the Col du Pourtalet and drove straight into the names every cycling fan knows: the Aubisque, the Soulor and the Tourmalet, at 2,115 metres the highest point of the stage. The Col d’Aspin and the Col d’Azet followed before we dropped down to Loudenvielle, a quiet mountain village on the French side of the range.
The Col de Peyresourde and Eth Portilhon took us back into Spain, where the long climb of the Port de la Bonaigua, at 2,072 metres, opened up the wildest part of the route. After the Port del Cantó, or the Coll de Bóixols on the sport route, we reached Andorra for the steep hairpins of the Coll de la Gallina and the Coll d’Ordino. The day ended high in the mountains at Grau Roig.
The last stage started with the Port d’Envalira, at 2,408 metres the highest point of this edition. Via the Col de Puymorens we touched France and turned back into Catalonia for a run of narrow mountain roads over the Collada de Toses, the Coll de la Creueta, the Coll de Canes and the Col d’Ares. The high Pyrenees slowly gave way to forest and open valleys, and we finished in the Empordà at Peralada, with a last briefing and a final dinner together.