A great success for the Haute Route Pyrénées

Cyclists from 27 countries who participated in the Haute Route Pyrénées from July 6 to 10, 2021, enjoyed excellent conditions to discover this new 5-day race format. The 250 amateur riders, who started last Wednesday from Girona, Spain, covered 642 km with nearly 15,000 m of elevation gain to arrive in Pau on Saturday, just a few days before the Tour de France peloton. Each stage offered spectacular landscapes over 17 climbs. The general classification was won by Spain’s Rodero Prada Marco and Mexico’s Arrechea Almudena.

Source: Press Release

After the Haute Route Crans-Montana, which took place over 3 days last month to kick off the season, the Haute Route Pyrénées allowed riders, who had trained hard and were eager to resume competition, to step up their game. The five-day format, with routes through mythical passes, was a great success with the riders.

As with every Haute Route event, camaraderie and team spirit were palpable throughout the competition. Riders were then given a fantastic welcome in Pau, a city popular with cycling enthusiasts that has already hosted 73 stages of the Tour de France.

Partners and organizers took care to guarantee the best conditions for participants, providing full support throughout the stages with a workshop run by Mavic, refreshments, an informative briefing, and even a pasta party to maximize energy intake.

To meet this challenge, cyclists were able to enjoy the same conditions as professional riders, with 5 mechanics, 30 masseurs, 30 safety motorcycles, and 8 race cars.

The organizers, who are celebrating the return of competition to the Pyrenees, noted that the event’s new 5-day format was a great success with participants.

“The new format has been a great success with our riders; this format offers them the opportunity to travel, train, and compete in a single week. It’s also the ideal duration for those preparing to follow up with the 7-day event in the Alps. The Pyrenees lend themselves perfectly to this. The climbs of the fourth stage truly prove how difficult the competition is; the Peyresourde, Hourquette d’Ancizan, and Tourmalet passes are the highlights of the event. This is what riders choose to participate in the Haute Route for,” declared Jean-François Alcan, Race Director of the Haute Route Pyrénées.

With 3, 5, and 7-day events in mythical cycling destinations around the world, the Haute Route is the world’s premier circuit of prestigious stage races for amateur cyclists.

After the Haute Route Crans Montana in June and the Haute Route Pyrénées in July, amateur cyclists now have an appointment from August 22 to 28 for the Haute Route Alpes, with 7 stages that will take riders from Megève to Nice. The event will mark and celebrate the circuit’s 10th anniversary.

Other races in the Colnago Haute Route Series: