Col du Tourmalet, France
Col du Tourmalet, France
The Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees has featured in the Tour de France more than any other climb – having been scaled on 82 separate occassions – and is near the top of the hit list for many amateur cyclists as a result.
The Tourmalet can be climbed from the east and the west. While the western approach is longer (19km) and has a steeper average gradient (7.4%), the eastern climb, part of the 2014 Etape du Tour route, starts shallow and then continuously flirts with gradients of 10% over the final ten kilometres.
Either way, both ascents wind their way up the side of the mountain, with very few hairpins and, having completed the climb, that makes for a fast and exhilarating descent as ample reward for your earlier efforts.
Vital statistics
Length: 16.5km
Average gradient: 7%
Start elevation: 874m
End elevation: 2,085m