Barcelona Tourmalet 2018 edition

Col du Tourmalet, the highlight of every trip!

Overall route

This is an amazing cycling trip along the Pyrenees, from 2018 June 30th to July 6th.

The challenge is reaching the most famous climb in the cycling world (Col du Tourmalet) from one of the the most beautiful cities all over Europe, Barcelona. On the way, you will get to know some of the big climbs in the Pyrenees, reaching over 2000 mts. Port de la Bonaigua, Col du Portillon, Col de Peyresourde, Val Louron-Azet, etc.

Our trip includes 8 nights at cozy hotels in the Pyrenees (dinner included), 7 cycling stages, cycling guide, supporting van, luggage transportation... You don't have to worry about anything but cycling and enjoying the landscapes!

More information here: https://roadcycling.barcelona/tours/barcelona-tourmalet/

 Stage 1. From Barcelona to Montseny mountains. Our guide will help you to get out of Barcelona and you will start with some climbing close to Barcelona. The amazing hotel you will be sleeping  is located half way the first big climb of the trip. Nice, solitaire, amazing spot and views...

Stage 2. Montseny to Joanetes. Great stage, with the amazing Coll Formic (1145 mts) at the start, then the passage through the Sau reservoir and the tiny road (with no traffic at all) to Coll de Condreu and possibly the approach to Sanctuary del Far, with amazing views. End in a cozy farmhouse with swimming pool. You will be at mum's house.

Stage 3. Joanetes to Puigcerdà. This is a tough start with Coll de Canes and then a long approach to Coll de la Creueta, to almost 2000 mts, great climb! The descent via Collada de Toses is a real pleasure on a very wide road with stunning views. Puigcerdà is the main city in La Cerdanya region, a wealthy town very know for skiers and mountain lovers. We are in the border with France.

Stage 4. From Puigcerdà to Rialp. The main climb of the day is Coll de Cantó, a true first category climb, with some very steep parts. On the other side, wide road, perfect surface, time to enjoy on the downhill and then sleep at Rialp.

 Stage 5. From Rialp to Bagneres de Luchon. This is really high mountain. Port de la Bonaigua is one of the classic climbs in the Pyrenees, reaching over 2000 mts. With a ski resort at the top, Bonaigua is the first road to be closed for snow in winter and the last one to be open in spring. Amazing lanscape. On arrival to Bagneres de Luchon, the strongest riders may climb to Superbagneres, a true hors category climb included in Tour de France several times.

Stage 6. From Bagneres de Luchon to Campan. The classic approach to Tourmalet would be climbing Peyresourde and Aspin. Our stage is a bit longer including Peyresourde, also Val Louron-Azet (the climb where Miguel Indurain started to win the 1991 Tour de France) and finally the very nice and solitaire Hourquette d'Ancizan instead of the more known Col d'Aspin.

Stage 7. Campan to Col du Tourmalet. Today is about enjoying Tourmalet. The idea is you to climb from both sides. Climb from Sta Marie de Campan, descent to Luz St Sauveur and then climbing again from that side (ideally the old road via Fignon). The main thing is enjoying the bar and the souvenir shop at the top. If weather conditions are poor then climbing from Sta Marie de Campan will be enough!

We take care about logistics, you just have to enjoy

Our van will transport your luggage and will bring some drink and food

In our Barcelona-Tourmalet trip you just have to focus on cycling. Do not worry about any other things. We take care of your luggage, which you will find at the destination hotel. We will have some drink and food at the top of the climbs. And we will also be around in case of any flat or mechanical problem. You will have the map and tracks (if you bring you gps device) andnavigating won't be a problem. When in doubt you just have to get the steeper road up!

Barcelona Tourmalet 2017, dates confirmed!!

Le Geant du Tourmalet, our goal!!

 After a successful trip on 2016 we want to share our Barcelona Tourmalet trip with more friends, and we have already the dates for 2017 edition, it will be from July 15th to July 21st. Meeting place will be Barcelona, as usual on July 14th, and transportation back to Barcelona will be on saturday July 22nd.

This is the beginning of the final climb, time to enjoy!!!

Let us share with you our customers reviews, so you can figure out how was last year trip!:
"This was a fully supported trip and Montefusco Cycling organised everything for me including hire of an excellent Orbea bike, all accommodation and meals and support on the ride such as water, food and spare parts. The distance was around 100km per day with a lot of climbing, so it was a tough ride. Claudio and Macià looked after us all the way with one driving the van and one riding with us. Right from the start I knew I had made the right decision as Claudio just went out of his way to make everything work, from organising storage of my luggage in Barcelona to picking me up from the train station before I had the bike for transport. We were all very happy with the standard of the hotels and the standard of the food. In 7 days, eight people (plus Claudio and Macià) who were initially strangers, became good friends. If I return to Barcelona I would certainly look up Claudio and Montefusco Cycling again."

If you ever were at Tourmalet you will know this place...

We finished successfully our Barcelona Tourmalet 2016

We got it!!

Just a few days ago we finished our trip from Barcelona to Col du Tourmalet. Such a great experience. We won't forget it. The climbs and landscapes were amazing, the route was sometimes tough, but the best of all was sharing all this trip with our customers, who became our friends. We are so proud of helping you to achieve this challenge!!
We are already planning 2017 trip, next July, will you join us??
Picture by Sergi Ros de Mora www.rosdemora.com

Monument dedicated to Eugene Cristophe at Ste Marie de Campan

Statue dedicated to Eugene Cristophe

Plaque dedicated to Eugene Cristophe

1906 was the first time that Tour de France climbed to Tourmalet and 1913 edition entered in history as the one in which the leader Eugène Cristophe, the (stage from Luchon to Bayonne, 326 km!), was escaped on the climb to the Tourmalet, with more than 5 minutes of advantage over pursuers. on the way down, after a crash, he had to walk for 14 kilometers (some sections on the road, and occasionally cutting off-road) to Santa Marie de Campan to find a blacksmith where to repair the broken fork to be able to continue. By that time, the organisation did not allow the mechanical assistance or replacement of components. The entire operation of slab fork was made under the supervision of Henry Desgrange, the director of the Tour de france, which came to punish him with 10 minutes by asking a boy who assist him to stoke the fire of the forge. Cristophe, all courage, did not give up and came to the end of the stage.

In the year 2003, in the edition of the centenary of the Tour, was a plaque to remember the events that took place in 1913. As the plaque says: "on the occasion of the centenary of the Tour de France, tribute is paid to Eugène Cristophe which during the 1913 Tour repaired the fork of his bike in this forge of Sainte Marie de Campan. Eugène Cristophe, leader, lost here any chance of victory, but gave a formidable lesson of courage and tenacity. The Tour de France recalls with respect this exemplary behavior. 21 July 2003 ".

 

The place where Cristophe fixed his fork

Lately (July 2014), Ste Marie de Campan has a statue dedicated to Eugene Cristophe. Worth a stop and a picture to show respect to one of the pioneers of modern cycling!

Some news about Col du Portillon

A picture there is a must!

Today we learnt that we have some news about Col du Portillon, which we will cross in our trip towards Tourmalet. The "Conselh Generau d’Aran " installed a monolith at the viewpoint on top of Col du Portillon with the names of the seven spaniards having won Tour de France. In addition, each one of them will feature a milestone in each of seven major curves the Portillon aranese side, with their name and the date in which they proclaimed winners of the Tour.
We love this kind of memorials. A picture beside it, thumbs up, is a must!!

Some hidden villages, amazing places on the way to Tourmalet.

Our trip from Barcelona to Col du Tourmalet is not just climbing some of the most important mountains in the Pyrenees. It is also about discovering hidden places beside some solitaire roads which we suggest to ride.

Second stage from Viladrau to Ripoll includes some surprises, hidden places which you will be amazed to discover. One of them is Pantà de Sau (Sau Reservoir). This dam was completed in 1962 creating a reservoir with a storage capacity of 151.3 hm³ that covered the former town of Sant Romà de Sau. The Church of Sant Romà is still visible when the water level is low.

Pantà de Sau

Rupit is a small village lost in the catalan mountains. This village, normally named together with another nice tiny village nearby (Rupit i Pruit) looks like a fairy tale village, in which time stopped years ago... Worth a visit, worth a stop...

