Juli 22, 2006 -

Leave Bar Oval in Montrejeau on your 'uber-traillie' and head towards the D34 in Montrejeau (Signed Franquieville). Having hit the D34 yawn your way down the 5 Km straight to just after the next village. The route really begins here. There is a long curving downslope leading up to an appallingly sharp right handed hairpin (40 - 50Km). It junctions with the road to the local tip - so watch out for loaded trailers, big lorries etc. Assuming you haven't been blinded by the sun and had a life threatening near death experience (I was that soldier) - then you will be rock and rolling towards the next set of twisties - about every 200 metres. Put it this way - the road before Franquieville takes 2-3 KM to cover a crow's fly distance of 300-500 M. A lot of the rest of the road is just like this - rising and falling. Road surface mostly good - visibility varying - good pre-pyrenees stuff. My only real problem with this route is it heads away from the mountains. Stay on the D34 till you hit the dreaded D929 - arrow straight roman road with speed cops at every vantage point. Heading North? Castelnau Magnoac is a good place for lunch (Bar Memories for sarnies, Hotel Dupont for the real deal). Heading south? head up towards Castelnau and back down the road to Boulogne sur Gesse. Whatever you do gt off the D929 as you will fall asleep there.