I set off around 8am, not very awake. It seems that fatigue has been building up since the start of my tour.
After a good breakfast, I take a route I’ve taken many times before, the green path from Tarbes to Lourdes, then the greenway to Argeles-Gazost.

Then things get complicated : to get back to the road I have to take a steep alleyway that ends in steps... I hesitate and look for another way. Eventually I reached the road and from the outset it was 9%. I climb as best I can and am happy to find a plateau from the village aptly named ‘Aucun’.

Then it’s back up again, and I’m riding at 5mph over the 8-9% mark... I also took a few breaks to catch my breath. Then the pass arrived. In the rain and fog.
The cloudy horizon continues all the way to the Col d’Aubisque and behind the cloud banks you can sense that there is a real beauty in the landscape... but I’m only guessing.