Photos and Captions by Tomás Montes Lopez

Photographer Tomás Montes Lopez, aka @ArriereduPeloton, has spent the last 15 years riding and shooting photos in the Pyrénées, from his home in Barcelona. His love for roads less ridden, and an eye for angles less appreciated, have yielded a stunning body of work, capturing his unique perspectives on the prominent mountain range that straddles France and Spain, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Biscay. Explore Tomás’s photos in print, along with other great stories of the people and places connected by bicycles, in SHIMANO’s Cadence road book.

This road connecting the Col du Soulor and the Aubisque on the border of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes Pyrénées is, for me, one of the greatest ever. The narrow ribbon of pavement hangs on the edge of the cliff, winding through a tunnel carved into the cirque. The views from this stretch during the Trans Pyrénées race are some of the most exciting for me as a photographer.

The view from the Tourmalet galleries, just two kilometers from the resort of La Mongie. It is a 12-percent gradient section. From the tunnels you can make out the first buildings of the station that will mark the last five kilometers to reach the top of the pass. The photograph was taken during the Trans Pyrénées Race in 2022.

There’s something special about the way a dark tunnel frames a subject. Whether it’s a cyclist or the road they ride on, getting the right perspective can shed light on truly special places.

This photo from September 2020 captures a rather special circumstance–it was the first day that we were again allowed to cross international borders here in Europe during the pandemic. To celebrate this freedom, my friends Uri, Jen, Marcos and I went to Uri’s parent’s house right on the border of France and Spain. We woke up early and climbed the Port de Pailhéres in Occitanie riding through the small ski station of Mijanés-Donezam on the French side.

Here, Uri captures his own view of the roads that climb the Port de Pailhéres. Mijanés-Donezam is a pretty small resort that’s big with the ski mountaineering community, and the roads around it also offer spectacular riding in the summer. This one has even been included in the Tour de France. We had been locked down in Barcelona for 100 days, and then confined to Spain for almost half a year. What a glorious day this was, one we’ll never forget.

Majestic beasts amongst a majestic backdrop at the top of the Puymorens. The mountains that stretch from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean are full out breathtaking vistas and details alike.  

The rider’s view of the Col du Tourmalet in the Hautes-Pyrénées of France, with the antenna atop the Pic du Midi Bigorre, towering 2,877 meters above sea level. This particular rider enjoys a well-deserved descent down to Saint Lary Soulan during the Trans Pyrénées race, a self-supported ultra-distance event that was conceived by the late great Mike Hall.

There’s no shortage of gritty, gravel spaghetti draped across these mountains, ready to reward those willing to tackle the roads less ridden.

Many different routes climb the Prat d’Albis outside of Foix, France, in the Regional Natural Park of the Pyrénées Ariégeoises. This ascent happens to be gravel that connects paved roads at the top and bottom, and it’s great on a gravel or road bike. It actually goes through private land, but the owner has allowed cyclists and others to pass so long as they are not motorized. My friend Mike Tucker and I snuck out for a ride before the Gather Festival, which was taking place at his nearby cycling B&B called Zero Neuf

The Road to the Vallter 2000 ski station is a winding, stunning road that’s a popular training climb for the pros who live in Girona. The 12-kilometer ascent also makes frequent appearances in Volta a Catalunya, the oldest one-week tour on the UCI calendar. In fact, it will be used as a mountaintop finish during the 102nd edition this year.

This is early morning on the slopes of Port de la Bonaigua, after trying to capture some riders participating in Kromvojoj, a self-supported ultra-endurance race around Catalonia that my friends and I have organized the last several years. Unfortunately for me, the riders passed during the night, but it was still a treat to get the morning light on these slopes in full spring bloom. The road is spectacular as it climbs from Esterri d'Aneu to the high valley and ski station in Baqueira-Beret .

The ascent of the Mare de Deu del Mont is one of the most iconic rides within pedaling distance from Girona, the other being the Rocacorba. On this final portion of the climb, you get views of the Mediterranean Sea to the south and on a clear day, the high Pyrénées rise majestically in the distance.

The Col de Bagargi, as climbed from Larrau, France, was the final climb of the Trans Pyrénées race, before the finish line in San Jean de Luz, France, 100 kilometers away. The nature of the climb is quintessentially Basque, steep, brutal, unforgiving. This climb from Larrau is 14.5 kilometers with the last nine hitting double-digit grades. These roads are so tough on everything that tries to ascend them, not just riders. As we waited for cyclists to arrive, a car broke down on the slopes…burnt out the clutch.

The roads of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques have a distinctly Basque flavor. The gray damp skies, the verdant slopes of the surrounding combine for a vibe that is unlike any other in the mountain range. Here the light of a rider in the 1,050-km Trans Pyrénées race indicates that the short, gray day is about to become a long dark night near the Bay of Biscay.

The French side of the Cerdanya region, close to Olette, is a quiet riding paradise. There are awesome roads and long steady climbs like this Col de Creu which ascends 23 kilometers  at a steady six percent or less. On this particular ride, there were two cars in the entire day.

The stuff that cycling dreams are made of: high mountains, sunshine, gravel and riding opportunities as far as the eye can see. For those willing to explore beyond the normal routes, the Ariège-Pyrénées offer some of the greatest riding on earth.

A self-portrait at Zero Neuf, a Cycling B&B that serves as Tomás’s mountain-home-away-from-home, for long weekend getaways and extended assignments alike.