Col du Tourmalet
| Col du Tourmalet |
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Col du Tourmalet (el. 2114 m./6935 ft.) is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in France.
The ski station La Mongie is located on the eastern side of Col du Tourmalet, and the village of Luz-Saint-Sauveur is at the bottom of the western side.
Tourmalet is also the name of a cheese made from sheep's milk produced in these mountains.
White-winged Snowfinches nest in the ski towers at the Col.
Details of the climb
The western side of the climb, starting from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, is 19 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1404 m. (an average percentage of 7.4%) with a maximum gradient of 10.2% near the summit.
Starting from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, the climb is 17.2 km long gaining 1268 m. (an average percentage of 7.4%) with a maximum gradient of 10.0%.
Tour de France
Col du Tourmalet is one of the most famous of the mountain climbs on the Tour de France bicycle race. The Tourmalet has been included more often than any other mountain pass, starting in 1910, when the Pyrenees were introduced in the race. The first rider over the summit was Octave Lapize, who went on to claim the yellow jersey in Paris.
Since 1947, the tour has crossed the summit 47 times, plus a stage finish at the summit in 1974. There have also been three stage finishes at La Mongie.
At the top of the Col du Tourmalet, there is a memorial to Jacques Goddet, director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1987.
Appearances in Tour de France (since 1947)
Tour de France stage finishes
| Year | Stage | Category | Stage winner | Yellow jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 17 | 1 | Jean-Pierre Danguillaume | Eddy Merckx |
See also La Mongie