Thinking about a route for a wee bike ride in July. Monday 19th July, in the Bagnères-de-Luchon in the Pyrenees, to be precise. The objective is to watch the final climb on this stage of the Tour de France.

It’s very tempting to bag a few cols before heading to the ‘big hill at the end’ – I’ve wanted to do the Col de Menté and comparitively puny Col des Ares since driving over them in 2007. The Port de Balês is a bit of a monster though, at 19.2km long, 6.2% average, and climbing to a height of 1755m.

I can easily ride 100k in a morning, taking in a few Scottish hills, and usually average 19-20mph / 32kph (albeit in a bunch). Even taking it down to a modest 15mph / 24kph average, and including an hour for lunch, it still seems doable if I leave first thing in the morning. Wishful thinking?

I’d want to be on the Port de Balês in time for the race, which is expected to pass through there between 16:30 and 17:00. It’ll probably be mobbed and the Caravan will already be arriving by 15:00. I have no idea if the roads will be closed to cyclists by, say 14:00? It might be wiser to cut out the two cols and head straight up to the Balês and bag a decent spot in plenty of time.

Anyone with personal experience of this sort of lark please let me know what to expect!