TransPyr anyone....?

[Blackhound]

Not sure if it is of much use but I do have a Rough Guide map to the Pyrennee's but only shows roads.

TBH I think the road thing will be April or Autumn as the organiser is in Vietnam in May then off to do TD. WIll make a decision when I need to.

[gairym]

Ok, so to re-cap quickly.....

Interested - we've got:

Me
Stuart
Kevin
Fantasticmrmatt
Yetiman
Duncan/Pistonbroke
Chew

Dates - we've got:

The beginning of May outlined at present

Trip/Location/Route - we've got:

Crossing the Pyrenees (either W to E or E to W).

Off-road as much as possible.

Fully self-supported bikepacking.

Wild-camping.

Possible pre-established off-road route a possibility but is all in Spain with no France at all (not that that should necessarily be a problem - just pointing it out).

Transport - we've got:

Option for me to pick-up (up to two people/bikes) from a train station/airport enroute.

Possible Kevin driving (many factors dependent - such as if he comes!).

Other possible car-share options.

So.....is there anything else that people need to have decided before planning goes any further....?

Does anyone have anything else they'd like to throw into the mix?

[Blackhound]

Sounds about right gairy. I would probably prefer train if possible as I get reduced rates. Did wonder if numbers were right if a car would work out better.

I think there will be an announcement next week or the cross Europe thing so I will be better placed to know.

[Chew]

Gairy - I think one of the hardest bits might be how you can get from the end of the route back to the start.

Not sure on train options as the french seem a bit funny on letting bikes on the train unless they're boxed

[pistonbroke]

The planets are definitely coming into alignment for me for early May. I've moved the Southern Upland Way trip to end of the month so no WRT this year. If we could be back for the 12th I can do the Fred Whitton otherwise I'd be letting someone down who is really keen to do it with me. I live N of Sheffield so could travel with Chew as I gave him a lift to his first WRT. Off to the RAB sale tomorrow to get a decent sleeping bag. I've ridden bits of the likely route around the Val D'Aran and know some fantastic routes into Andorra and in the Sierra Del Cadi. Bring it on! :D

[Chew]

Same dates for me. Pushing my luck at work with the North America trip, so would have to be back for the 12th for commitments I have (we'd also get the bank holiday bonus)

Lift would be greatly appreciated as well Duncan

Also hoping to get an entry to Fred Whitton as well.

[gairym]

Am just awaiting confirmation about a friends wedding date (is most likely in early or late April) and so, once that's decided and I know where I'll be and when, I'll be ready to commit with certainty to some exact dates.

I see no problem with being finished by the 12th of May but it'll most likely mean starting at the end of April rather than the beginning of May as the trip itself is likely to be 10 days and then there's getting back to the car and then the drive/train/flight and associated nonsense.

It'd be nice if things ended up working out that that wedding (in London) was on the 28th (one of the proposed dates) and then I could leave the wife and kid in London with the family and then have space for 2 for the whole journey???

But....don't want to get ahead of myself - will post more when I know more about dates.....

[pistonbroke]

The 2 weeks following the 28th of April suits me fine. Chew, I may struggle to give you a lift as Mrs PB is likely to need the car (it is hers!) so train or a car share would be my options. Has anyone any experience of using the bike bus? I believe it is designed for trips like ours where they dump you in one end of Europe and pick you up in another. Not sure if it is still operating though. The RAB sample sale was a right scrum today but managed to liberate a Nutrino 400 sleeping bag for £120 not bad with a rrp of £285.

[pistonbroke]

Sorry forgot to post a link, this looks perfect if they can do the dates http://www.bike-express.co.uk/

[Chew]

That links fantastic :D
The dates dont fit though

[gairym]

Right.....I've now been given full spouse-approval for those dates (I've got from the 29th of April to the 12th of May inclusive).

I don't know how many are still up for this but I'm 100% planning on doing it!

As far as I know Stuart is still up for this but how about everyone else???

The route choice is still open for debate but, in my opinion, it seems to make sense to make use of the existing TransPyr event route (roughly this) as it's already been tried and tested and should provide a massive amount of off-road challenging terrain whilst being almost entirely ridable.

So....I'm going to continue planning and if anyone else would like to have some input then let it be known and we can get things sorted.

I already can't wait!!!

[pistonbroke]

I'm definitely in and I may have a mate along too, he's well capable, being a fell runner, Bob Graham completer and decent biker. Gairy, are you travelling from the UK as well? I've slightly lost the thread of your movements. If there are 8 or 9 of us that could all meet somewhere mid UK, would it be worth trying to find something like the Bike Express to get us there and back? The Fred Whitton is also nagging me, I'll need to commit within the next fortnight as entries open early in the New Year and given their quick sell out, (and cost) I can't let it drift. Will it be a 10 day trip or is that too ambitious for 500+ miles over that terrain. Really looking forward to the challenge.