Rupit, a fairy tale village

First stage, first big climb: Coll Formic (1145 m)

Coll Formic 1145 meters

This will be the first real climb in the first stage leading to Viladrau from Barcelona.
Coll Formic is an iconic climb in Montseny range of mountains. Pretty close to Barcelona, the highest point in Montseny mountain is Turó de l'Home at 1700 meters. But the nicest road of Montseny is Coll Formic, no doubt. Nice, sunny, solitaire, you can cycle and get to the top (1145 meters) all year long, even in the coldest days in winter.

Coll Formic profile, not too steep...

Amazing views, solitaire road

This is a very popular road for all Barcelona cyclists. Way and back from Barcelona is a 140 km route, really demanding, but doable.
During our tour we will climb some of the most famous climbs in all of Pyrenees, but Coll Formic is really worth.  Such a nice beginning for a route like Barcelona-Tourmalet!

At the top!

Amazing unknown climbs on the way to Tourmalet: Coll de la Creueta

Tiny cyclist in the mountains

We all know the famous climbs in the Pyrenees. Specially the french ones, as we watch professional cyclists climbing them every summer on TV in the Tour de France: Aspin, Peyresourde, Superbagneres, Tourmalet. Amazing, nice, famous climbs.

But Pyrenees are much more than those very known roads. In our trip from Barcelona to Col du Tourmalet you will get to know some climbs which, if included in any grand Tour, would look as spectacular as the others! Silent mountain roads, steep ones, cold at the top, over 2000 mts. What else can you expect of a mountain road?

Trees, cows, bicycles...

Let me introduce you Coll de la Creueta. A mangificient ascent. Reaching almost 2000 mts (exactly 1916 mts). Over 1000 mts climbing. Amazing, tough, great views. Half way the mountain pass we will find the nice a touristic village of Castellar de N'Hug, famous for having nearby the source of river Llobregat.

Coll de la Creueta has been included in Vuelta Ciclista a España years 1982, 1983, 1998, 2000, 2001, and also in some minor spanish races as Volta a Catalunya 1981, 1997, 1999, 2014, and Setmana Catalana in 1981.

Our hotel choice, another reason to join us in this amazing trip

This is the hotel you will be staying in Viladrau

We are proud to say that our trips are much more than a cycling experience.

There is an extended opinion that most of cyclists just need a very basic hotel for their cycling trips. But the hotels we collaborate with, are not basic hotels. Nothing to do with that.

Our hotel in Barcelona!

In this trip from Barcelona to Col du Tourmalet we are proud of colaborating with the best hotels in the area. They are not basic hotels, definitely. They are hotels which you will enjoy your stay the same (o more) as your cycling trip. Once you get to your destination point you will be able to relax in a centric hotel (where possible!), with spa facilities, massage, etc. Food is obviously another key factor in our hotel selection. Long and tough stages need also some good food in the evening!

Our experience during many years of cycling means a deep knowledge of geography and supernice hidden hotels and special places to be. Old farmhouses converted into guest trendy houses, historic buildings with large luxury rooms, ancient hotsprings become spa resorts.

Our cycling trips are not only cycling trips.

Port d'Envalira, 2408 mts

Road signal at the top of Port d'Envalira

One of the highlights of our adventure will be for sure the highest paved col in the Pyrenees: Port d'Envalira, at 2408 mts. Furthermore, this climb is in next Tour de France route! Stage 10th from Andorra to Revel, on July 12th.

Attention, being the highest paved col in the Pyrenees, Envalira is much higher than other much more known climbs in Pyrenees as Col du Tourmalet (2115 mts) or Aubisque (just 1709 mts).

Probably this is not the nicest climb in the Pyrenees, but you don't reach 2408 mts height every day! The climb from Ax Les Termes is incredibly long, 35 km climbing! In our way to Envalira, our route comes from col du Puymorens, This way, we get the Port d'Envalira road when just 10 kilometers left to the top. Nevertheless, you will climb Puymorens before...

The side from Andorra which we will descend, looks like a highway. Many km with 3 lanes. Probably you can get your speed record upon a bike in this descent!

