Col d’Aubisque and Col du Soulor
Featured over sixty times in ’Tour de France’ (first appearance in 1910) legendary Col d’Aubisque is the most beautiful and the most inhospitable climb in the Pyrenees. Unlike Tourmalet and the other notorious climbs in this part of the Pyrenees, such as Luz Ardiden and Hautacam, the Aubisque is rarely a decisive part of the Tour de France route. As of 2013, there have been only two stage finishes at the top of the Aubisque, 1971 and 2007. In 1910 Tour boss Henri Desgrange was badgered by assistant Alphonse Steinès into sending the Tour de France over high mountains for the first time. The centerpiece of this climbing revolution would be a day in the Pyrenees that would include ascents of the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque and Osquich. Journalists who doubted the riders could perform the inhuman task labeled the day’s 326 km stage the "circle of death". Octave Lapize won the stage but as he walked his bike up the Aubisque he called the Tour officials "murderers" [Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!] for inflicting such an arduous race on the riders. Since that day the Col d’Aubisque has become a regular part of the Tour de France. Only the Tourmalet has been climbed more often.
Region: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
City: Laruns
Distance: 26.72 km
Elevation Gain: 1294 m
Elevation Loss: 377 m
Difficulty: 1070 (Hard)
FIETS Index: 8.3 FIETS
Avg Grade: 7.04 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 531 m
Max elevation: 1709 m
Ride Category: Epic Climb