Col du Tourmalet

Col de Tourmalet is 33km from Saint Savin. It is the most used climb in the Tour de France, 2010 will be the 79th & 80th time it has been used including 1 stage finish at the summit in 1974 and 3 at La Mongie. From Saint Savin you have 3km down hill, then 12km at an average of 3% to Luz Saint Sauveur from where the climb officially starts. From there it is 18 km to the summit at 7.6% to an altitude of 2115m. From the summit there is a further 5.5km at 9.4% to the Pic de Midi 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 breath taking, on a clear day you can see the Massif Central. If you’re lazy you could take your bike up in the cable car from Le Mongie and ride down, mountain bike advised, the cable car is €30.

I have cycled all the famous cols of the Pyrenees and the alps, the Tourmalet is by far the most difficult, always long and either too hot or too cold, from 40 centigrade at the bottom to ice on the top the Tourmalet will throw it all at you. It is always a battle between rider and mountain no matter how many times you ride it. The first time I tried I bonked 2km from the top with heat exhaustion (had ridden the Marie Blanque and the Col d’Aubisque before that so was a bit spent to start with), the second time I made it but could not feel my hands or feet with ice, it was a nice sunny June day until 1 km from the top and then out of nowhere the temperature plunged and I was enveloped by freezing fog, on the decent visibility was down to 5 meters, I passed through Le Mongie without seeing a building. A col always to be feared by the wise. In 2009 I have ridden it 11 times.

View Larger Map
Google Map showing 33km route from Saint Savin to Col de Tourmalet.

Stage 9, Le Tour de France 2009. Summit of Col de Tourmalet

The Giant of the Tourmalet was erected to praise all the cyclist that make it to the top. If you get there you can say the French government put up a statue in your honour.

Tour de France 2009

Jens Voigt Tour de France 2009

Mark Cavandish in the Auto bus.

Irish rider Nicolas Roche leads the peloton over the summit in 2009.

Google earth route from Saint Savin to the Col de Tourmalet. Download KML file Here.

3d image of the last 7km.

Col du Tourmalet profile from west (Luz).

Col du Tourmalet profile from east (Sainte Maria). This is the hardest climb in France, that last 12km are unmatched for consistent steepness over that distance. Indeed the combined last 14km average 8.1%.

A Lama grazes on the col.

From the Col de Tourmalet looking west to Luz.

The famous cafe at the col.

St Patricks day 2007 5km from the Tourmalet, the snow is melting in the warm sunshine. Time to put away the skis and get the bike out.

17 March 2007. The last 4km of the road are used as a piste. There was fresh snow that night and the skiing lasted for another 2 weeks.

6km from the summit.

Snow melts in the spring sunshine.

Sainte Maria de Campan, official start of the climb from the eastern side.

Chapel at Sainte Maria de Campan

---

Col du Tourmalet in the Tour de France.
2010 will be the 79th & 80th time the Tourmalet has been used by Le Tour.

This list is of the first rider on each stage.

2010 – Andy Schleck – Luxembourg
2010 – Christophe Moreau – France
2009 – Franco Pelizzotti – Italy
2008 – Rémy Di Gregorio – France
2006 – David de la Fuente – Spain
2003 – Sylvain Chavanel – France
2002 – Lance Armstrong – U.S.A. (La Mongie)
2001 – Sven Montgomery – Switzerland
1999 – Alberto Elli – Italy
1998 – Alberto Elli – Italy
1997 – Javier Pascual-Rodriguez – Spain
1995 – Richard Virenque – France
1994 – Richard Virenque – France
1993 – Tony Rominger – Switzerland
1991 – Claudio Chiappucci – Italy
1990 – Miguel Martinez-Torres – Spain
1989 – Robert Millar – Scotland
1988 – Laudelino Cubino – Spain
1986 – Dominique Arnaud – France
1985 – Pello Ruiz-Cabestany – Spain
1983 – Patrocinio Jimenez – Columbia
1980 – Raymond Martin – France
1978 – Michel Pollentier – Belgium
1977 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1976 – Francisco Galdos – Spain
1975 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1974-2 – Gonzalo Aja – Spain
1974-1 – Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Stage Finish)
1973 – Bernard Thévénet – France
1972 – Roger Swerts – Belgium
1971 – Lucien Van Impe – Belgium
1970-2 – Andres Gandarias – Spain
1970-1 – Bernard Thévenet – France (La Mongie)
1969 – Eddy Merckx – Belgium
1968 – Jean-Pierre Ducasse – France
1967 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1965 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1964 – Julio Jimenez – Spain
1964 – F Bahamontes – Spain
1963 – F Bahamontes – Spain
1963 – Raymond Poulidor – France
1962 – Federico Bahamontes – Spain
1961 – Marcel Queheille – France
1960 – Kurt Gimmi – Switzerland
1959 – Armand Desmet – Belgium
1957 – José Da Silva – Portugal
1955 – Miguel Poblet – Spain
1954 – Federico Bahamontes – Spain
1953 – Jean Robic – France
1952 – Fausto Coppi – Italy
1951 – Bim Diederich – Luxembourg
1950 – Kléber Piot – France
1949 – Fausto Coppi – Italy
1948 – Jean Robic – France
1947 – Jean Robic – France
1939 – Edward Vissers – Belgium
1938 – Gino Bartali – Italy
1937 – Julian Berrendero – Spain
1936 – Sylvère Maes – Belgium
1935 – Sylvère Maes – Belgium
1934 – René Vietto – France
1933 – Vicente Trueba – Spain
1932 – Benoit Faure – Belgium
1931 – Joseph Demuysere – Belgium
1930 – Benoit Faure – France
1929 – Victor Fontan – France
1928 – Camille Van de Casteele – Belgium
1927 – Nicolas Frantz – Luxembourg
1926 – Odiel Taillieu – Belgium
1925 – Omer Huyse – Belgium
1924 – Ottavio Bottecchia – Italy
1923 – Robert Jacquinot – France
1921 – Hector Heusghem – Belgium
1920 – Firmin Lambot – Belgium
1919 – Honoré Barthélémy – France
1914 – Firmin Lambot – Belgium
1913 – Philippe Thys – Belgium
1912 – Odiel Defraye – Belgium
1911 – Paul Duboc – France
1910 – Octave Lapize – France