The 2023 Trans Pyrenees With Chris Opie And The Le Col Cycling Club

#cycling #lecol #ridefasterridefurther
On the 24th of June Chris, Sam and Tom competed in the Trans Iberica Trans Pyrenees. Cycling over 1050kms from Llanca on the Mediteranean up to San Sebastian on the Atlantic coast, they would cover 33 categorised climbs and ascend over 25000m of elevation.
Find out how they get on in this video.
For more information of the event, click here. www.transiberi...
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[@chrisopie87]

Without a doubt one of the best experiences on a bike. I highly recommend this or similar to anyone if you ever have the opportunity.

[@adescyclechannel3228]

Well done to all 3 of you. Great video as well 👍

[@PierreAlainMaire]

Great video Chris !

[@BikepackingAdventures]

Thinking of signing up myself - I watch a few more videos first for inspiration! One reservation I have is the temperature range looks fairly wild by the views look epic. I must admit I was thinking to myself that's probably mostly a hot climate to ride in - perhaps I am wrong?

[@jonathansapier7574]

Brilliant video. You deserve to be proud of its production and the ride that made it possible. Great bonding too. Thanks to the awful weather here in Yorkshire today, I’m having a KZbin binge-fest. Keep well Chris! 🙂

[@lecolcc]

Thank you Jonathan! We are pleased we could help while away a little time today. It can't rain forever...

[@patb1613]

Thank you so much for capturing the essence of such an epic adventure,I also completed the 2023TPR solo,first ever ultra cycle event,I refilled my bottles around 2am in la Bastide,so if I woke you! Sorry.Glad you all made it.

[@MrAurel40]

Congratulations guys. i've tried this trip in 2022. Unfortunelty for me it was the hottest summer, i contracted covid 2 weeks before. I shoul have canceled or report my trip, i still tried it but it was too hard for me. I diverted my route after Col de Pailhères and Ax les Thermes and went back to Bordeaux.

[@paulcraddock2196]

What an incredible cycling effort and many thanks Chris for the awesome video showing the magnificent scenery. What a massive amount of effort this ride must have been but the satisfaction and memories will last forever.Thank you Le Col for this magnificent video so well filmed and edited by Chris and his wife.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you! It really is good to be able to relive through the video, almost feels like going back and doing it all again each time. Thank you for your kind comments!

[@falklevien]

It's just great to have a dedicated guy like Chris to document events like these. Just riding it is tough enough, but making a comprehensive video about it as you go along is just next level. Chapeau for the ride and the video.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you, that is very kind of you. It really was a thoroughly enjoyable week of cycling.

[@christopherhood9241]

Awesome film with amazing landscapes.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. It was a stunning place to be.

[@Gravel-Cult]

It is always hard to capture the steepness of the climbs on camera, but you all did a great job of capturing the beauty of the scenery on what appears to be a really tough event. Congratulations to you three!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you, it was a really beautiful ride and the enjoyment outweighed any toughness.

[@jamiestevenson4941]

Absolutely fantastic film loved it

[@lecolcc]

Thank you, we are pleased to hear this.

[@petervonl]

I love stories lige these. Chris, you are a genius at talking to a camera… Even with a mouth full of biscuits… 👍

[@boudoir00]

Great video - thank you. I traversed the Pyrenees this summer over 8 days and this brings back the memories… I was a bit more lucky with the weather though with only one really cold rainy day.

[@jtb52]

Nice to see my local hills in pyrenees ariegeoise. I've only done mur de peguere once never again...I don't have your watts Chris not even close...port de bales I kind of like can be brutally hot on the early ramps with that coarse surface then so apparently cold at the top with just a gilet to add some windproofing.

[@AlistairLattimore]

Thanks for making this possible Le Col & congratulations to everyone that finished, what an incredible achievement! I still can’t get my head around the 25000m of climbing. I recently completed Seattle To Portland, 325km/200mi and 2000m/6000ft so the idea of scaling up the climbing to match this effort is mind blowing 🤯

[@lecolcc]

Congratulations on your big ride, too! Thank you for your comments. It was a brilliant experience.

