Vuelta showdown on the Tourmalet: A portrait of the legendary Pyrenean pass
"Got well over the Tourmalet. Stop. Road in good condition. Stop. No difficulties for the riders." Sentences that have become legendary and epitomise the time when the Tour de France discovered the mountains like no other.
Alphonse Steinès sent the telegram with these words to Tour director Henri Desgrange in 1910 after almost freezing to death in the snowdrifts while inspecting the rough gravel road. After this flattering account of the brutal facts, the Col du Tourmalet (2115 m) became the first high mountain pass on the Tour de France route map. At the time, it was barely passable, and even today a corresponding mountain crossing is indispensable.
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Col du Tourmalet - it gets steep at the top
Both ramps climb with an average gradient of a good seven per cent. There are no passages to rest on. The closer you get to the top of the pass, the steeper the tarmac becomes. However, the ten per cent mark is rarely touched. Most of the time, you're travelling straight uphill on a fairly wide road, with ski lifts criss-crossing the barren slopes to the left and right. The gap in the pass, which has long been visible, does not want to come any closer. The summit of tastelessness is the satellite village of La Mongie on the eastern ramp. Several mountain stages have already ended between its construction sins. Recently, however, there has been a ray of hope: A section of the old road on the western ramp has been closed to public traffic and opened to racing cyclists as the "Voie Laurent Fignon". It is therefore essential to keep right at the large lift car park behind Barèges. For a few kilometres, you can now enjoy the ascent with uninterrupted views of the 2872-metre-high Pic du Midi de Bigorre.
The Col du Tourmalet in detail
The Col du Tourmalet is located on the north side of the main Pyrenean ridge in the area of the historic province of Bigorre, now in the Hautes-Pyrénées department. At an altitude of 2115 metres, it is one of the highest motorable passes in Europe and the highest asphalted pass in the French Pyrenees. It rises majestically above the region and offers breathtaking views - weather permitting. The Tourmalet has a rich cycling history since it was first conquered in 1910 as part of the Tour de France.
For racing cyclists, it is a symbol of passion and adventure. And so every year, the Col du Tourmalet attracts numerous racing cyclists from all over the world who want to take on the challenge and enjoy the unrivalled beauty of the surrounding nature. Anyone who has not yet been there is sure to have the 2115 metre high pass on their bucket list. The steep climbs and unpredictable weather conditions make the journey challenging, but the breathtaking mountain scenery rewards you - unless there is fog.
Why is the Tourmalet called the Tourmalet?
Tourmalet means nothing other than "bad road". Too bad for Tour winner Octave Lapize, who pushed his bike on the first ascent in 1910. In the meantime, however, both the ascents from the east and west sides have been tarmaced and are easy to cycle on.
When is the Col du Tourmalet open?
The ascents to the Col du Tourmalet are usually open from June to November. However, safety closures at short notice are always possible. Find out in advance at www.infotrafic.com (Etat des cols).
How high is the Col du Tourmalet?
2115 metres: At this altitude, the Tourmalet is the highest pass road in the French Pyrenees. The highest pass in the French-Spanish border mountain range is the Port d'Envalira at 2407 metres, which lies in the territory of the dwarf state of Andorra.
From which side is the Tourmalet heavier?
The western ramp from Luz-Saint-Sauveur measures 18.3 kilometres with an average gradient of 7.7 percent. From Sainte-Marie-de-Campan on the east side, the climb is 17.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.4 per cent. However, the steepest sections below La Mongie are somewhat steeper at 10 per cent.
This is the ascent from the west side to the Col du Tourmalet
- Start location: Luz-Saint-Sauveur (711 m), parking facilities in the centre at the Office de Tourisme
- Asphalt quality: good
- Difficulty: heavy
- Altitude metres: 1404
- Kilometres: 18,2
... and this is the east side
- Start location: Sainte-Marie de Campan (850 m), parking facilities in the village area
- Asphalt quality: good
- Difficulty: heavy
- Altitude metres: 1265
- Kilometres: 17
Refreshment stops
- West side: Restaurants/bars in Barèges (Km 7.4)
- East side: Restaurants/bars in La Mongie (Km 13)
- Pass summit: Bar "Relais du Col"
Worth seeing
West side: Shortly after the winter sports resort of Barèges, the old road was closed to motor traffic and reserved for cyclists as the "Voie Laurent Fignon" in honour of two-time Tour winner Laurent Fignon.
East side: Ste-Marie-de-Campan was once home to the smithy where Eugène Christophe repaired his broken fork himself in 1913 - and continued the Tour de France after four hours (commemorative plaque in the village).
Pass summit: Jaques Goddet monument (co-founder of the magazine l'Équipe, which launched the Tour de France in 1903). Historical Tour de France relics can be admired in the "Relais du Col".
Approach
To the west side of the Col du Tourmalet: From Toulouse A 64 direction Biarritz, exit 12 (Tarbes Ouest), N 21 to Lourdes, continue on the D 821/921 via Argelès-Gazost to Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
To the east ramp of the Col du Tourmalet: Via Toulouse as to the west side, from Tarbes on the D 935 via Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Ste-Marie-de-Campan.
Tours around the Col du Tourmalet
Up and down is one thing, but a Tourmalet tour is much nicer than cycling back the same way. The region around the Col du Tourmalet also offers other road bike destinations. We present five tours.
