Col du Tourmalet: Difference between revisions

| location = [[Hautes-Pyrénées]], [[France]]

'''Col du Tourmalet''' ({{IPA-|fr|tuʁmalɛ|pron}}; elevation {{convert|2115|m|ft|abbr=on}}) is one of the highest paved [[mountain passes]] in the French [[Pyrenees]], in the department of [[Hautes-Pyrénées]]. [[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]].

The Col du Tourmalet is the highest ''paved mountain pass'' in the ''French'' Pyrenees second only to the [[Col de Portet]]. So in contrast to frequent claims (see for example<ref>{{cite web|title=Roaming The Google Streets: Col du Tourmalet -– Highest Point in Tour de France|url=http://roamingthegooglestreets.blogspot.fr/2011/02/col-du-tourmalet-highest-point-in-tour.html|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cycling The French Pyrenees (Col du Tourmalet and Luz-Ardiden)|url=http://www.steephill.tv/galleries/2005/high-pyrenees/|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref> ), it is neither the highest paved road in the Pyrenees nor the highest paved mountain pass in the Pyrenees. Paved roads leading to the mountain lakes [[Lac de Cap-de-Long]] and [[Lac d'Aumar]] in the same French Department [[Hautes-Pyrénées]] are higher, as these lakes are at altitudes of {{convert|2161|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert|2192|m|ft|abbr=on}}, respectively.<ref>Topographic map published by [[Institut géographique national|IGN]] Number 1748 ET, Scale 1:25 000.</ref> However, these roads are not mountain passes. Departing directly from the Col du Tourmalet, there is a road to the mountain pass [[Col de Laquets]] with an altitude of {{convert|2637|m|abbr=on}}<ref>Topographic map published by [[Institut géographique national|IGN]] Number 1747 ET, Scale 1:25 000.</ref> However, this road is not paved. Finally, the highest paved mountain pass in the Pyrenees is the [[Port d'Envalira]] in [[Andorra]] with its altitude of {{convert|2407|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

Some Frenchmen believe that ''Tourmalet'' translates into "bad trip" or "bad detour" because in [[French language|French]] ''Tour'' translates into "trip" and ''mal'' translates into "bad"; however, the correct language to translate from is [[Gascon language|Gascon]], not French, because of the mountain's location in the [[Gascony]] region. Then ''Tour'' becomes "distance", which is spelled "tur" but pronounced "tour" and ''mal'' is translated into "mountain". The translation from Gascon to English then becomes "Distance Mountain".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.velopeloton.com/col-du-tourmalet-meaning/ |title=Velo Peloton article about the translation |access-date=2011-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311152734/http://velopeloton.com/col-du-tourmalet-meaning |archive-date=2016-03-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The western side,<ref name="Cycling Cols">{{cite web |url=https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Tourmalet|title=CyclingCols – Col du Tourmalet}}</ref> from [[Luz-Saint-Sauveur]], is {{convert|19.0|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, climbing {{convert|1404|m|ft|abbr=on}} at an average of 7.4% with a maximum of 10.2% near the summit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Col du Tourmalet -– Climbbybike.com|url=http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Col-du-Tourmalet&qryMountainID=26 |publisher=www.climbybike.com|access-date=25 August 2014}}</ref> Starting from [[Sainte-Marie-de-Campan]], the eastern climb is {{convert|17.2|km|mi|abbr=on}}, gaining {{convert|1268|m|ft|abbr=on}}, at an average of 7.4% with a maximum of 12%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Col du Tourmalet -– Climbbybike.com|url=http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Col-du-Tourmalet&qryMountainID=25|publisher=www.climbybike.com|access-date=25 August 2014}}</ref> As with most French climbs, each kilometre [[mountain pass cycling milestones]] indicate the height of the summit, the distance to the summit, and the average gradient of the next kilometre. According to PJAMM Cycling's ranking system, the east side is the 24th hardest bike climb in France, and the west is ranked 26th.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=John |title=France's Hardest Bike Climbs |url=https://pjammcycling.com/zone/61.France |website=PJAMMCycling.com |publisher=PJAMM Cycling |access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>

At the col is a memorial to [[Jacques Goddet]], director of the [[Tour de France]] from 1936 to 1987, and a [[The Giant of Tourmalet|large statue]] of [[Octave Lapize]] gasping for air as he struggles to make the climb. The [[Souvenir Jacques Goddet]] prize is awarded for the first rider to cross the Col du Tourmalet summit.

|align=left|{{Flagathlete |[[Philippe Thys (cyclist)|Philippe Thys]] |BEL}}

|align=left|{{Flagathlete |[[RafalRafał Majka]]|POL}}

|align=left|{{Flagathlete flagathlete|[[ThibautPierre PinotLatour]]|FRA}}

{{Reflistreflist}}

{{Commons category|Tourmalet|Col du Tourmalet}}

* [http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/eta_tdf/Tourmalet.php Complete list of leaders over summit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114054108/http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/eta_tdf/Tourmalet.php |date=2014-01-14 }} {{in lang|fr}}

* [https://archive.today/20131009032116/http://goo.gl/maps/x7yvx Col du Tourmalet on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)]

[[Category:Transport in OccitanieOccitania (administrative region)]]