French Pyrenees - Col de Pailhères from Ax Les Thermes - Indoor Cycling Training

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About Col de Pailhères from Ax Les Thermes
Join fellow cyclists on a sunny day up to Col de Pailhères, the sleeping giant. With its 2001 meters (6 565 feet) it is it one of the highest paved mountain passes in the Pyrenees. Col de Pailhères doesn't have the same fame as Tourmalet, but it is still an amazing ride. This is why we call it the sleeping giant. It wasn't until 2003 this mountain pass came into the limelight of the Tour de France. Since then it has been a regular guest at 'Le Tour'. Being a 'giant' Col de Pailhères is probably one of the most difficult rides in the Pyrenees and the slope will often show double-digit numbers. Good advice for this climb is to save some energy for the last part which is steeper. The route starts in spa town 'Ax Les Termes'. From here the road works it's way up the hairpins until you get to a junction where you turn right. Now you ride into a beautiful valley. After approximately 6.4 kilometers you get to a beautiful mountain lake. You ride on and after 12 km you get to segment of flat where you can rest your legs. Until now the slope has been relatively easy on the legs. But now you start to face double-digit numbers on the slope. It is now you need the energy you saved on the first part. On the upper-slopes, the scenery transforms into alpine eye candy and makes riding the upper part of this route very enjoyable. As you get to the top you have climbed more than 1200 meters / 4000 feet on one of the most difficult climbs in the Pyrenees.

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Adding music to the ride:
Most cyclists would agree that the ride to Col du Tourmalet is awesome. But when it comes to music opinions are very mixed. This is why we do not add music to our rides. We simply do not want to spoil your ride with music you do not like. But it is quite simple to add it yourself. Open an extra browser tab. Find a site that offers music (Spotify, YouTube, etc…) and pick the music you like and enjoy the ride...