HOME



picture info

Col Du Tourmalet
Col du Tourmalet (; elevation ) 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. Higher roads in the Pyrenees 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), 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 and , respectively. However, these roads are not mountain passes. Departing directly from the Col du Tourmalet, there is a road to the mountain pass Col de L ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

D918
Route nationale 618 or RN 618 was a French national road linking Saint-Jean-de-Luz (on the Atlantic Ocean) to Argelès-sur-Mer (on the Mediterranean). En route it crossed many of the famous passes in the Pyrenees, immortalized by the Tour de France; hence its name was the "''Route of the Pyrénées''". In 1970, the road was down-graded and is now the RD 918 from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Arreau and the RD 618 from Arreau to Argelès Plage. Itinerary The places named in ''italic'' are mountain passes used in the Tour de France. *Saint-Jean-de-Luz *Cambo-les-Bains *Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ''Common with the former Route nationale 133, RN 133'' *Larceveau-Arros-Cibits *Mauléon-Licharre *Issor ''Common with Route nationale 134, RN 134'' *Lurbe-Saint-Christau *Arudy ''Common with the former Route nationale 134bis, RN 134BIS'' *Laruns *''Col d'Aubisque'' *''Col du Soulor'' *Arrens-Marsous *Argelès-Gazost ''Common with the former Route nationale 21, RN 21'' *Luz-Saint-Sauveur ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Gascony
Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascony. The region is vaguely defined, and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; by some they are seen to overlap, while others consider Gascony a part of Guyenne. Most definitions put Gascony east and south of Bordeaux. It is currently divided between the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (departments of Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, southwestern Gironde, and southern Lot-et-Garonne) and the region of Occitanie (departments of Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, southwestern Tarn-et-Garonne, and western Haute-Garonne). Gascony was historically inhabited by Basque-related people who appear to have spoken a language similar to Basque. The name Gascony comes from the same root as the word Basque (see Wasconia below). From the Middle Ag ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Hors Catégorie
''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the most difficult type of climb in a race. It is more demanding than a Category 1 climb which in turn is more demanding than a Category 2 climb and so on. The easiest category is Category 4. These five categories are defined by their steepness and length. In addition, their position on the route can play a role. For instance, a climb that would normally be a Category 1 climb can become a HC climb if it is the final climb of a stage. The average HC climb in the Tour de France from 2012 to 2016 is 16.1 kilometers long and has a grade of 7.4%. There are around 7 HC climbs per Tour.Analysis of categorized climbat Danskebjerge.dk/ref> History When the mountains classification in the Tour de France originated in the 1933 Tour de France, ther ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Bicycle Fork
A bicycle fork is the part of a bicycle that holds the front wheel. A fork typically consists of two ''blades'' which are joined at the top by a fork ''crown.'' The crown is often at the front. Most suspension forks have an arch connecting the two side of the lowers (the part connected to the axle.) It is often in front of the stanchions (shaft the lowers slide on) but not always. Above the crown, a ''steerer tube'' attaches the fork to the bicycle and the Bicycle handlebar, handlebars (via a Stem (bike), stem) allowing the rider to steer the bicycle. The steerer tube of the fork interfaces with the Bicycle frame, frame via Bearing (mechanical), bearings called a headset (bicycle part), headset mounted in the head tube. At the bottom of the fork, ''fork ends'' hold the wheel. Usually, either the axle is bolted to the fork, or a ''quick release skewer'' passes through a hollow axle, clamping the axle to the fork. A bicycle dropout (drop out, frame end, or fork end), is a slot in ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Eugène Christophe
Eugène Christophe (born Malakoff, Paris, France, 22 January 1885, died in Paris, 1 February 1970) was a French road bicycle racer and pioneer of cyclo-cross. He was a professional from 1904 until 1926. In 1919 he became the first rider to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France . Eugène Christophe rode 11 Tours de France and finished eight. He never won but he became famous for having to weld together his bicycle while leading. It was one of a series of events that coloured his racing career. Origins Eugène Christophe rode his first race when he was 18 and his last when he was 41 in 1926. He worked as a locksmith until racing took over his life. Tour de France The 1906 race The 1906 Tour de France was Christophe's first. He finished in ninth place behind René Pottier. The 1912 race In the 1912 Tour de France Christophe was denied victory by the system of awarding victory to the winner on points. Throughout the race he was the strongest rider, but the Belgians rode ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