Numerous mountain destinations can be reached from Luz Saint Sauveur. In addition to two classic TdF mountain finishes, which end in rather dreary ski stations, the climbs to Cirque Troumouse and Port de Boucharo are scenically beautiful. You even forget the poor road surface.
Tour 1: Tourmalet Tour
This Tourmalet route largely avoids major roads in the valleys. The idyllic section between Bagnères and Lourdes and the Gorge de Luz shortly before the finish are very beautiful.
From Luz-St-Sauveur over the Col du Tourmalet down to Ste-Marie-de-Campan and Bagnères-de-Bigorre. In Pouzac, turn left (D26) via Neuilh, Arrodets and Juncalas to the D13, which you follow to the left to Ger, Ayros-Arbouix and Préchac. From there to the start.
- 97 kilometres, 1950 metres in altitude
Tour 2: Hautacam & Col du Tramassel summit finish
The Tour de France mountain finish (18th stage of the Tour de France 2022) on the route from Lourdes Hautacam is at 1520 metres. However, you don't have to cover 143.2 kilometres on our tour. From Luz Saint Sauveur, the route takes you to Argelès-Gazost. From there, you climb a full 1200 metres in altitude over 15.9 kilometres. If you want, you can also take on the Col de Tramassel (1615 metres). Then it's back to the start - you don't have to cycle the entire route.
- Luz Saint Sauveur - Argelès-Gazost - Hautacam-Lourdes: 59 kilometres, 1800 vertical metres
- Plus Col de Tramassel (back from Hautacam, turn right and continue uphill): 61 kilometres, 1900 metres in altitude
Tour 3: Short and crisp
Luz Ardiden lies at an altitude of 1715 metres. From Luz-St-Sauveur it is 14.5 kilometres and 1000 metres in altitude. If you wish, you can start in another town and extend the tour in this way
Tour 4: Col des Tentes & Port de Boucharo
The Port de Boucharo (2270 m) is an unknown pass on the Spanish border. Only the French side is tarmac. From Luz-St-Sauveur to Gavarnie, then to the Col des Tentes. That makes a total of 31.6 kilometres and 1800 metres in altitude - and then it's back to the start.
- 31.4 kilometres, 2100 metres in altitude
Tour 5: Cirque de Troumouse
Winding ascent to the Cirque de Troumouse, a rocky basin 2103 metres above sea level. From Luz-St-Sauveur to Gèdre (D 921), then: Cirque de Troumouse. 28 kilometres, 1600 metres in altitude. Including the return journey, the tour data looks like this:
- 57 kilometres, 1800 metres in altitude
The Col du Tourmalet and the Tour de France
1974: The year of the only mountain finish to date on the summit of the Tourmalet, which at the time was travelled from the east side. It was won by Jean-Pierre Danguillaume, who tested positive for amphetamines in the same year. In 1970, 2002 and 2004, there were mountain finishes in the La Mongie ski station, which is located on the eastern ramp of the Tourmalet around five kilometres below the top of the pass. The winners: Bernard Thévenet, Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso.
85 +1 times the Tourmalet pass has been part of the Tour de France
85 +1 is the number of ascents of the Tourmalet during the Tour de France - since the first passage in 1910, making it the most frequently crossed pass in the race. And why +1? Because it was part of the Tour de France Femmes in 2023. The seventh stage ended with a mountain finish in dense fog. Demi Vollering (NL), who later became the overall winner, won this stage.
Premiere in 1910 with 500 francs special premium
At the premiere in 1910, the later Tour winner Octave Lapize was the first to reach the top of the pass. But only one rider made it up the Tourmalet without setting foot on the ground: second-placed Gustave Garrigou. He receives a special bonus of 500 francs. Garrigou won the Tour the following year, but had to dismount at the Galibier in the Alps.
14 kilometres of pushing - downhill
This legend is so bizarre that it is told at every Tourmalet crossing: Eugène Christophe had crossed the pass in second place in the 1913 Tour when his fork broke on the descent. The Frenchman had to descend 14 kilometres from the Tourmalet on foot. After hours of repairs in a smithy in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, he was given a minute's penalty because a boy had operated the bellows while he was repairing it. Outside help was strictly forbidden. In the overall standings, the unlucky rider ended up in seventh place. Although Christophe was the first rider to wear the newly introduced yellow jersey in 1919, he never won the Tour.
Souvenir Jacques Goddet
Near the top of the pass is a memorial to Jacques Goddet, the sports journalist and long-time director of the Tour de France who died in 2000. The "Souvenir Jacques Goddet" is awarded at his memorial stone. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet has been part of the Tour de France as a special classification since 2001, the year after his death. The rider who reaches the mountain classification first receives the prize of 5000 euros. By the way: In years in which the Tour de France does not visit the Col du Tourmalet, there are two possibilities. Either the special classification does not take place, or it is awarded on another Pyrenean pass.
The Col du Tourmalet and the Vuelta a Espana
In 2023, the Tour of Spain will take place on the 13th stage Station on the Pyrenean giant. From Formigal in Spain, the route crosses the border into France via Portalet. After Aubisque and Spandelles, the ascent of the dreaded Col du Tourmalet awaits from Luz-Saint-Saveur.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