[@hectorkidds9840]

Brilliant film Chris, and really interesting to see some fast boys in the mountains. 36:30 bottom gear, you are a stronger rider than me! For the Lost Dot's Trans Pyrenees (there and back) I used a GRX 46:30 up front and an XT 11:40 out back. Meant I didn't have to do every climb in bottom gear.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you! A very wise gearing choice there! I can't quite imagine turning around and heading back at the end of this, very impressive!

[@waynerenshaw-multi-outdoor4521]

Rode the Haute Route Pyrenees in 2014, it's one grueling ride... Lots of climbing and definitely need food and water and plenty of Coke straight out of the fridge ... Great vid 👍😊The route you did Chris is more or less the same as the one I did in 2014 the Col du Tourmalet in the heatwave was just energy draining to the top... Brings back good memories and hard climbs... 🤟😏🚴

[@simongleave3373]

I rode Le raid Pyrenees back in 1990. A similar ride and so great to see the climbs I did then. I remember the last day it just rained. Epic video thanks.

[@stelladavis7443]

Great video.. Well done

[@marcdaniels9079]

Great video. Love the reference to cadence of 39 RPM ! Also very real that you are aware of people who have limited budgets. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@Chasenyx]

Oh jeez, that looks absolutly amazing.

[@lecolcc]

It really was an incredible week of riding.

[@keithmccallum1054]

Excellent coverage of your adventure!!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you!

[@AshRolls]

What an adventure, thanks for documenting it Chris

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. It was a brilliant experience.

[@guythacker6010]

Very Impresive Riding and Videography. Excellent coverage of the ride. Thank You for taking me along.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you for your feedback! The ride was a brilliant experience.

[@stevemiell4555]

Loved this!

[@lecolcc]

We are pleased to hear this.

[@CraigWebster1973]

Getting to see your videos is a bonus, you don’t owe anyone anything when it comes to videos so don’t pressure yourself. Getting to see you riding through areas I also ride through as I am just outside Truro is great and hope to discover some lovely local area rides

[@lecolcc]

Thank you for your kind words! When the roads are quiet it is lovely Cycling around Truro!

[@07triman]

Great video. Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

[@MrAurel40]

Col de Pailhères. Oulala i remember well how the hell this climb was. I did it in 2022 during hot summer.

[@elizabethdoherty5037]

So inspiring!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you.

[@Darthshearer]

Great video, superb achievement.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you.

[@MrShotlighter]

What a fantastic adventure -quite stunning & a riveting watch!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you, we are pleased you thought so.

[@c.initiative2705]

Great Video, love following your experiences

[@thedoginside]

I can only repeat what others have said, brilliant video. Have just watched it with a bag of frozen peas on my ankle thinking, 'don't rush your recovery'. 👏🏼

[@lecolcc]

Thank you for your comment. Hope the ankle is recovering well!

[@eds4947]

Great video Chris!! A really enjoyable watch and what looks like an amazing experience

[@OliverKnittel]

It´s alway going to be a lucky game with the weather, but very insightful video. Maybe i´ll try something like this in the near future. Like it!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. We highly recommend it after our experience. A brilliant way to experience cycling and touring plus a little competition.

[@PierreAlainMaire]

Loved this video, great editing !

[@PumpkinVillage]

What an experience and a great video. Thanks and take care, Al

[@lecolcc]

Thank you, we’re pleased you enjoyed it!

[@peterthomas8053]

Looks to be a super tough event with all that climbing back to back. Plus, the altitude makes it even more demanding. Tremendous achievement by the three of you. Keep the videos coming.👍

[@lecolcc]

Thank you! A thoroughly enjoyable experience.

[@michaeldevins4821]

Well done Chris and team epic ride. Looked amazing 👏👏👏👌👍

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. It really was!

[@carlstatham594]

Brilliant to watch, great approach to an amazing ride .... personally, I'd always say you need a party. Hey, life is people!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you! There’s nothing like a good party.

[@stoggs85]

Loved this video, great editing. Fantastic adventure.Something like this is definitely something I'd like to try myself. Back in the 90's me and mate rode to Israel from the uk just for the hell of it! The quickest route with no technology other than a old Michelin road map. Happy days

[@lecolcc]

Thank you for your comments! Your ride must have been an incredible adventure and experience. There is something special about the simplicity of a map and place names to look for rather than following a gpx route.

[@LeonidKolomiytsev]

Nice video! It was a pleasure to see your journey 😊

[@lecolcc]

Thank you!

