Would I be able to do the Raid Pyrenean Touriste?

[djh1990]

I am planning my first tour, which will be solo and have been looking at the Raid Pyrenean. I have no problem with idea of lots of climbs, however am not sure if i'm being slightly unrealistic. I am 25, and for an idea of my current fitness level, I have recently done the coast to coast in England three days with no problems (I realise this isn't impressive, just my nearest comparable cycle) and am currently well on my way through training for a marathon.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jongooligan]

If you do the route as a tour rather than riding it in 100 hrs for the raid then you should be OK.
I did it last year as a tour with a group of friends, we took 6 days. I'd done around 7,000 miles in the previous six months so was in reasonable nick and the only day I found really tough was going up the Tourmalet. The road was shut so we had to take a 40 mile detour, ride up & down the other side then carry on with the planned route, giving us a 104 mile day with around 5,000 ft of climbing.
Get some miles in and you'll be OK.

 

[bianchi1]

I am planning my first tour, which will be solo and have been looking at the Raid Pyrenean. I have no problem with idea of lots of climbs, however am not sure if i'm being slightly unrealistic. I am 25, and for an idea of my current fitness level, I have recently done the coast to coast in England three days with no problems (I realise this isn't impressive, just my nearest comparable cycle) and am currently well on my way through training for a marathon.

Thanks for any help!

I'm guessing you are talking about the 720 k one that you have 10 days to complete not the 100 hour one?

I've done the 100 hour one, unsupported with full panniers and I never got ahead of schedule. I thought I would fail up until the last 5 miles when I realised I would just make it (98.5 hours). I didn't cry at the birth of either of my children but when I saw the sign for Cerbere I was in floods!

I wasn't overly fit, just determined. Slightly overweight and had quit a 40 a day cigarette habit 2 years previously. Your main issue will inevitably be the voices in your head. I would go from uphoria to utter despair then back in the space of half an hour.

Go for it...you are young...just don't listen to those voices!

 

[Edwardoka]

The Raid Pyrenean was one of the toughest tours I've done, and that was with support vans and carrying no luggage. Can't imagine being able to manage it within the 100 hours unsupported!

Basically, if you can steadily climb @6-7% for more than a couple of hours without overexertion then you're already at the necessary level as there's nothing really hugely steeper or more arduous than that.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

If I were in your shoes, I'd first go somewhere where I could get a feel for mountain climbing to see if I liked it. There's a massive difference between cycling the English coast to coast and cycling in the Pyrenees - and I'm not just talking about the level of fitness required.
Why not base yourself in an area where there are several climbs of different levels of difficulty and train yourself up a bit? I'm thinking of somewhere like Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, for example. There are many amazing climbs in that area. You could base yourself in the camp site in the town and gradually increase your climbing - even if that would mean postponing the raid for a while. There's no hurry - the better prepared you are, the more you'll enjoy it.

 

[djh1990]

Thanks for all the advice. Seems to be mixed views on whether or not it's a good idea so I shall have a think!

Apologies if I was unclear, definitely not planning to attempt the 100 hour route. I was planning on targeting the 10 day one.

 

[steveindenmark]

mallorca is a good testing ground.