Tourmalet

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Villelongue, Midi-Pyrénées, FR

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Vélo Peloton Pyrénées

Cyclist accommodation and bike rental.

66 km

1 837 m

Col du Tourmalet. The granddaddy of all cycling climbs and the most used climb in Le Tour de France. Unmissable.

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# Col du Tourmalet
This route will take you from Vallée du Lavedan up the western side of [Col du Tourmalet](http://velopeloton-cycling-pyrenees.bike/col-du-tourmalet/). From Soulom on the western side you have 12km through Gorge de Luz on D921, at an average of 3% to Luz Saint Sauveur, from where the climb officially starts. The road through the gorge can be very busy, if riding in a group, single file is advised.

From Luz it is 19 km to the summit at 7.5%, to an altitude of 2115m on road D918. As you leave the town you will see the 18km board as the road ramps up to 8%+. The climb to Col du Tourmalet is characterised by long straight stretches of road climbing at 8%. There are a few stepper sections and also less steep sections down to 5%. Overall the gradient does not change very much and the difficulty of the climb is it’s length and altitude. As with all high altitude areas the weather can be unpredictable and extreme. There are a couple of hairpins before the village of Baréges, these afford you a spectacular view back down the valley to Luz and across to the Ardiden Massif, location of another Tour de France classic, [Luz Ardiden](http://velopeloton-cycling-pyrenees.bike/luz-ardiden/).

Baréges is a small tourist town hemmed in between two mountains. It is popular with hikers in summer and skiers in winter, it is rather uneventful and easily forgotten. There is a @poi[water pump](1083984) on the righthand side as you start up the main street and a @poi[fountain and tap](1083981) towards the top opposite the thermal spa. Baréges also has a small @poi[grocery store](1083982) and several cafes. With 12km to the summit you won’t want to stop here. ***Caution:** If descending through Bareges there is a one way system, you need to turn right at the spa just past the army barracks.*

Out of Bareges the road @poi[ramps up to 13%](1083986) and remains steep for 1.5km before the easiest section of the climb leading to the large car park at Tournaboup ski station. Grand Tourmalet is the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees and Tournaboup is where the lifts start on the western side.

After Tournaboup the gradient rises again and remains steep for the whole 8km to the summit. The summit will be visible for the remainder of the climb. The site of the road cut through the enormous cliff face is truly daunting for the first time climber. In the after noon sun in July and August it it hellish. It’s not unusual to see people doing the walk of shame, head down pushing their bike. At 1750m altitude with 4km to go you will pass the @poi[Super-Baréges](1083980) ski station. There follows the most challenging part of the climb with a large drop in oxygen at 1800m the climb takes on a life of it’s own, a torturous existence where even the fittest of cyclists struggles with the every rising gradient.

As you pass the 1km to go sign the cafe at the summit can be seen to your left, if you can raise you head to the impossible angle required to look up. How can it be so high up? There is only 1km to go and it seems like 7% or 8%. Finally, with 300m to go, you will round the last hairpin bend and all is revealed. The remainder is 13% to the summit. The view back down the valley you have ridden up is awesome!

## Summit
At the summit there is a @poi[café](1083979) and souvenir shop. The cafe is well worth a visit to see the bikes hanging on the wall and some old photos of the col and Tour de France in days gone by. From the summit there is a further 5.5km at 9.4% to Col du Laquettes at an altitude of 2636m, most of the time this is suitable for mountain bike only, but some years it is repaired and can be ridden on a road bike. From here you can climb by foot to the observatory on the summit of the Pic de Midi, it is just over 2800m. The view is breathtaking, on a clear day you can see 20% of France. If you’re lazy or at least not crazy, you could take your bike up in the cable car from La Mongie and ride down, mountain bike advised. It was from Pic du Midi that the surface of the moon was first mapped in the 1960’s.

There are 2 memorials and a sculpture at the summit. One is a plaque to Jean- Paul Raoul, who is credited as the creator of the road to Pic du Midi. One is a bust of Tour de France director Jacques Goddet. The sculpture is called “Géant au Col du Tourmalet”.

## Descent
The route descends back the same road you climbed. It is a very fast descent. In Bareges there is a oneway system, you must follow the road to the right. At Luz this route takes a small detour from the way you asscended to cross the @poi[Pont Neopoleon](1083985) to Saint-Sauveur. The bridge is very impressive. It then contuines down the Gorge de Luz, back to the start.

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