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| Getting to the top in a rainy day |
This is the most famous climb in
cycling world. No doubt.
It is not the most difficult climb, nor
the most steep. It is not the highest. Not even has the best scenery.
Not sure other climbs have more history.
It is the combination of
it all, that makes Tourmalet so special.
Year after year Le Tour de France
pays tribute to this special climb and host hundreds of thousands
people watching cyclists struggling to get to the top
As a cycling fan,
once you get to the
top, you must make a picture beside "Le Geant du Tourmalet", the silver
statue of a cyclist (said to be Octave Lapize, first cyclist to cross
the col in 1910 Tour de France). This statue is removed during winter,
and is kept in Gedre, beside Bagneres de Bigorre. Only beginning of each
June, the giant comes back to its place, in an every time more popular
congregation of cyclists, joining the geant in its way back.
You should also stop at the mythical bar to eat something or drink a
coke, but also to watch the old pictures on the walls, the old bikes
hanging up there and smelling the cycling history. You must also
enter the souvenirs shop and buy some shirt, pin or small gadget that
after many years will make you remind you were there.
Here you can see the profile, from
both sides (Sta Marie de Campan and Luz Ardiden), and there is even a
third side, which is the “Via Fignon”, the classic ascent from
Luz that was substitued a few years ago for a wider road leading to
the Bareges Ski Station. Via Fignon is now a bit abandonned but is
still the oldest and most classic ascent from Luz St Sauveur.
The legend began very soon. In 1910,
first time that Tour de France included Tourmalet in the stages.
Octave Lapize was the first rider to cross the Col du Tourmalet,
having to walk much of the dirt road ascent. Lapize would win the
stage and later the overall GC, the Frenchman's only Tour de France
triumph. Lapize is noted for calling Tour officials "assassins"
during the stage after tackling the Tourmalet. That first stage to
use the Tourmalet, in 1910, was 326km long and also climbed the
Peyresourde (1,569m), the Aspin (1,489m), the Aubisque (1,709m) and
the Osquich (390m).
In 1913, Eugène Christophe's best
chance to win the TdF was dashed when he broke his fork on the
descent of the Tourmalet. He was leading the race by approximately 18
minutes overall when the incident occurred, but lost several hours
while he walked down the slope until he found a forge in
Sainte-Marie-de-Campan where he had to fix his fork himself due to
rules about not receiving assistance. Christophe eventually finished
seventh overall that year. You will be able to watch the plaquette in
Sainte Marie de Campan conmemorating this event.
All this stories and much more you
will be able to discover by coming with us from Barcelona. Barcelona
Tourmalet is the challenge you were waiting for.