General Classification In The Tour De France
The general classification of the Tour de France is the most important classification of the race and determines the winner of the race. Since 1919 Tour de France, 1919, the leader of the general classification has worn the yellow jersey ( ). History For the first two Tour de France races, the general classification standings were decided based on the lowest cumulative time. The winner of the first several Tour de France races wore a green armband instead of a yellow jersey. After the 1904 Tour de France, second Tour de France, the rules were changed, and the general classification was no longer calculated by time, but by points. This points system was kept until 1912, after which it changed back to the time classification. There is doubt over when the yellow jersey began. The Belgian rider Philippe Thys (cyclist), Philippe Thys, who won the Tour in 1913 Tour de France, 1913, 1914 Tour de France, 1914 and 1920 Tour de France, 1920, recalled in the Belgian magazine ''Champions et ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize (; 24 October 1887 – 14 July 1917) was a French professional Bicycle road racing, road racing cyclist and track cycling, track cyclist. Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France, 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 kilometres, 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels. Career In his first Tour De France in 1909, he abandoned early due to wintery conditions during the month of July, but not before he managed a Stage 2 second place behind Tour winner Francois Faber. The following year he went head-to-head with Alcyon teammate Faber who led comfortably until colliding with a dog at the foot of the Pyrenees. Lapize finally won by just 4 points helped by a number of punctures to Faber's bike on the final stage from Caen to Paris. In a total of six starts in the Tour De France between 1909 and 1914, this victo ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

1910 Tour De France
The 1910 Tour de France was the eighth edition of the Tour de France, taking place 3 to 31 July. It consisted of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 28.680 km/h. It was the first Tour to enter the Pyrenees mountains. Two main candidates for the victory were 1909 winner François Faber, a sprinter, and Octave Lapize, a climber, both members of the powerful Alcyon (cycling team), Alcyon team. Because of the points system, their chances for the overall victory were approximately equal. The race was not decided until the final stage, after which Lapize had won by a difference of only four points. Innovations and changes The courses of the Tour de France in 1907, 1908 and 1909 had been nearly identical. In 1910, the Pyrenees were included, an initiative from Adolphe Steinès, who had drawn the course for the Tour de France since the first Tour in 1903. Compared to the 1907, 1908 and 1909 Tours, the stages Nîmes-Toulouse and Toulouse-Bayonne were replaced by three stage ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Tour De France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The race was first organized in 1903 Tour de France, 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper ''L'Auto'' (which was an ancestor of ''L'Équipe'') and has been held annually since, except when it was not held from 1915 to 1918 and 1940 to 1946 due to the two World war, World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and gained more international participation. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite. Traditionally, the bulk of the race is held in July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same and includes time trials, passage through ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Jacques Goddet Memorial
Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related to the surname by the Nobility & Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. Origins The origin of this surname comes from the Latin ' Iacobus', associated with the biblical patriarch Jacob. Ancient history A French knight returning from the Crusades in the Holy Lands probably adopted the surname from "Saint Jacques" (or "James the Greater"). James the Greater was one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles, and is believed to be the first martyred apostle. Being endowed with this surname was an honor at the time and it is likely that the Church allowed it because of acts during the Crusades. Indeed, at this time, the use of biblical, Christian, or Hebrew names and surnames became very popular, and entered the European lexicon. Robert J., a Knight Crusader ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Pic Du Midi De Bigorre
The Pic du Midi de Bigorre () or simply the Pic du Midi (elevation ) is a mountain in the French Pyrenees. It is the site of the Pic du Midi Observatory. Pic du Midi Observatory The Pic du Midi Observatory () is an astronomical observatory located at 2,877 meters on top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrenees. It is part of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP) which has additional research stations in the southwestern French towns of Tarbes, Lannemezan, and Auch, as well as many partnerships in South America, Africa, and Asia, due to the guardianship it receives from the French Research Institute for Development (IRD). Construction of the observatory began in 1878 under the auspices of the Société Ramond, but by 1882 the society decided that the spiralling costs were beyond its relatively modest means, and yielded the observatory to the French state, which took it into its possession by a law of 7 August 1882. The 8 metre dome was completed in 1908, u ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Mountain Pass Cycling Milestones
Mountain pass cycling milestones are signposts that provide cyclists with information about their current position with regard to the summit of the mountain pass. They always provide information for cyclists going uphill. Sometimes the signs are two-sided, thereby providing information also for cyclists going downhill. Mountain pass cycling milestones are particularly useful to cyclists that are not familiar with the climbs. In general, they allow cyclists to schedule breaks as well as to plan food and liquid uptake. They furthermore can serve as motivational landmarks. Local institutions invest in this cycling infrastructure to offer service to cyclists, thus promoting tourism in their region. Type of information Mountain pass cycling milestones always carry a pictogram of a bicycle or cyclist and specify the following standard information * name of mountain pass * altitude * distance to summit * average slope in the following section of the pass Additional information found ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]