[Blackhound]

Hi still up for it. Did send you a PM a couple of weeks ago on the subject gairy.

Told my other half and it is in her diary.

[gairym]

Pistonbroke,

Cool, glad to hear it!

No worries on the buddy coming along as long as he knows what he's getting himself into and can handle it (sounds like it shouldn't be a problem as in my experience all fell-runners are hard as nails!).

As for travel - yes, I'm going to be in the UK (and returning the UK afterwards) and at the minute my plan is to drive (with Kevin and Stuart in the car - there'd be room for one more with a good rack but I don't have one) but if something along the lines of the bike-express thingy could be found (with dates that work) then that's an option too.

If not then we'd just just 1 car per 3-4 people and we'd be sorted (and it'd be a cheap way to do it).

And yeah, 10 days should be about right (especially seeing as people need to get back by certain dates) and I don't think 50 miles a day as an average is too much as it'll be a long day in the saddle but what else needs to be done???

Kevin,

PM confusion now sorted - glad to hear you're still on-board - looking forward to it!

I'm currently doing loads of research re: routes etc... there are loads of options but I've yet to be convinced by any idea more than the TransPyr event route that I posted a link to previously - is the current favourite!

Good, good.

Right.....what needs sorting next....?

Gairy.

[pistonbroke]

Thanks for the clarification Gairy. Sorry to be pedantic but how are you proposing to do the transport with 1 car? Are we going E to W as per the Transpyr so leaving the car somewhere like Perpignan or Roses? If Chew and or anyone else in the Sheffield/Leeds area are coming, I could use my VW camper which can take 4 including me.
Also the route you linked to isn't quite the Transpyr route, it is different from La Seu D'Urgell to the Llavorsi as it goes slightly into Andorra and through Os De Civis. I've ridden around this area and actually have a route posted on Wikiloc around the village of Alins called the Ruta De Los Contrabandistas or smugglers route which is one of the best days of mountainbiking I have ever had, well worth repeating some of it. It is also worth trawling Wikiloc for details of ridable routes in this area, I've always found them reliable. Another possible source of good trails on the Western end would be Doug from Basque MTB, he replied when Chew enquired on STW about suitable trails.

[gairym]

.....how are you proposing to do the transport with 1 car?

not sure!

some kind of leaving the car and then travelling to the other end via public transport to begin (and end at the car) or vice-versa - nothing's decided/organised/researched yet.

Are we going E to W as per the Transpyr so leaving the car somewhere like Perpignan or Roses?

again - nothing's been decided (it's up to all of us who're going to make the decision) but i prefer the idea of starting in the west and then finishing on the Med but I'm easy really.

If Chew and or anyone else in the Sheffield/Leeds area are coming, I could use my VW camper which can take 4 including me.

sounds like a plan!

Also the route you linked to isn't quite the Transpyr route, it is different from La Seu D'Urgell to the Llavorsi as it goes slightly into Andorra and through Os De Civis.

yeah, i noticed that difference too - i like the idea of heading into Andorra briefly as i've never been and it'd make the whole trip sound more exotic :?

I've ridden around this area and actually have a route posted on Wikiloc around the village of Alins called the Ruta De Los Contrabandistas or smugglers route which is one of the best days of mountainbiking I have ever had, well worth repeating some of it.

sounds like you've got a lot more experience of the area as a whole than me!

glad to hear there's good trails to be had.

nothing's set in stone and we can bastardise the 'official' transpyr event route in any way we see fit - it's up to us!

as long as we don't end adding too many miles then i see no reason not to play around with the route but seeing as i have very little (NO) local knowledge of the area i didn't plan on making many changes to the few existing transpyr .gpx files i'd found online.

[Blackhound]

I don't know the area other than a day on an mtb in Luchon and some road riding in that area so have no knowledge to impart.

Not fussed which direction we do it in or even sticking to a specific route if there is a nice alternative someone is aware of. Andorra sounds good though, duty free meths!
A nice 10-14 days of riding will all be good.

[Chew]

Still looking to come along, just need to sort a few things this end before i can commit as theres lots of other stuff going on at the same time next year.

Been looking at options on how to get back to the 'start' but not having much luck yet :(

[Blackhound]

There is a train along the border. Certainly Narbonne to Bayonne which is ~6 hours. Not sure how practical this is with a number of bikes, and not checked the Spanish side.

[gairym]

Chew,

Cool, hope you can make it.

Kevin,

I like the look of that train - if there were two cars then we could do some relaying to/from/to the station and the end of the ride and then all get the train (possibly in shifts) over to near(ish) the start. If there's only 1 car then we'll see what can be arranged.

More research needed!

All,

Now that the silly season is almost finished I'm looking forward to getting more serious about training and getting things sorted for this trip.

Anyone got any experience of the weather/temperatures in the Pyrenees at that time of year???

Should I forget the tarp/bivi option and accept the extra weight of my tent (as I did with this year and the Alps)?

