Orbea Gain, the ebike you were waiting for

Does it look like an ebike? NO

The evolution of ebikes has been slow but steady. Mountain biking took some advantadge over roadcycling regarding ebikes, but finally the time arrived to have road ebikes looking like roadbikes, simple as that.

The place to plug and charge batteries, beside the bottom bracket

Orbea has been of the brands ahead of the cycling market, as regards road ebikes.
This new Orbea Gain looks nice.
There are several models, aluminium and carbon frames, and Sram and Shimano groupsets.
Models are:

Not big screens, not much information: green, yellow, red

D50 I9 aluminium Shimano Claris

D31 Aluminium Sram Rival

D21 Aluminium Sram Force

M21 Carbon Sram Force

One of the key things for an ebike is autonomy. And again the Orbea Gain is a winner. Autonomy will depend on the user needs, but batteries can last easily 80 km in an average use. For longer rides it is very easy to plug the bike during lunch time.

The working is as simple as charging during the evening (4-5 hours, until de light turns green), and it is recommended not to leave the batteries plugged all night long.

To turn on/off the bike there is one only button on the top tube of the frame. This button is on green when batteries are charged and by clicking it you can get more or less help. Gradually, after hours of use, button will turn yellow and finally red.

All in  all, a very good option for those needing some extra watss!

La Voie Fignon, climbing Tourmalet from Luz St Sauveur

This is the crossroad where the old road begins

La Voie Fignon is the old road of the Tourmalet climb, on the Luz St Sauveur side, connecting the small village Bareges with almost the top of the mythic climb. This road, with a total length of 4190 mts, is much nicer and narrower that the big road you take today, has been kept just for cyclists, and other vehicles cannot get in. It has become a pilgrimage destination for cyclists all over the world. It was named after Laurent Fignon, the great french cyclist, a little after his death in 2010.

As cars don't get in, the maintenance of the road may be scarce. It is recommended to take this road on the way up to Col du Tourmalet, and then descending to Luz St Sauveur in the much wider new road, or you can also descend to Sta Marie de Campan following the main road.

The new road was built to improve the access to the Bareges ski station.

Great painting of Laurent Fignon

Laurent Fignon was one of the best french cyclists in the '80 and he won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984. Also, he lost Tour de France by just 8 seconds in 1989 in front of Greg Lemond (the tightest difference in Tour de France history). Another significant victory was the Giro d'Italia year 1989. He passed away in 2010 at the youg age of 53 after a cancer.

The top of Col du Tourmalet