Road Cycling

Outdoor activities near Base Calames accommodation in the Ariege Pyrenees, France.

From the famous climbs you’ve heard of…. Plateau de Beille, port de lers, Col du Port, Plateau de Bonascre to the ones you probably haven’t this area really does have it all for road Cyclists. We are located just outside Tarascon sur Ariege at the start of the 12km climb to the Col du Port (1250m). From there numerous possibilites are available including testing yourself on popular TdF climbs like Port de Lers or the Col de Peguere.

Descend from ours to Tarascon sur Ariege, the meeting point of 5 valleys and a wealth of fantastic cycling opens up. Its no coincidence that the Tour de France passes through Tarascon most years and one of the major sportives of the French calendar (The Ariegeoise) has Tarascon as its starting point.

But its not all about lung busting ascents, there are plenty of more relaxing options and for those that prefer near traffic free roads and stunning mountain views there are plenty of options. And if you just want to push your training on some steeper terrain without venturing too far from the accommodation, we’ve got that covered too with the Col du Port or the Vallee de la Corbiere climbs right on the doorstep.

If ticking off the big name lung busters is your thing then most of the famous Pyrenean climbs are within a couple of hours drive and many of them much closer… (Arcalis, Ax 3 Domaines, Col de Latrape, Col de la Core, Col de Portet d’Aspet , Superbagberes, Col d’Aspin, Col du Tourmalet, Hautacam…. to name but a few).

Here at Base Calames we are all about value so we don’t provide a support vehicle service to track your every move. What we do provide is ideally located and well equipped accommodation with a double garage to store your pride and joy, a warm welcome, route maps, advice, and all the help you need to get the most of your time here. There are numerous superb circuits that can be done from the accommodation and if you want to venture further afield we can arrange to drop you at a starting point or pick you up at the end of the day. We are also at the end of the phone if you should need collecting or assisting unexpectedly.

The accommodation is perfect for groups of up to 12. For more info, see the accommodation pages.