Col du Tourmalet

Where it is

The Tourmalet is the highest paved pass in the French Pyrenees and connects the Vallée des Gaves to the Vallée de Campan via the ski station of La Mongie on the east side and Barèges on the west. The figures here are the west side from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the classic Tour de France approach.

What makes it iconic

The Tourmalet has appeared in the Tour de France over 90 times - more than any other climb. Octave Lapize was the first rider to cross it in 1910, famously yelling "assassins!" at the race organisers. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet, awarded to the first rider over the summit on Tour days, is part of the lore.

The west side climbs at a steady 7 to 8 percent for almost the entire 19 km. There are no major flat sections, no bonus respites - you climb, and you keep climbing. The last four kilometres above Barèges are the hardest, with gradients that touch 10 percent as the road switches above the tree line.

Race history

Beyond its Tour de France role, the Tourmalet has featured in every modern Vuelta a España route that visits the Pyrenees. The 2010 mountain top finish, won by Andy Schleck with Contador on his wheel in the rain, is the most celebrated of the modern era.

Pacing

The Luz side rewards patience. The middle six kilometres lull you with a slightly easier grade - riders who push there pay for it on the final ramps. Stay seated, keep cadence above 80, and treat the climb as a discipline test.

Practical notes

Open mid-May to October. Statue of Octave Lapize at the summit; café for refuelling. The descent toward La Mongie is fast and exposed; the Barèges side is more technical with several blind hairpins.