Does anyone speak any Spanish?

So much to research to do and only 120 days until setting off (seems dauntingly soon when put like that!).

Let's get to it.....

[pistonbroke]

I've picked up a copy of the Cicerone guide to GR11 over Christmas and although our route doesn't follow it exactly, it has some info on the numerous Mountain Huts or Refugios in the area. It's interesting to note that of those that are not open all year, the majority don't open until the end of May or June. I'm sure there will be residual snow as some of the route is around the 2,500m mark but the forest roads should have been cleared by then. Personally I am carrying a tent albeit a Macpac Microlite so no palace, I get claustrophobic in bivvy bags. I also speak some Spanish but little Catalan. I commented earlier on the route's foray into Andorra, having looked more carefully, the route crosses the border then immediately goes up a tarmac road to Os De Civis which is a honeypot village back in Spain, our Andorran experience will be very short! There is a better route that runs via a refigio at St Joan De L'Erm which if it fits may be a good overnight spot.
Regarding the transport logistics, it may be worth asking Doug at Basque MTB for advice or help, either to leave vehicles safe with him if we are going E to W or getting us to/from trains if going E to W. He responded quite quickly when Chew posted on STW asking for route info.
Has anyone spoken to Bike Express about our plans? It may be worth trying to see if they can help or point us in the right direction.
Am in a similar, must get fit in 4 months mode. If you need any more doing, let me know.

[gairym]

.....it has some info on the numerous Mountain Huts or Refugios in the area. It's interesting to note that of those that are not open all year, the majority don't open until the end of May or June

yeah, i'd assumed that there wouldn't be much action on that front but i'd rather wild-camp anyway (not that i'm opposed to using an unoccupied buildings porch if the weather's bad).

I'm sure there will be residual snow as some of the route is around the 2,500m mark but the forest roads should have been cleared by then.

that sounds perfect as there's nothing like popping up above the snow-line to lend a trip an air of 'real adventure'.

Personally I am carrying a tent albeit a Macpac Microlite so no palace, I get claustrophobic in bivvy bags.

yeah, my SMD 'Skyscape Scout' is pretty minimal (and only 1150g incl. poles and pegs) and so it almost seems silly to even think about a tarp/bivi set-up for a multi-day trip in mountainous areas in spring but.....i do want to utilise my tarp/bivi more (mainly just because i like the idea more than a tent - seems more 'hardcore').

I commented earlier on the route's foray into Andorra, having looked more carefully, the route crosses the border then immediately goes up a tarmac road to Os De Civis which is a honeypot village back in Spain, our Andorran experience will be very short!

fair enough - i hadn't looked into it.

There is a better route that runs via a refigio at St Joan De L'Erm which if it fits may be a good overnight spot.

you got any other info on that alternative???

Regarding the transport logistics, it may be worth asking Doug at Basque MTB for advice or help, either to leave vehicles safe with him if we are going E to W or getting us to/from trains if going E to W. He responded quite quickly when Chew posted on STW asking for route info.

good idea - do you fancy doing it or shall i???

Has anyone spoken to Bike Express about our plans? It may be worth trying to see if they can help or point us in the right direction.

another good idea, will email them when i get a minute.

Am in a similar, must get fit in 4 months mode. If you need any more doing, let me know.

it's easily do-able - i'm planning on hitting the turbo-trainer pretty hard when i get home in a few days time.

will give you a shout if there's anything else that i think might be helpful for you to look into (as you already seem not only more knowledgeable but also generally more on-the-ball about all of this stuff).

cheers fella, let's keep at it, gairy.

[pistonbroke]

This is the refugio at St Joan http://www.santjoandelerm.com/basseta.htm might be good to get a shower, food etc or is this not hardcore enough?
I think the Transpyr race route goes this way to Llavorsi, as do many of the routes posted on Wikiloc.
I don't know Doug but he's always seemed helpful on STW, maybe you can contact him.
I'll mail Bike Express in the New Year to see if they have any info.
I agree with the snow comments, it's just an unknown quantity as deep snow could slow us up considerably.
We can always re-route to lower level.
As for being organised, I'm fighting the urge to have planned every inch on Google Earth as I'm a bit obsessive about such things, it will be good to chill out and let someone else plan so there are a few surprises.
A mate did the route last year by motorbike, we got together the other day and his photos are stunning.
He went E to W but that was because some guys from Barcelona rode with him, any thoughts on direction for us?

[Mike]

guys this still sounds like it will be a wicked trip however iv a dilema as i have 30days off and was planning to hit the west coast bike packing big time. This trip comes in the middle of my leave so i think im gonna give it a miss and still do the scotland trip. Similar trip to chews but more of it as i wanna maximise the time i have off work.

[pistonbroke]

This http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=3072459 looks a good route which could be done in 10-12 days. Seems to have enough places to gather provisions and would definitely be a wilderness experience