Col d'Aubisque

The staff at our brilliant bike hire shop in Argeles-Gazost stressed to us that this was an essential climb, and we're so glad they gave us the tip. Much quieter in terms of both car and bike traffic compared to the nearby Tourmalet, you'll be able to breathe in the air, soak up the views and enjoy time and space for seeing the Pyrenees at their very best. It's also a climb that the Tour de France organisers are clearly fond of, with it having featured over 70 times in the race's history.

The climb begins with some gradual but manageable meandering roads (around 6-7%) until you reach the quiet countryside village of Arras-en-Lavedan. At this point you'll find yourself in flatter, lush green terrain for a handful of kilometres, and the climbing only kicks off in earnest once more after you reach the picturesque Arrens-Marsous with its ancient architecture and striking church buildings.

It's then time to push out of the saddle and take a little trip into the pain cave as you work your way from here up to the intermediate Col du Soulor. It's punchy here, really punchy, with 6-8km of fairly steep riding with some prolonged sections of over 10%, so don't burn all your matches too early.

But once you summit the Col du Soulor, and sail through to the other side, that's where this climb really comes into its own. Up to this point, it's been a challenge, with pleasant enough views. But after the Soulor, it is pure cinema. We could try and describe to you the vast rocky ravine that rises up to the heavens on your left hand side or the plunging valley that falls away on your right, but we recommend you going and seeing it for yourself. It's a 10km segment with much kinder gradients so you can ease off the pedals and instead focus your energy on picking your jaw off the floor. If you don't believe us, have a gander at some of the pictures we've included on this page.

A little bit of extra effort is required for the final 3-4km up to the peak of the Col d'Aubisque, but you can look forward to being welcomed at the summit by fields of cows and horses happily grazing on the mountaintop. Some of the tamer horses will more than likely shuffle towards you to make a cameo appearance in your photos. There are three giant bicycle sculptures (one yellow, one green and one polka-dot) to mark the mountain's rich Tour de France heritage, and if you can climb onto any of those giant structures after all the cycling you've already done, you've gained our respect (and perhaps also the respect of the horse who's already started chewing your handlebars while you weren't looking).