FURTHER - PERSEVERANCE - Pyrénées

28th to the 31st August 2025

Arrive 28th August for Dawn Start on the 29th August 2025

This year we have returned to the loop format. And once again, the start and finish is at the Refuge of Rulhe Riders arrive at the Refuge the day before the start, for collection of tracker, the evening meal and a bed. We start early on the morning of the 29/08. Riders will be glad to have had the bed the night before as this year's event is hard. If FURTHER was anything else, I believe I would be doing an injustice to the ideas of FURTHER. FURTHER Perseverance has always been about borders or frontiers. Physical, national, ideological and emotional. For me, as the Director, it has always been about this and it is always a challenge to create something that crosses these frontiers without simply being meaningless grind. From the start, we hop out of the EU, into Andorra, then back into Spain and France again. We border hop 5 times. We cross many water sheds, cardinal points and …. On this route we see far more than the current borders, if we look we can see echoes of humanity that goes right back to the root of modern man. There is a reason behind the myth that suggests the Holy Grail was hidden in the Ariège Pyrénées. The start is on the plateaux of Rulhe and has been used by humans since the Magdalenians and maybe before. You might see the ancient horse breed of Merens wandering. These were mentioned by Julius Caesar and were favored by Charlemagne and Napoleon Bonaparte. There are horse drawings in the caves at Niaux ( just over in the next valley West ), made over 13,000 years ago that look just like the Merens.The Merens is one of a myriad of ways to see the depth of history and culture embossed and etched into the Pyrénées. From this Plateau at Rulhe you will see the cigarette smugglers at night, bringing in contraband from the tax haven of Andorra. The smugglers play cat and mouse with the French Douane, just like the downed allied airmen and the Jews with the help of the Maquis dodged the Nazi’s in WW2. We use the Freedom trails used by Jews escaping Christian persecution finding sanctuary in the Islamic Iberian Peninsula. We follow the ancient Pilgrimage routes. Before the advent of tarmac and the automobile, the Ports or Cols across the mountains were steep and tough, but more numerous. Modern man reduced the paths but made them safe and smooth. Some of the oldest routes are no longer remembered by us, some have been blasted into new geometry to make faster, smoother and easier ‘ progress ‘. We will be traveling the old routes that are forgotten to most and used by the more adventurous mountain randonneur.

A description of the route that is in the riders manual

B.C.W ( Border Crossing Waypoint )

P.W. ( Peak Waypoint )

The start.

You will already know how hard the start is from the climb up the night before. In past events people have scratched from just getting there. The first Border Crossing Waypoint is the Col de Cabus and is in Andorra. It is up to you which way you choose, I am pretty sure I know your route, but I also know there are many ways to do it and maybe, maybe the most obvious is not the fastest. I too would like to know.

1. Cabus ( B.C.W )

This col has become quite popular with bike riders and motorcycle riders in the past few years, more than when we first went over in 2019. The Andorran Douane are often to be found there, they might check your passport. They are not checking for contraband, that's the French Douane who do that. You will drop down into a village that is known as ‘ murder Village ‘. Families have been feuding over the flow of contraband through the area for decades. It is not something that affects us, in fact, good shelter can be found in the church.

2. The Port de L’artigue ( B.C.W ) Night curfew

This was the main highway to and from France and Spain for centuries. However, you must not expect a clear road or even path. The approach from the Spanish side is steep and hard, the descent into France is a long boulder field. It is more than scree and you will not be happy with me, but try to remember people were crossing here in wool capes and clogs with donkeys long before our adventure. I have put a night curfew on this. It is easy to get lost in the best of light, however you should be well clear of the Col before dark.

3. La Voie Verte Foix to Saint-Girons

From the L’artigue, we head to Foix and it is pretty much downhill all the way. You will probably need to resupply and there is plenty to be found on route. The Voie Verte is an old railway line and is really a way for you to get a break before you attempt THE BIG ONE. I really like the Voie Verte, you get a glimpse of France's industrial past, pass a monastery hidden in the woods and there is a water source on route.

4. Port d'Urets ( B.C.W ) Night curfew

This is the BIG ONE. This is the one that has given me some sleepless nights. We have some real dangers here. It is high, exposed and there is the real danger of falling to your death. In some parts, extreme care must be taken. On the Col there is a cabin, so if you reach there as it gets dark or the weather is bad, you should stay. It’s one of the best cabins I know of. You should take a look. You drop down into the Val d'Aran ( Valley of the Valleys ) and it is incredibly beautiful. Last year the photographer destroyed his 4x4 wheels getting up there, the road is fast downhill and with some shocking boulders. This road is often washed away in places. This route is also where a failed recapture of Spain happened. Communists and Fascist battled out here… how is this possible?

5.Port de Salau ( B.C.W )

An ancient route, one of the original Camino De Santiago ways. It is close to the Port d'Aula which is a stunning descent but actually for me not as interesting, the Port d'Aula and I have used the Port d'Aula too often and the path up to Port de Salau is way better. Sometimes, on the Port, the sheep can gather and with the sheep comes the Patou ( Great Pyrénées sheep dog ). To be frank, they are scary. There is a refuge at the top and one on the way down carved into rock. I have a few times, met the Douane on the path. Big guys with big guns, they are looking for the smugglers that work this route some nights.

6. Pic d'Estibat ( P.W )

This is part of the route because it is a relatively easy peak to reach and on a clear day gives you fantastic views of where you have been and where you are going. Look down the Col DuPort and you will see Mt Fourcat and the Plateau de Tabe. Climbing up is a rough ridable path, you come out onto a plateau, you find your own path up to the ridge. From the ridge you reach a peak, you then weave down and reach the Col du Port with its Auberge and long Tour de France history. It is also the weather cardinal point. From here you enter the Mediterranean weather system. It is where the Med and the Atlantic weather often battles.

7. Massat to Fourcat

It is not quite from Massat and it is not quite… it gets you there. It's a mix of tarmac and gravel roads in forests that make up a lot of the high Ariège. There are gates in places but you can ride around them. I drop you at the start of the climb up to the peak of… if you have the legs and low enough gears it is rideable.

8. Mont Fourcat ( P.W )

What can I say about this peak other than I love it. Fourcat is on the Massif de Tabe, which is an orphan mountain or orphan Massif. It's an orphan because it is separate from the main Pyrénées chain. Because of this you can see the Pyrénées with clarity, and turn 180, you might see Toulouse. There is a marker on the peak, an early IGN ( French mapping agency ) mark because much modern mapping was plotted from here. It is only 2001 meters above sea level but for me it has as much to offer as Three Thousanders. The way down is steep with a BIG drop to your left, on the ridge about 400 m away is where I saw a bear. I was very fortunate to see it.

9. Plateau du Tabe

This is a simple double track down towards Les Cabbanes, it is fast and fun. At the start of the sector is a cabin, it should be open and there should be water. This is a place you might want to stay at forever.

10. Finish - Refuge du Rulhe