Following your arrival into Biarritz, we’ve plenty of time to transfer to the starting point of this superb tour. We’ll be spending our first night in St Jean de Luz, a fishing port on the Basque coast and now a famous resort, known for its architecture, sandy bay, the quality of the light and the cuisine, all situated just a few km from the Spanish border.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,670 Metres Approx.

Today is a fine introduction to the Pyrenees, a taster of what to look forward to over the coming days. Riding out of St Jean de Luz, the riding is relatively gentle as we pass through several picturesque Basque villages with their traditional colouring and architecture.

This is the centre of the red pepper world. Our first taste of Pyrenean mountain riding is an excellent warm up for what lies ahead and comes in the shape of 2 minor cols; Col de St Ignace, followed by Col d‘˜Osquich and then it’s a gentle run into Montory, where we will spend the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,755 Metres Approx.

A big day lies ahead, big scenery, big distances, big views and a big mountain or two!

Things begin gently enough as we head from Montory toward Escot. Soon afterwards however we face our first real test of our tour when we meet the Col de Marie Blanque. At just 1,073m it isn’t a giant but we‘re taking it on from the toughest of the 2 sides and it will certainly test our legs. The descent of the eastern face is thrilling, picturesque and rewarding and before long grimaces will be replaced by grins!

Next up is a real Pyrenean classic; the ascent of the Aubisque. It begins gently enough and doesn’t really kick in seriously until the mountain spa town of Eaux Bonnes. From here things start to get a little more serious and we rise constantly to the summit at 1,709m. Once over the pass it’s generally downhill (although Col du Soulor does make an appearance to spice things up!) for the next 40km. We then arrive at our destination for today, the bustling town of Argeles Gazost where we can rest up and prepare for tomorrows challenges.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,675 Metres Approx.

After Alpe d‘˜Huez, Col du Tourmalet is possibly the most famous of all the Tour de France climbs and since first featuring in the Tour in 1910 it has been a firm favourite of both professional and amateur riders. Topping out at 2,115m, the col is the highest point in our journey and one of the highest roads in the Pyrenees. This morning we’ll find out exactly why it has such a reputation. We’ll spend some time at the top of the pass to regroup and to admire the famous Geant du Tourmalet monument that marks the summit. With the highest climb of the week out of the way and a weight off the mind we’ll wrap up for the swooping descent into the village of St Marie de Campan, a tiny but very pretty village, famous for being the place that Eugene Christophe had to weld his broken bike back together in the 1913 Tour de France.

From here we start climbing once more, this time it’s the improbably picturesque Col d“‘Aspin, with the tricky descent spitting us out on the outskirts of Arreau. A short flat section brings us to the ski resort of St Lary Soulan where we will spend our evening. The town is overlooked by the Pla d‘Adet mountain top finish where George Hincapie won his stage of the Tour de France in 2005 and which was a stage finish as recently as 2014.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,635 Metres Approx.

Today is the shortest day of our tour and is a little easier than the previous few days challenges. Our route today still promises to pack a punch as it includes two beautiful and challenging climbs.

The day begins gently enough as we leave St Lary Soulan, gradually rising as we approach Col de Peyresourde, another Tour de France favourite, having featured in the race dozens of times since its original inclusion in 1910.

The view from the summit and the winding descent which follows are simply breath-taking. Our relatively short day allows us plenty of time to enjoy one of the famous crepes from the cafe at the summit of the Peyresourde or a café au lait in the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon before we take on our final challenge of the day; the Col du Portillon which summits on the border between France and Spain. The last 10km of the day is a swift descent on smooth sweeping hair-pinned tarmac, which delivers us to the Catalonian town of Bossost where we will spend a Spanish flavoured evening.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,485 Metres Approx.

Back in the saddle for a full and action packed day on the bikes, we ease in gently as we drop down the Garonne Valley from Bossost to St Beat.

Make the most of the gentle start as the Col de Mente awaits to dish up a rather rude awakening. A sharp forested descent down the other side delivers us at the foot of the infamous Col de Portet d“‘Aspet, the scene of the tragic death of Olympic Champion Fabio Casartelli in the 1995 Tour de France. After paying our respects at the Casartelli memorial we’ll continue, steeply upwards at first, before gently descending to Castillon. A few km beyond the village we begin the day’s final test as we haul ourselves over the Col de la Core and into the town of St Girons on the other side.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,410 Metres Approx.

The ascent out of St Girons is via a very minor and infrequently used road that leads us into one of the prettiest rural areas of the entire tour. Dropping into the village of Massat via similarly minor roads our legs will be warmed up and ready for the Col de Port, the first real climb of the day.

As we all know by now ‘what goes up…...’ and the next 20km or so is spent in a generally downhill direction! We continue beyond the town of Tarascon heading back into the hills via the Route des Corniches, the early stages of which undulate before rising more dramatically onto the cornice road. We end the day with a quick dash up and over Col de Chioula before turning off to the ski resort town of Ax-les-Thermes where, as the name suggests, we might just have time to soothe our tired legs in the thermal waters before dinner.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,475 Metres Approx.

Those spectacular morning ascents have become something of a habit and we‘re not about to break it today! Sitting at around 2,000m above sea level, the Port de Pailheres is the second highest point on our journey and it’s a tough hair-pinned climb which leads us there. It’s more than worth the effort though, if not just for the view; once over the top, the world just seems to drop away and the sweeping descent is spectacular.

A small bump in the road takes us to Escouloubre and one minor col later we’ll be at the foot of Col de Jau, our final climb of the day. We will be riding at over 1,500m at the summit of the Col de Jau, before we end the day with 30km of flowing downhill to Prades, where we’ll spend the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 615 Metres Approx.

Alas, this is our final day of riding. We‘re approaching the coast and the landscape and the vegetation have become unmistakably Mediterranean. Taking care as we negotiate a brief section of major road out of Prades, we‘re soon back on the minor roads as we pick our way across country arriving on the coast at the town of Collioure before a short twisting ride along the coast to Banyuls-sur-Mer.

With the mountains behind us, the ride today is, in the main, fast and flat and we should arrive at the coast early to mid afternoon. We will pack up the bikes and have time for a celebratory dip in the Mediterranean before drinks and dinner. Well done you’ve completed the Skedaddle Trans Pyrenean Mountain Challenge!

• Meals: Breakfast

Recovering from last night’s celebrations and of course the strains of crossing the Pyrenees on two wheels, we’ll transfer out of Banyuls-sur-Mer for our onward journeys.