Portet d'Aspet, a crash made this climb famous

Nice statue remembering Fabio Casartelli

Portet d'Aspet is one of those not-so-known climbs in the french Pyrenees. The fact that made it famous was the fatal crash of the olimpic champion Fabio Casartelli in Tour de France 1995. Those years when wearing the helmet was not mandatory.
Fabio Casartelli had won the cycling race in 1992 Barcelona Olimpic games (at that time professional athletes could not compete in the Olimpic games). He was a cyclist with a great future ahead and in 1995 he was in Motorola team, same team as Lance Armstrong much before he had cancer and started to dominate the Tour de France.

Portet d'Aspet is a steep climb, no doubt. Usually included together with its neighbour and also very steep Col de Mente. It was in the descent towards Col de Mente with passages at 17% that Fabio crashed. Since the very first moment TV images showed how bad the crash was for Fabio. Even if other cyclists crashed with him and went off the road, he was not moving, laying on the road. Fatal crash.

Little later it was built a nice sculpture of a wheel with flying wings. This place has become a pilgrimage destination for many cyclist, to remember Fabio and the fatal crash in 1995.

Portet d'Aspet, just 1060 mts but it is a steep climb!

Transpyrenees cycling trip, a different trip for everyone

Steep road leading to Burdinkurutxeta!

One of the nicest things about the Transpyrenees cycling trip is that you can fully customize the trip depending on your needs. The only mandatory thing ig getting from the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean sea, or opposite, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course Tourmalet is one of the highlights of thr trip!

The classical Hendaye Cerbere trip is organised by the french Cyclo Club Bearnais, based in Pau. It is a fixed route with 720 km that must be done in less than 100 hours. Such a challenge!
The route includes some of the very big climbs such as Aubisque and Tourmalet. Unfortunately it includes also some busy roads as Col de Puymorens which is not exactly the type of experience a cyclist would like when riding in the Pyrenees.

The classical Hendaye Cerbere Transpyrenees card!

As said before, there are many different ways to plan this trip. First, let's say that the right direction to lead is going back home. Then, for a catalan rider, it should be west to east from Atlantic to Mediterranean. For a basque cyclist the opposite, from Mediterranean to the Atlantic. For a foreigner similar thing, if you are flying back home from Barcelona you should make weat to east, ending in the Mediterranean. Simple answer to this: once you ended the trip you don't want to get a train or a car for 700 km more!

Port de Bales, amazing!

Planning the trip is part of the same trip. You can make the trip as long as your vacation is, and you can also include as many famous climbs you want. If you are travelling along the Pyrenees you don't want to skip those famous mountains as Col du Tourmalet, Aubisque, Aspin, Peyresourde... Those are the classical ascents! But during the years just by watching the Tour de France stages you see that you have a lot of possibilities. Let me suggest a couple climbs which are between the nicest in the Pyrenees and should be included in every Transpyrenees trip: Port de Bales and Port de Pailheres.
A very good choice is doing the trip in 7-8 stages about 100 km long.

Coll de la Creueta, solitaire unknown road

The Hendaye Cerbere and most of the usual Transpyrenees trips go along french roads, but the spanish side is also plenty of nice choices. Just let me point amazing and beautiful ascents as Port de la Bonaigua, Coll de la Creueta or Coll de Cantó. Also, some of the ascents which are just on the border between Spain and France: Pierre St Martin and Port de Larrau (terribly steep!).

More things: There are basically 2 ways of doing the Transpyrenees trip: supported (with a sag van) or selfsupported (with a rack and panniers). First one is about lightness, safety, being confortable, riding faster, having suport in case of bad weather. Second one is about adventure, adventure and adventure. You choose!!