About chrisbratherton1985

Posts by :

Pyrenees.cc YouTube Channel

Pyrenees.cc YouTube Channel

, , , , 0

For 2021 we have launched a brand new YouTube channel featuring our favourite rides on road, mountain and gravel tracks to give you a sneak peek of the kind of cycling you will enjoy when you book a holiday with us.

As well as showing you the stunning scenery of the Pyrenees-Orientales, our hidden corner in the South of France, we also tell you about the local history, culture, flora and fauna and occasionally feature other like-minded people and friends. Friends like Gary and David from Big Smile Adventures, a mountain guiding company, who joined us for our video when we cycled the first leg of stage 15 of the 2021 Tour de France. 

Tour de France 2021 stage 15

If you like off-road, we’ve got you covered: our first mountain bike video covers a fantastic red route that follows the cable car route taken from the old mines above Arles-sur-Tech. 

We will be putting out a new video every fortnight so please like and subscribe to our videos to get the latest instalment direct to your inbox and come along for the ride!

Pyrenees Cycling Club Holidays - Leonard Lee

For he’s a Jolly Good Vélo!

, , , , , , , 0

Three days with Leonard Lee

In December 2019 we were honoured to host Mr Jolly Good Vélo himself, Leonard Lee. Leonard’s YouTube channel features honest and insightful videos on all aspects of cycling and appeals to all cyclists, from beginners to experts. His videos have racked up over 6.2 million views and he has 20,000 subscribers to date. As fans of his channel we invited him to come and check out the incredible cycling our region of southern France has to offer to cyclists of every ability and were thrilled when he said ‘yes’ and agreed to come for some pre-Christmas riding.  Being perfectly placed in between the French and Spanish mountains and the coast, we were able to plan our routes to avoid any pockets of bad weather, enjoying bright skies and temperatures up to 15C while we rode.

On day one we took a gentle ride to the coast, taking the ‘Voie Vert’ cycling route from our local town of Arles-sur-Tech down the valley, following the old railway line. The morning was fresh but the sun and the exercise soon warmed our muscles as we wound our way through pretty towns, over, under and through iron work bridges, passing snoozing vineyards and crumbling chateaus to arrive at the beach resort of Argeles-sur-Mer. From there we followed a steep climb to the stunning town of Collioure where we had lunch (sorry Leonard, ‘dinner’!) at Le Jardin de Collioure. Suitably refuelled with Catalan sausage and a glass of locally-made Banyuls wine, we rode a few more kilometres south along the coast road, through the port town of Port Vendres, and climbed up to le Phare du Cap Bear where the low afternoon sun illuminated the red stone built lighthouse like a beacon. The views of the Mediterranean Sea from the cliffs and the stiff breeze at the top were, both figuratively and literally, breathtaking. We had a welcome uplift home in the Pyrenees.cc van as the sun set quickly over the mountains, back in time for a shower before a hearty meal of homecooked lasagne and warm apple pudding.

You can watch Leonard’s video ‘To the Lighthouse’ to see highlights of the route.

Total distance: 61km Total elevation: 345m.

The winds died down for day two which took us from St Laurent de Cerdans in France to St Llorenç de la Muga in Spain (two towns, two countries, same saint!) Vicky led the ride today, she is getting back into cycling after a long break from the bike having two babies and so the pace was a little slower. We started in the village of St Laurent de Cerdans where the region’s famous espadrilles footwear was once made and climbed around 250m elevation over 7km to the Col de Coustouges before sweeping down to cross the border into Spain across the Emporda river. The road between Coustouges and the village of Maçanets de Cabrenys rolls up and down like a rollercoaster with amazing views from the mountains right down to the Bay of Roses on the Costa Brava. Leonard described it as the ‘most stunning ride’ he’s ever done – praise indeed from someone who frequently rides in the Tour de France training ground of Mallorca! After the village of Darnius we headed south west on a quiet country road through olive groves before tackling a 4km climb of 5% and descending into the ancient fortified town St Llorenç de la Muga for a fabulous lunch of steak and crème Catalan. We were glad of the uplift home as the rain clouds gathered and the wind picked up again.

Total distance: 46km Total elevation: 634m.

For day three we did a local ride in the Gorge du Mondony which provides a dramatic backdrop for the pretty spa town of Amelie-les-Bains. Winding around twisting bends, past impressive rock faces and waterfalls, we just had to get the drone out to capture this special place on film. For our last night with Leonard we had homemade pizza and homemade tiramisu with local wine to celebrate a great few days of riding with a new friend.

Total distance: 32km Total elevation: 500m.

Subscribe to Leonard’s YouTube channel to see more footage of our rides together.

