It is May 2021 and we’ve been living in France for six months. After a strange winter season with few tourists, we’re getting ready for summer in the French Alps. To get inspiration for our cycling hotel in Puy Saint Vincent, Anne and I decided to visit other cycling-specific accommodation in France in our spare time. One of the places we’ve had our eye on for some time is Zero Neuf Cycling at the foot of the French Pyrenees. After the French lockdown was lifted in early May, we packed our gear and drove to Gaudiès for a bikepacking trip in the area.

On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Joss and Mike and found Zero Neuf to be utterly enchanting. The accommodation is surrounded by rolling farmland, with the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees on the horizon. The building looks like a traditional French gîte, with white plastered walls overgrown with grapevines and those classic blue shutters on the windows. The garden is neatly tended and the chickens scratch around peacefully.

Once inside, you’re surrounded by cycling relics, such as numbers, cycling shirts and old bicycle frames on the wall. The bookcases and shelves are full of bike-related books and large coffee table books draw the eye. It’s easy to see that Joss' hobby is scouring flea markets and refurbishing furniture: there is no lack of attention and detail.

It is cosy and you feel at home here immediately, especially as a cyclist. We had a beer with Joss and Mike and they showed us the bedrooms. We had the shared flat to ourselves, as we were the only ones in Zero Neuf due to the many travel restrictions. In the evening, we sat down to a delicious meal prepared by Joss while Mike gave us a few tips for our bikepacking trip the next morning.

On the agenda was a route that Zero Neuf created together with my colleague Katherine Moore: a traverse through the Ariège Pyrenees over mainly unpaved roads, singletracks and hiking trails. We decided to faithfully follow this two-day route to its end. But we still had more time, so we decided to plan the route further ourselves from there, depending on the terrain and the weather forecast.

What followed was a six-day bikepacking trip from Zero Neuf through different parts of the Pyrenees. From the Ariège Pyrenees, across the Spanish border and up to the Catalan Pyrenees. It turned out to be a memorable trip, in which you can safely say that we were one with the elements. On several occasions, the terrain and weather conditions made it extremely difficult for us but that’s exactly what makes bikepacking so special for us.