Was great to get out to see the Route du Sud race blast past this week – it made a nice change of scene and great way of rounding off their week for our guests (combined with a nice ride of course).  It was a fiercely hot day and the race was really on, an impressive pace necessitated by a decent breakaway which contained some heavy hitters including Team Sky’s Gianni Moscon. Following on, we got a great view of Team Sky and Geraint Thomas close to the head of the peloton as the race battered through the rolling country towards the mighty Col du Tourmalet; the heat and the breeze meant we really didn’t envy them tackling the second half of the stage towards Gavarnie.  Pierre Rolland eventually came out on top, winning from the break.

We caught the race again the next day (almost by chance) on the outskirts of the pretty town of Marciac as they left the Pyrenees behind for the last time to finish at the Paul Armagnac race circuit.  Catching a pro cycling race full of big names in their final run up to the Tour de France has got to be a bonus for any cycling holiday!