Pic de Midi is 39km from Saint Savin. From Saint Savin you have 3km down hill, then 12km at an average of 2% to Luz Saint Sauveur from where the climb officially starts. From there it is 24 km to the summit at 7.9% to an altitude of 2636m. From the Col de Tourmalet there is 5.5km at 9.4 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 25 euro.
Pic du Midi in December 2009.
Google Map showing 39km route from Saint Savin to Pic de Midi. Download KML file here.
Google earth route from Luz Saint Sauveur to the Pic de Midi.
Google map showing route to Pic de Midi
Video of some Spanish riders cycling up to the Pic de Midi. It will give you an idea of what the Tourmalet was like in 1910 when Octave Lapize became the first cyclist to cross the Col de Tourmalet.
3D route from the Tourmalet to the Pic de Midi.
The cable car from Le Mongie arriving at the summit. The Tourmalet is in the back ground. Photo taken end of July 2007.
TV transmitter on the summit of the Pic de Midi
Pic de Midi 6km from the Tourmalet summit.
View from Pic de Midi over the central Pyrenees, the border with Spain runs along the ridge on the horizon. Photo taken end of July 2007.
