Les Deux Velos
I am staying at Les Deux Vélos, a small cycle lodge in the Ariège Pyrenees. The hotel is located in the Massat valley between the villages of Massat and Biert. Mark and Elma, the owners, are from Holland and took over the lodge in 2008. Before that time, Les Deux Vélos was the Roquefort Cycling Lodge, founded in 1991. This is a great base for exploring the Ariège. Some of the famous climbs nearby are the Col de la Core, Col de Port, Col d'Agnés, Port de l'Lers, Portet d'Aspet, and Plateau de Beille. There are also lots of little backroad cols that are not as famous, but some, like the Col de Crouzette, are very demanding. Elma is a wonderful cook, and you will have a hard time keeping your weight down at Les Deux Velos.
Historical Tidbits
The Ariège is old. If you go over the Col de Port, you can descend down to Tarascon. Nearby is the Prehistoric Park with cave paintings dating back to 10,000 B.C. In fact, the Ariège has more prehistoric caves than any other area in France.
The Ariège was also the home to the Cathars, a branch of Christianity that was a direct challenge to the Catholic church in Rome. Eventually, the Cathars were suppressed. About 15 or 20 kilometers to the east of Tarascon is the chateau (castle) of Montsegur, the site of a Cathar massacre. The chateau stands on a mountain about 1000 meters above the valley below. Montsegur was one of the last holdouts of the Cathars. The castle survived a siege from an army of 10,000 for 9 months, until in March 1244, the Cathars finally surrendered. They were given 2 weeks to convert to Catholicism. Over 200 knights and their families were burnt alive when they rejected these terms.
Another interesting Ariège town is Aulus-les-Bains, one valley over from Les Deux Vélos. The town can be reached by going down the valley to Oust and then up the next valley, climbing over the Col du Sarriellé (not too demanding on a bicycle), or climbing up and over the Col d'Agnès (very demanding). From Aulus-les-Bains, you can continue up Col de Latrape and then on to the ski area of Guzet Neige for a great view of the Ariège Pyénées. Aulus-les-Bains is known for its thermal springs and was very popular during the Belle Époque (late nineteenth century). People who were "invalids of love" frequented the thermal springs. This disease was otherwise known as syphilis. Before modern antibiotics, syphilis was treated with mercury, which may have been worse than the disease itself. The thermal baths of Aulus-les-Bains were thought to have counteracted the effects of the mercury. Now that we have penicillin, Aulus-les-Bains markets itself as a cholesterol spa.
Another interesting Ariège town is Aulus-les-Bains, one valley over from Les Deux Vélos. The town can be reached by going down the valley to Oust and then up the next valley, climbing over the Col du Sarriellé (not too demanding on a bicycle), or climbing up and over the Col d'Agnès (very demanding). From Aulus-les-Bains, you can continue up Col de Latrape and then on to the ski area of Guzet Neige for a great view of the Ariège Pyénées. Aulus-les-Bains is known for its thermal springs and was very popular during the Belle Époque (late nineteenth century). People who were "invalids of love" frequented the thermal springs. This disease was otherwise known as syphilis. Before modern antibiotics, syphilis was treated with mercury, which may have been worse than the disease itself. The thermal baths of Aulus-les-Bains were thought to have counteracted the effects of the mercury. Now that we have penicillin, Aulus-les-Bains markets itself as a cholesterol spa.
The Market in Saint Girons
Every Saturday morning, Saint Girons (about 20 km to the west) hosts a market. This is one of the best markets that I have seen in France.
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