Chris C

Julie and Lee,

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write on here following our trip staying with you. All of us had the best time, it was amazing to ride in such impressive scenery and to be so lucky with the weather!

It is a blessing that you guys are such great cooks to keep us going through our rides, we spent our time at the dinner table always amazed at the quality, and the quantity of food! I think Dave enjoyed that as much as making Matt and I suffer up our 13 cols.

The only let down - snow stopping us reaching the top of the Tourmalet! I will be in touch soon to arrange coming out to finish it off with Matt and maybe a few others.

Thank you so much, see you again soon.
Chris.

Luis R

Really miss waking up in the mountains today, our daily conversation about planning the day's route and the mouthwatering croissant, thank you very much for looking after me during my visit.

Tomorrow will see my club mates at the pool session, I'm sure they will love your place, facilities and the very impressive information you have on the rides and Cols.

When good results come later in the year I will definitely think of my time I've spent in the Pyrenees, now I could only think of the time to be back.

Wishing you the very best and looking forward to my next visit.
Luis

Ruth T

Hello Lee and Julie,

I'm back in rain-soaked Cumbria, enthusing about my stay with you to everyone I meet. I had a great time - wonderful scenery, up and down many cols and ports, and with the unexpected bonus of getting to try out so many different bikes and gearing arrangements. Your place is lovely, and as you know from my ability to eat up every scrap as well as beg leftovers from others, I loved the food. For me, the chocolate cheesecake just shaded it over the carrot cake for all round delicious-ness. I am now off to fly up Flinty Fell with my new crank arms.

Bye for now and see you next year
Ruth x

Lee and Julie,

Thank you very much for an outstanding few days of cycling, swimming and running in the hills. Your advice on the local area was brilliant and more than helpful. Thanks for the great hospitality, I'm sure we'll be back sooner rather than later. (Assuming Julie is still making that wonderful Carrot Cake)

Regards
Dave and Kate

4 days of hospitality and wonderful food - matched only by the height of the mountains.

We shall return !

Thanks so much for providing me with a launchpad into les Hautes Pyrenees, even if I wasn't climbing like a rocket I still felt very much on top of the world from the clouds atop the Tourmalet.

The lush green French Pyrenees make for spectacular scenery and are certainly a contrast to the less compact Alps and even the Spanish Pyrenees. The cycling certainly trumps the Alps.

Steaming up the gentler Col des Ares, descending the Peyresourde (watch for that hairpin!), climbing the relentless Tourmalet and then descending the Tourmalet with 25ms of visibility, rolling for many kms along the traffic free D26, coming home to great food and easy company ... it was a very memorable trip made ridiculously easy by my very generous, knowledgeable and easygoing hosts.

My bike is already chomping at the bit to return ... so thanks again and 'til soon.

Dear Lee and Julie,

What a week! Waking up to a big breakfast, followed by a quick morning run through some little French towns, then some lunch and a walk to a lake, a tough hills session at altitude in the evening, finished off with a big home cooked meal shared with the other guests (even catering for me, a vegetarian) - I couldn't have asked for more than that.

Your advice on trails was much appreciated and those laminated A4 maps a great idea.

I've already smashed one of my PB's since arriving home.

I'll let you know when I get that Aus champs 1500m qualifier!

Hope to see you again one day
Cheers
Adrian

Thank you to Julie and Lee for a really special 4 day stay. The accommodation, food and local knowledge of cycle routes was fantastic.

This was the perfect base for me to do the Bales Barousse cyclosportive and I will certainly be disappointed if I don't return for another stay. Lovely area for racing, touring or mountain biking.

Thanks!

What an awesome 5 days - great cycling, scenery and accomodation and suppoprt. Got to be the best value in France. Julie and Lee, your hospitality was friendly, excellent and you provided a good base for the Etape and other ventures.

VeloPyrenees is 4 star accommodation with 5 star service. (excellent rooms, food and drink, hospitality and transport and only a few miles from the biggest hills I've ever seen - fantastic).

I look forward to returning as soon as possible.
All the best.
Gary.

Many thanks to Lee and Julie for the fantastic time that was had down at Velo Pyrenees ! The close access to amazing cycling, running and walking routes was incredible ! Those maps certainly came in handy ! The location is superb ... with some many famous cols just up the road. I can definitely recommend the Port de Bales and Superbagneres double for anyone looking for a challenge ... not a great idea to tackle it on a 35 degree day !

The accommodation was extremely comfortable and the home cooking was a definite highlight ! We will certainly be going back before we head back home to Australia !!!

I wanted to thank you and Julie for the great times I spent at your place. I managed to finish the Etape du Tour though it took me 11 hours to do it – not quite tour de france pace……. It was a great experience in hindsight, frightening before hand and a mentally and physically interesting time on the day. I would not have made it without your advice, especially with respect to changing the gearing on my bike and planning the food and water along the way. I’ve never seen so many bikes as at the start, nor so many being pushed along as on the Port de Bales!

My ten days with you in Las Graves was all I hoped it would be. As a cyclist of advanced years, the Tour Cols were a definite challenge, but with Lee's careful advice and maps I had a superb time, increasing the challenge gradually and taking my time at record slow paces! The country around is so varied and beautiful: forests, rivers, deep valleys, high mountains, superb views and the road conditions ideal for safe, quiet and smooth cycling. There's a lot of interesting history and architecture around also.