High mountains deserve a lot of respect. Reaching 2408 meters can mean very bad weather even in summer. Snow and cold can happen easily. Watching weather forecast before climbing is a must!

Big professional Tours crossed this iconic climb in their routes for several years.

Envalira stage in Tour 1997, that one was won by a certain Ullrich

Envalira appeard for the  first time in Tour de France 1964, and it was a very special appearence as the leader Jacques Anquetil suffered one of his worst days on a bike...
Tour de France crossed again Envalira in 1968, 1974, 1993, 1997 (see attached profile) and 2009. Also Vuelta a España got Port d'Envalira in 2001 and 2003 (stage finish with a certain Valverde as the winner). Even Volta a Catalunya professional race got Envalira in 1974 and 2000.

Port d'Envalira is also part of a very old and known cyclosportive in Catalonia: Ruta de les 3 Nacions, which is held from Puigcerdà. As stating the very name, the route crosses 3 Nations: Spain, Andorra and France. In a perfect 145 km loop from Puigcerdà the route leads to La Seu d'Urgell, Andorra, then climbing Envalira from Andorra, towards Pas de la Casa and Col du Puymorens, before descending to Bourg Madame and Puigcerdà again. Very nice loop!

From Barcelona to Col du Tourmalet

The restaurant at the top

In 2021 we will repeat the adventure that will lead us to Col du Tourmalet in 7 days from Barcelona, after climbing many of the main climbs in the Pyrenees.

Dates for next summer are:
Arrival to Barcelona: friday July 15th
First stage Barcelona-Viladrau saturday July 16th
Last stage Bagneres de Luchon-Tourmalet friday July 22nd
Transportation back to Barcelona: saturday July 23rd

This tour is already confirmed, as we have minimum registrations garanteed. Few places still available.

Do not miss this opportunity and join us!

Ready to begin in Sainte Marie de Campan

Climb to Port de la Bonaigua, 2072 mts

The summit. La Bonaigua 2072 meters

Climb to port de la Bonaigua is one of the toughest moments in our Challenge. This is a long climb, over 2000 mts. We will be sleeping in Esterri d'Aneu, just at the foot of the climb, so no warming up! Directly to conquer one of the highest and toughest cols in the Pyrenees, often with headwind blowing. Once we get to the summit, we will descend towards Viella and Vall d'Aran, to begin the second col of the day, Col de Portillon.

Climb to Port de la Bonaigua from Esterri d'Aneu

Nice loops climbing La Bonaigua

Tough climb, indeed!

Are you a die-hard road cyclist?

Superbagneres

Our challenge is arriving from Barcelona city to Tourmalet. A good training is needed, no doubt. Not everyone is able to do that. But most average well trained cyclists will be able to succeed.
But maybe you are a die-hard cyclist and want to ride more kilometers?
Don't worry! Being at the Pyrenees you will be able to make some extra kilometers.
We know every road and every climb nearby.

An easy chance. In sixth stage, if after Coll de la Bonaigua and Portillon, we will get to Bagneres de Luchon. End of stage. Deserved rest for everyone, but if someone is still willing to do some extra climb, then let's go for Superbagneres, 19 km to reach 1.800 meters height.

One of the big and nicest climbs in the Pyrenees. Once at the top you will be able to get to the Grand Hotel.

Grand Hotel de la Compagnie du Midi a Superbagneres

Le géant du Tourmalet

Le géant du Tourmalet

Cycling history is written year after year in Col du Tourmalet.
The Col du Tourmalet is the most utilized of any peak in the Tour with 76 appearances thus far.
Last years' first riders at the top were french Jeremy Roy (2011), Thomas Voeckler (2012) and Biel Kadri (2014). 2014 Tourmalet stage was won by Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali at the top of Hautacam.

With 2115 meters, Col du Tourmalet is the highest road in the central Pyrenees. Not the highest in whole Pyrenees, as this honour goes to Port d'Envalira, with 2407 meters.
Here you have 30 facts about Col du Tourmalet.

9 days, 8 nights, 7 stages

Do you want to write your own history in Col du Tourmalet? Come and join us.

Col de Tourmalet, the challenge

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.