The Col du Tourmalet opened 2 days ago. I went up this afternoon to get some photos, in the van, not on the bike. The Cafe is still closed, this may just have been for today as it is a public holiday in France, the 8th of May is the day the Nazis surrendered. As posted last year the statue “Le Giant du Tourmalet” is removed every winter, this year it will be returned on Sunday 5th of June. The giant is transported on a truck from Bagnères de Bigorre, it has become a local tradition for cyclists to assemble in Bagnères de Bigorre and climb the mountain with the giant. In 2010 over 1000 turned up for the spin including Bernard Hinault who is a giant of the Tourmalet himself, having won the Tour de France 5 times. The panoramic photo below was taken from the plinth that the giant normally occupies. As the col is now open all the pro teams are expected to train in the area in the coming weeks, I saw 4 riders from FDJ a few days ago descending the Soulor, they were gone before I could get the camera out. Hopefully I will get some shots of some in the coming weeks.
Col du Tourmalet Panorama. Click to see full size.
Col du Tourmalet May 2011, the col is open but the cafe was closed.
View the full photo gallery from the Col du Tourmalet.
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