Velopyrenees

Lee, our host, picked us up just after 2 and we headed off on a 90min drive to Velopyrenees, Lee and Julie's beautiful home in the foothills of the Pyrenees. We stopped briefly at a road side services where Lee gave us a quick run down of the week's stages. If there were any doubts about how tough the week was going to be - he quickly dispelled these. Day 5 stood out with 6300m to climb over 205km! WTF. Lee and Julie have converted an old French farm house into an athletes' Nirvana.

From dedicated bike room (with tools!), charming dining room complete with original cattle feeders on the wall, lounge - comfortable to pass out in after a tough day on the bike

to clean and comfortable en suite rooms.

It was just perfect. That evening we had dinner outside on the terrace. Lee and Julie serve delicious meals made using only the freshest produce (they don't have a freezer) sourced from their own garden and local suppliers. Needless to say mealtimes at Velopyrenees came to be eagerly anticipated.

We also got to meet Ben, a barrister from London, who had on a whim decided to spend a few days cycling in the Pyrenees. One of the stand out features of this trip was the fantastic people we encountered. Ben, "Ze Germans", Lee and Julie and everybody else we got to meet during the week were those type of people that enrich your lives, despite the brevity of the occasion.