Cape or no Cape

The profile of the first five kilometres is between 9 and 10%. Your first objective is to get to the village of Soulan without feeling like you’re constantly in apnea. You can zigzag once or twice along the road to stretch your legs on the steepest slopes and take advantage of what little lucidity you have left to admire the scenery. Don’t let the speedometer tell you that you’re progressing at between 7 and 8 kph, and don’t forget to say hello to all the cyclists who come up to you with a sympathetic smile. As for the person who keeps asking you “How are you feeling? think of all the happy times you’ve shared. When you get to the village of Soulan, don’t forget to fill up your water bottle at the fountain. It’s the last point of water until you reach the Col.

Take advantage of the small plateau at the Soulan exit to wind down a little. This will lift your spirits and take your mind off the 10% kilometre ahead. This one has the particularity of seeming endless. This is certainly the moment when you’re going to ask your partner to go ahead. If you don’t, you run the stupid risk of forgetting all the happy moments you’ve shared. Tell yourself that, after this kilometre, you still have a choice. When you get to the crossroads, you can give up with dignity by simply taking the left and arriving at Pla d’Adet, otherwise you’re on the right. Once you’re at the foot of the sign indicating that you have just 8 kilometres to go at an average gradient of 8.6%, be sure to take a selfie with the person you’ve finally made peace with and enjoy a well-earned break.

The trap in starting this climb to the Col du Portet is to think that you’ve done the hardest part. You forget that you still have a few kilometres of climbing in your legs. The rest will gradually seem extremely long. This is the moment when you need to take in the scenery and think about the descent. That moment when your partner, who is not very comfortable doing this exercise and with a bike that weighs a tonne, suddenly loses that unbearable little smile. I’m not going to lie to you, this is the one I’ve drooled over the most. You feel like you’ve got less of a gradient but you don’t have enough strength in your legs to reach the top. Keep a low profile and remember that you’ve got to finish better than you did.

Think of it as a pastoral area, so take an amused look at the flocks of sheep and the few cows. You’ll be able to read the encouragement in their eyes. Once you’ve mastered the various switchbacks, remember that you’ll find a slightly gentler slope all the way to the tunnel. A word of advice from a friend: when you go through the tunnel, don’t try to make friends with the sheep or cows, which sometimes run away. And if you start trying to strike up a conversation with one of these four-legged creatures, swallow all the gels you have left, you’ll be hypothermic. During the last kilometre, don’t forget to enjoy the descent with your partner, giving her that little smile that should definitely calm her down.