Col du Tourmalet
| Col du Tourmalet | |
|---|---|
 Col du Tourmalet | |
| Elevation | 2,115 m (6,939 ft) |
| Traversed by | D918 |
| Location |
Hautes-Pyrénées,  France |
| Range | Pyrenees |
| Coordinates | 42°54′29.5″N 0°8′42.4″E / 42.908194°N 0.145111°ECoordinates: 42°54′29.5″N 0°8′42.4″E / 42.908194°N 0.145111°E |
  Col du Tourmalet | |
Col du Tourmalet (2,115 m / 6,939 ft) is the highest road in the central Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in France. Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is at the foot on the eastern side and the ski station La Mongie two-thirds of the way up. The village of Barèges lies on the western side, above the town of Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Tourmalet is also a cheese made from sheep milk produced in these mountains.
Details of the climb
The western side, from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, is 19 km. long, climbing 1,404 m. at an average of 7.4% with a maximum of 10.2% near the summit. Starting from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, the climb is 17.2 km., gaining 1,268 m., at an average of 7.4% with a maximum of 10%. As with most French climbs, each kilometre is marked by the distance to the summit and the average gradient of the next kilometre.
From the pass itself a track leads to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory (2,877 m.).
Tour de France
The Col du Tourmalet is one of the most famous climbs on the Tour de France. It has been included more than any other pass, starting in 1910, when the Pyrenees were introduced. The first rider over was Octave Lapize, who went on to claim the yellow jersey in Paris. In 1913, Eugène Christophe broke his fork on the Tourmalet and repaired it himself at a forge in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan.
Up to 2012, the tour has visited the Col du Tourmalet a total of 82 times, including the uncategorised passage en route to Peyragudes on Stage 17 of the 2012 tour. The total includes two stage finishes at the summit and three at La Mongie. Since 1980 it has been ranked hors catégorie, or exceptional. The Vuelta a España has also crossed the pass several times.
The 2010 edition of the Tour included the pass on two consecutive stages, crossing westward on the 16th stage to Pau and eastward on the 17th stage with a finish at the summit.
At the col is a memorial to Jacques Goddet, director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1987, and a large statue of Octave Lapize gasping for air as he struggles to make the climb.
Origins in the Tour
The Pyrenees were included in the Tour de France at the insistence of Alphonse Steinès, a colleague of the organiser, Henri Desgrange. He told the story in a book published soon after the event.[1]
Steinès first agreed that the Tour would pay 2,000 francs to clear the Col d'Aubisque, then came back to investigate the Tourmalet. He started at Sainte-Marie-de-Campan with sausage, ham and cheese at the inn opposite the church and arranged to hire a driver called Dupont from Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Dupont and Steinès made it the first 16 km, after which their car came to a stop. Dupont and Steinès started to walk but Dupont turned back after 600m, shouting: "The bears come over from Spain when it snows." Steinès set off. He mistook voices in the darkness for thieves. They were youngsters guarding sheep with their dog. Steinès called to one.
"Son, do you know the Tourmalet well? Could you guide me? I'll give you a gold coin. When we get to the other top, I'll give you another one."
The boy joined him but then turned back.
Steinès rested on a rock. He considered sitting it out until dawn, then realised he'd freeze. He slipped on the icy road, then fell into a stream. He climbed back to the road and again fell in the snow. Exhausted and stumbling, he heard another voice.
"Tell me who goes there or I'll shoot."
"I'm a lost traveller. I've just come across the Tourmalet."
"Oh, it's you, Monsieur Steinès! We were expecting you! We got a phone call at Ste-Marie-de-Campan. Everybody's at Barèges. It's coming on for three o'clock. There are search teams of guides out looking for you."
The organising newspaper, L'Auto, had a correspondent at Barèges, a man called Lanne-Camy. He took him for a bath and provided new clothes.
Steines sent a telegram to Desgrange: "Crossed Tourmalet stop. Very good road stop. Perfectly feasible."
Tour de France stage finishes
| Year | Stage | Start of stage | Distance (km) | Category | Stage winner | Yellow jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 17 | Pau | 174 | HC |  Andy Schleck (LUX) |
 Alberto Contador (ESP) |
| 1974[2] | 17 | Saint-Lary-Soulan | 119 | 1 | Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (FRA) |
.svg.png){kind=small} Eddy Merckx (BEL) |
Other appearances in Tour de France
See also La Mongie
Meaning of "Tourmalet"
Some Frenchmen believe that Tourmalet translates into "bad trip" or "bad detour" because in French Tour translates into "trip" and mal translates into "bad" - however the correct language to translate from is Gascon, not French, because of the mountain's location in the Gascony-region and the "du" in the name, which is the Gascon pendant to the French "de". Then Tour becomes "distance", which is spelled "tur" but pronounced "tour", mal is translated into "mountain", and et becomes "the". The translation from Gascon to English then becomes "The Distance Mountain".[3]
Other events
The Col du Tourmalet features in other bicycle races, including the Vuelta a España when it has made excursions into France. It is also on the route of cyclosportive competitions. Thousands of amateur riders make the climb every year and many take documents to have rubber-stamped in the shop at the summit to show they have made it.
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
References
- ↑ Unidentified, but the story is retold in Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tour de France, Paris: La Martinière, p. 111, ISBN 2-09-286454-8.
- ↑ Video of 1974 stage finish in front of restaurant at Col du Tourmalethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHDRrUpjKm0
- ↑ Velo Peloton article about the translation
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Col du Tourmalet. |
- Profile on climbbybike.com
- Le col du Tourmalet dans le Tour de France depuis 1947 (French)
- Complete list of leaders over summit (French)
- Tourmalet website (French)
- Bagneres de Bigorre - La Mongie website (French)
- Tourmalet cheese
- The Road to Tourmalet Reconnaissance DVD by Cyclefilm
- Streetview panoramas across the Tour route
- Details of the 1910 tour
- Col du Tourmalet on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)