Col du Tourmalet & Col d'Aspin: "It was less hard than I thought"
Both ascents to the Col du Tourmalet are usually open from June to November. However, you should definitely find out more about this in advance. The Col du Tourmalet lies at an altitude of 2115 metres, making it the highest pass road in the French Pyrenees.
A day at the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet
7 o'clock, the alarm clock rings. I open my eyes, tired from the last few days, which have been full of action, impressions and appointments from morning to night. I'm at the Tour de France Femmes 2023 and today is the Queens Stage for the riders, the stage with the most metres of elevation gain of the entire Tour. And for me, too, today means covering a lot of metres in altitude on the Col d'Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet - the pros will also be riding up there later.
First I go for breakfast, then brush my teeth and get changed. Everyone meets in the hotel entrance area at 8.30am on the dot. Bikes are packed up and I get to know the faces I don't know yet. A bus takes me from Pau to Sarrancolin. I get my hire bike there:
Admittedly, I hadn't really familiarised myself with the route and the elevation profile beforehand. I knew there were around 49 kilometres with a good 2000 metres of elevation gain on the programme.
Pass number 1: Col d'Aspin
And then the journey begins, we are a group of about 15 people. We cycle the first few kilometres together. It's still flat. After a good 7 kilometres, just before Arreau, we take a sharp right - this is where the climbing begins. I try to keep up with the front of the group. It goes quite well - at least at the beginning. Then I fear that I won't be able to keep up the pace over 2000 metres in altitude and take it a little easier. I also realise now that my saddle is a good centimetre too low. Unpleasant.
The road winds its way up the mountain in wide hairpin bends. I have found my pace and enjoy the views while the sweat pours out of every pore. It's hot, over 40 degrees in places.
I eagerly await the moment when the group gathers again. There's new refreshments and I'm sure there's a multitool with which my saddle can be raised a little higher. In between, I look at my sat nav (Garmin Edge 1040 solar) and am amazed to realise that I have already climbed more than 600 metres. On a road bike and without luggage, it's probably faster climbing than on a gravel bike and Bikepacking bags. Then we reach the top of the pass. A quick photo, then it's straight onto the descent.
Departure and break
I miss my wide tyres on the descent. The tarmac is good, but a little bumpy; the tyres on the road bike are narrow and perhaps the air pressure is a little too high for me. In any case, it's bumpy. Then I reach Sainte-Marie de Campan. Here I meet the front of our group. My first action: find tools, adjust saddle height. Then: Top up my bottles with water and electrolyte powder. Then we chat and laugh. We wait for everyone in our group and give everyone time to eat bars and top up with water. After the descent and the break, I'm almost cold, so it's good that the next climb is about to start.
From Sainte-Marie de Campan to the Col du Tourmalet
Then we continue. 17 kilometres and 1290 metres in altitude to the top of the pass. I am now much more comfortable on the bike and enjoy every second of the ride. Wherever possible, there are camping cars. The people in them are eating, decorating or doing other things to pass the time until the Tour de France Femmes passes by. Many are already warming up and cheering on all the people passing by on bikes. What a feeling. And the views!
At some point, my legs start to make themselves felt; it would be strange if they were completely unimpressed. It gets steeper and steeper towards the top, but nothing like the ramps I remember from my ultracycling events. I save some energy for the end, which is supposed to be really steep.
From five kilometres before the top of the pass, there are not only the obligatory kilometre markers on the side of the road, but also orange and pink arches announcing the approaching stage finish of today's Tour de France Femmes.
I'm looking forward to getting to the top soon, as I've sweated enough. A cold non-alcoholic beer wouldn't be bad either. And food, I'm hungry. Nevertheless, I enjoy every centimetre of the ascent, soak up the views and the cheers and continue at my own pace. The last bend is steep, but only briefly. Only in the last 200 metres do I think to myself, now I can step on the gas, now I don't have to save any more energy.
When I reach the top, I am greeted warmly, photos are taken and drinks are served. Then the fog rolls in and it gets cold. How great is it to experience the Col du Tourmalet in glorious sunshine on the same day and then a little later in a completely different mystical atmosphere through the fog?
Conclusion on the Col du Tourmalet
Definitely a challenging pass. When it's not shrouded in fog, the views are magnificent. I'm happy to often ride up steeper climbs when gravel biking, so the Col du Tourmalet was first and foremost one:
A pleasure. It was less hard than I thought.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
