Hautes-Pyrénées
Col du Tourmalet
The Tour's spiritual home in the Pyrenees. Octave Lapize crossed it in 1910 and called the organisers assassins; the Géant du Tourmalet statue at the top has watched the race climb it more than any other mountain.
Summit
2,115 m
Length
19 km (from Luz-Saint-Sauveur)
Average
7.4%
Maximum
10.2%
Category
Hors catégorie
First used
1910
Appearances
Over 90 crossings — the most used climb in Tour history
Fastest ever
The benchmark
Thibaut Pinot's 2019 summit-finish ascent
Reference ascent — timings vary with the exact start point, weather and race situation.
History
Famous moments
1910
First crossing on unpaved roads: Lapize walks, and shouts 'Vous êtes des assassins!'
1969
Merckx goes solo over the top and rides 130 km alone to Mourenx.
2010
Contador and Schleck duel to the summit in the fog.
2019
Pinot wins as France dares to dream of yellow.
Ride it yourself
Notes for cyclists
- From Sainte-Marie-de-Campan the east side is longer and more gradual; Luz is harder.
- Barèges to La Mongie is the sting: consistent 8–9%.
- Snow closes the pass into June some years.
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