Yesterday we rode up to the Pont d’Espagne, which translates to Spanish Bridge. We left from the gite and climbed 4500 feet on the day, with about 3000 of those up to the bridge. We drove the night before and got some beautiful pictures of the bridge and surrounding waterfalls:The ride was definitely challenging. I did not feel great after, but a nap and some good food (and wine) helped.

Today we did an even bigger ride, up to the Col du Soulor, and the guys went further up to the Col d’Abisque, where the Tour de France will finish tomorrow. I asked a Brit to take a picture of me at the summit:

There were a lot of people on the roads and in campers, preparing for the Tour to go through there tomorrow. I took one picture at the top of some of the campers, but it does not begin to accurately represent what it was like riding up – got lots of cheers (and sympathetic looks) from fans along the road. And as you can see, the view around it is incredibly beautiful.

I took a wrong turn and ended up with more miles than I intended to get home, so for the day I climbed just over 5,000 feet and my total mileage was 48. I felt much better today – perhaps I’m finally getting a level of fitness back after pneumonia.

Tomorrow we are going to watch the stage of the Tour de France, so it probably won’t be a big riding day, but will be an exciting one.