[@dalailager]

Good adventure, enjoyed that

[@Richz2]

Been waiting for this to be release and it didn’t disappoint… huge congratulations to the three of you. A truly epic adventure which pushed you to the limit but you all seem to enjoy it. I hope there will be some more to come in the future? It certainly does inspire all to get out there and push yourself, sometimes you just need that initial shove to get going. I hope I can do something similar in the future.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. I really hope there will be more, too. It was a brilliant experience and one I genuinely believe is open for all of us to experience in some way.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

Fantastic footage. Well done!

[@lecolcc]

Thank you!

[@dexterx9862]

Great video, thanks for sharing

[@lecolcc]

Thanks for watching!

[@monsterthemink5787]

Stunning video, thank you for letting us be part of this extraordinary experience! Ever thought of gearing lower to compensate for the loaded bikes? A spinnier gear might be more comfortable and reduce fatigue if you get used to it.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you!! You could well be right about the gearing. I Just didn't take the time to consider changing anything on the bike. Fortunately only one really steep climb like this.

[@ocbyn]

Excellent video. Do next years Pan Celtic ride

[@lecolcc]

Thank you. This is certainly tempting...

[@bobfrode]

looks like an amazing adventure :)

[@lecolcc]

It really was a brilliant experience.

[@Chreeeys]

Got to love Opie :)

[@lecolcc]

Haha, thank you!

[@zeusfitter007]

Cornelius Would Be Proud.🙌🏼

[@biggertree7063]

Absolutely stunning sceneries. It would've been 100x more enjoyable if it wasn't a race, I reckon.

[@lecolcc]

You may well be right. But we certainly enjoyed the scenery, too.

[@global_nomad.]

thanks for your experience of this event....the ending made it feel like this isn't really your sort of thing, or preference, beyond being able to do such a ride, you need to want to. certainly makes me wonder about stepping up from all day rides to multiday rides and seeign you not ride through the night made me feel better

[@lecolcc]

I highly recommend it if you have the chance. There are many similar events to choose from and I guarantee it will be a special experience and valued achievement.

[@mondoabz]

I’d struggle listening to Chris for 1 hour let alone all that time. 😂

[@tjebo]

Nice vid! Did you make it on time for the time cut off?

[@guidospanoghe8896]

36X30? That's a very large ratio to tackle the Pyrenees even without luggage Chris! I used a 34X32 for our trip in 2022 and wished I had a 34 on the back (without luggage). Too bad you didn't take a small inflatable sleeping pad ( the size of a 500 cc bidon ) with you to have a good night's rest or a little nap during the day. Kudos for the effort in suboptimal fysical condition! I hope your healthproblem will be sorted out quickly.

[@lecolcc]

Thank you for commenting and sharing your experiences. It was a brilliant week of cycling as it was. I think next time I would try to avoid needing to sleep outside at all...

[@garethowen2816]

Congratulations on a big achievement and a great video. This was my first ultra race too so really enjoyed reliving it through your lens. Do you have any idea what might be your next ultra distance event? I am kind of keen to test some of the things I learnt from the Transpyrenees into practice at another event. Maybe next year. Gareth

[@lecolcc]

Thank you Gareth!! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Currently nothing planned, but very open to finding something similar. Indeed, maybe next year.

[@darrelduke]

carrying all that kronenbourg blanc will slow you down.

[@lecolcc]

Haha, had I thought a little more when filming I should have left that out. But we’ll spotted. It was what looked like a village bbq area, must have been a party the night before as there were loads of leftovers.

[@ianball7559]

Staying in hotels! seems like cheating to me ;-) I can't imagine that much climbing, though I can absolutely imagine being in bottom gear going 5kms an hour, that's a regular occurrence for me. I wonder how much faster you would go if you didn't have to talk to camera at the same time :-)

[@lecolcc]

This made us laugh! We will have to head back out to avoid the hotels. Thank you for your comments.

[@robertcummins6428]

Is 36-30 a smart choice of gearing for a mountainous challenge and especially with all that extra weight on? Hmm I think not! 😕

[@lecolcc]

I would say it was less of a choice, more of that's what I had available. But aside from one really steep climb, perfectly fine.

[@bretprins4792]

Who decided to keep the “LC” and “CC” graphics up for the entire video? There’s a reason nobody else does that in any other video. So distracting, adds nothing.