NEWSFLASH:

Leonard will be joining us again in May 2020 and you could ride with him! Check out our Jolly Good Velo page or book your own dream cycling holiday with us for 2020 now.

dav

Guided Cycling Holidays with Pyrenees.cc

, , , , , , , , 0

Spring 2019 review

Wondering what you can expect when you book a holiday with Pyrenees Cycling Club Holidays? Here’s a brief review of the bespoke guided cycling holidays we ran this spring to whet your whistle:

Tough climb in Cap Creus National Park, Spain

In May we welcomed two fantastic groups of riders on consecutive weeks for guided cycling holidays. The first group from Toddington CC, Bedfordshire, the second from Foxgrove CC in Beckenham, London. Before arrival, each group leader completed a brief questionnaire on their groups’ preferred type of route, what they wanted to get out of their holiday and how much time they wanted to spend on the bike. From this, we created bespoke routes that were certain to please everyone.

The Toddington CC guys wanted to incorporate climbing with fast and flat routes, so we mixed up their days with some tough local climbs on the first day, a day’s riding into Spain which had a climb over the border with a stop for coffee at Can Mach (a restaurant with a long history in the Pyrenees of serving fantastic food at reasonable prices – one of our favourite haunts!), a nice fast descent to the plains of Emporda, with a gruelling climb to see the stunning Sant Pere de Rodes monastery in the Cap Creus National Park. Well worth the effort to see the beautiful views of El Port de la Selva, where the riders descended for a final coffee on the Costa Brava and a lift home. The final day’s ride went to the French ‘Vermillion’ coast which lies to the east of the Pyrenees mountain chain – a largely fast and flat route with a few little hills thrown in. We stopped a long lunch in Collioure and made time for a visit to the Cap d’Ona brewery (they’ve won international awards for their beer) to top off the holiday perfectly. Needless to say that a lift back to base was welcomed by the riders after a few samples of the local Catalan beer!

Crossing ‘Devil’s Bridge’ in Ceret #cobbles

Foxgrove CC had a mixed group of serious riders (one being a former mountain biking silver medallist!) and some who rode more for pleasure. An easy, flat and fast route to the pretty fishing village of Collioure on the French Mediterranean coast suited everyone’s taste on the first day, followed by a day climbing across the Spanish border and descending to the reservoir of Boadella in Spain near the village of Darnius for a picnic. One of the riders took advantage of a lift back to base while the others rode home after being fuelled with a platter of baguette, meat, cheese and salad. Unfortunately, the rain clouds descended on the final day, so the serious riders braved the elements with our guide and took a short but steep local loop, while the others opted for a massage and spa at the local Falgos Golf Resort in Saint Laurent de Cerdans. Once the cyclists had enjoyed a nice hot shower and dried off, they joined the spa-goers for a well-earned lunch at the golf course.

Both groups were a pleasure to host and we hope to see them again in the future!

Want to know what the riders thought? Here are the reviews they left on our Facebook and Google pages:

“In no doubt that this was one of the best cycling trips to date. Perfect routes, perfect home cooked food & hospitality, perfect. Chris & Vicky made us feel very welcome and ensured that all our needs were catered for. If you’re looking for a cycling holiday with fast flats, stunning climbs and even better descents tailored for all abilities then this is definitely the place to come. Thanks Chris & Vicky for a great few days away. Looking forward to coming out again soon.” Chris (Toddington CC)

“A really big thank you to Chris and Vicky for everything. The communication and organisation in relation to the trip was excellent. Airport transfers, home cooked meals, perfect location and an excellent cycling itinerary. I’m looking forward to our next trip already. Wishing you every success in your new venture.” Mark (Toddington CC)

“This was a fantastic cycling holiday great routes over to Spain and the French coast. Made even more enjoyable with wonderful home cooked food Chris and Vicky & Vicky’s mum were great hosts nothing was too much trouble. I highly recommended it. Thanks again.” M. Thomas (Toddington CC)

“Chris and Vicky are great hosts, Chris working tirelessly to find the routes best suited to your experience delivering breath taking scenery, great coffee stops and the perfect lunch on the beach. Vicky and her mum turn out great food to satisfy a hungry cyclist washed down with draft beer on tap. It’s a great location, very chilled and the best place to experience the Pyrenees with friends. We’ll be back!” Don S (Foxgrove CC)

If you’d like to book your own bespoke guided cycling holiday in the Pyrenees-Orientales, please complete the booking form or contact us for more information. You can also follow us on social media to get a feel for the rides we do and what we offer: @pyreneescc on Instagram or ‘Pyrenees Cycling Club Holidays’ on Facebook.