Saint Savin - Col Du Tormalet

Col du Tourmalet is a Cat HC climb in Hautes Pyrenees. The summit is 2115 metres altitude. The road D918 connects the Vallées des Gaves to the west with Vallée de Campan to the east. It is the most used climb in the Tour de France. 2016 will be the 85th time it has been used, including 2 stage finishes at the summit in 1974 and 2010 and 3 at La Mongie.

The Western Climb:

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.

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 water pump on the left-hand side as you start up the main street and a fountain and tap towards the top opposite the thermal spa. Baréges also has a small grocery store 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 ramps up to 13% 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 afternoon 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 Super-Baréges 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!

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