Col Du Tourmalet (West Side)
Another famous Tour de France climb, the Col du Tourmalet featured in the Tour de France for the first time in 1910, and was present in the route practically every year after that. This west side starts in Luz-Saint-Saveur, a small town that also is the start of the well-known climb to Luz Ardiden and the beautiful climbs to Gavarnie and Cirque de Troumouse. Starting at little over 700 meters, in 19 kilometers you climb to an altitude of 2115 meters, making this a long and hard effort. About halfway there is some distraction as you come through the nice village of Barèges. From there it gets more rugged and the Pic du Midi comes within sight. Save something for the last kilometer, as it is the hardest part of the climb.
Region: Occitanie
City: Esterre
Distance: 23.05 km
Elevation Gain: 1377 m
Elevation Loss: 427 m
Difficulty: 1163 (Very Hard)
FIETS Index: 10.36 FIETS
Avg Grade: 7.52 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 739 m
Max elevation: 2117 m
Ride Category: Epic Climb