Add the high standard in accommodation and food, with endless variation in the courses, and the visit was ideal. The alfresco meals long into the evening were perfect ends to strenuous days. The journey by plane and train was also easy & uncomplicated, and you were so very helpful with the transportation nearby.

Thanks for a really memorable time, Julie and Lee. I'll be back.

A belated thank you to Lee and Julie for providing one cyclist and two hangers on, such an excellent visit at the end of May to recce the Etape route (now successfully completed).

Food,accommodation, hospitality, route advice and location were all superb, even if riding the Portet d'Aspet and Col de Mente in 10.5 degrees temp was not quite what was expected! I have spread the word to others and hope to be back, legs permitting!

Thanks to you both.
Daniel

Thank you Julie and Lee for providing top notch, reasonably priced accommodation. The location is perfect for riding and running. I had a great run with Julie and the ride with Lee up Port de Bales and Superbagneres was incredible.

The rooms are large and the meals that Lee and Julie prepared were outstanding. Lee also generously took the time to adjust my rear derailleur and lube my cables to get my bike ready for the Etape du Tour.

Thank you again Lee and Julie for being so friendly and making my experience at you guest house a fanstatic one. I hope to be back soon.

First rate location and hospitality if you are considering L'Etape du Tour.

Welcoming and calm atmosphere; very impressive evening meals - local food prepared with great care. Port de Bales took more than 1.30 last Monday!

Best wishes, Tom

I just wanted to thank Julie and Lee for the hospitality and professionalism that I savoured at velo last week.

The quality of the venue was superb and location fantastic. Having so many Cols on your doorpstep is enviable. I'll definitely be back to have another crack at the port de bales (and definitely back for more of julie's desserts!).

Julie and Lee were as involved in your trip as you wanted. In my case alot! As a novice their advice on route selection was invaluable.

Thanks again for a great experience.
John

Thanks for a great week, it was absolutely fantastic, thanks for all your hospitality, great food, great trails and as we say in ireland great craic.
We will definitely be back.

Many thanks for taking such good care of three Irish (two MTB riders, one professional chiller) for a great week. Your guesthouse is a haven of spotless, well-organised and excellently-fed civilisation. I'll be doing my best to come back!

Highlights included trying to keep up with Lee (no chance!), descending 3000-feet-plus under the cable car into Luchon (epic!), riding the ridges from Port de Bales after 23km of climbing, with the brilliant descent into the Luchon valley, and the excellent trails into and out of the magical Cirque de Glere.

Thanks again!
Ciaran (Dublin)

Thank you for a brilliant week, I am so impressed with the set-up you have there in the Pyrenee's it really does make for a fantastic triathlon or cycling holiday... if you can call an 80 mile day ride a holiday!! Julie and Lee are so well knowledged on the region, routes and sports, meaning you can get the max out of your days. Much appreciated the local home cooked food after a hard days work.

Thank you for all your tri tips and advice, I will be back!! :)

Brilliant week - fantastic place to cycle. Wonderful vegetarian food - thanks for your hospitality and it was great cycling with Lee!

Thanks for the photos
Francis

Out of our party of 3, only 1 was a cyclist. However, I can offer hope to non-cyclists 'tagging along'.

The accommodation was fantastic (clean / stylish / peaceful) and thanks to Julie and Lee's travel tips we had a great two weeks seeing what the area had to offer, while our cyclist rode up and down the Cols. I can personally recommend the Vaporium at Luchon, the local cheeses, the markets in and around the area and last but definitely not least the top class food that was laid on!

Thank you for all your help and although I never want to see the Col de Peyresourde again (even from a car!) I would certainly pay a return visit to your establishment.

Best of luck for the future
Emma. Wirral, UK

Great week, fantastic accommodation, great food especially the puddings!! So sorry to leave because there was still so much to be explored.

Thanks to Lee and Julie for being the perfect hosts and guides. And thanks for all your sound advice.

See you next year.
Lorraine and Jeff

Fantastic location, beautiful accommodation and wonderful hosts. Nothing else to add except that we all had a fantastic time and are looking forward to our return to Velo Pyrenees.

Great location, excellent accommodation, very good bike workshop. All in all a great place to spend a few days testing oneself against the mountains. Thanks Julie and Lee, I'll hope to be back before too long.

We arrived on a sunny Wednesday afternoon not knowing what to expect and were immediately impressed by the great accommodation and location - particularly when we realised we were only 4km from the foot of the Port de Bales.

We had two great days riding, doing the d'Aspet and Mente (an absolute killer) on day one and the Bales and Peyresourde on day two.

The advice, routes and facilities were spot on and Julie and Lee gave us plenty of encouragement.

We will be back, probably with a larger group next time.

Thanks to you both.
James

Just like to say what a great time was had by all. You have a lovely location & excellant accomodation, food was first class & those sweets (after those climbs) just what I needed. To Lee, thanks on all the information to the Cols, and what great pictures you took of us all. Many thanks to you both, will come again.

Best Wishes
Richard M