The Col d'Aubisque () (elevation ) is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
in the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
south of
Tarbes
Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...
and
Pau in the department of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
, in the
Aquitaine
Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...
region of France.
[Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tour de France, La Martinière, France, p112]
The pass is on the northern slopes of the
Pic de Ger () and connects
Laruns
Laruns (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave d'Ossau and its tributary, the Valentin.
Formerly part of the province of Béar ...
, in the valley of the
Gave d'Ossau
The Gave d'Ossau () is the torrential river flowing through the Ossau Valley, one of the three main valleys of the High- Béarn ( Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France.
It is formed in Gabas from the confluence of two gaves comin ...
, via
Eaux-Bonnes
Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France.
Description
Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height ...
(west) to
Argelès-Gazost
Argelès-Gazost (; ) is a commune and a subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France.
The Pyrénées Animal Park is located in Argelès-Gazost.
Population
Climate
See also
*Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées de ...
, in the valley of the
Gave de Pau
The Gave de Pau () is a river of south-western France. It takes its name from the city of Pau, through which it flows. The river is long ( including the Gaves réunis), and although its source is considered to be on the Cirque de Gavarnie in t ...
, via the
Col du Soulor
Col du Soulor (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees in France, linking Argelès-Gazost with Arthez-d'Asson. It connects the Ouzom and Arens valleys. A road leaves the pass to the west to reach the higher Col d'Aubisque.
The road over ...
(east). The road crosses the Cirque du Litor, in the upper part of the Ouzom valley. It is generally closed from December to June.
The pass is starting point of excursions and a centre for winter sports. In summer, it is popular with cyclists. It is regularly part of the
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 ...
, generally rated an ''
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 th ...
'' climb.
The col
The summit of the col is marked by a commemorative plaque to André Bach (1888–1945), a member of
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
and President of the ''Cyclo Club of Béarn'' (C.C.B.). André Bach was mutilated during World War 1 when he lost his left arm in 1916. In 1943 he was deported to the
Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (Old Reich) territori ...
concentration camp in Germany, and he died in May 1945 at
Boulay-Moselle
Boulay-Moselle (; , Moselle Franconian: ''Bolchin'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The former commune of Halling-lès-Boulay (German: ''Hallingen'') was incorporated in the commune in January 1973.< ...
while returning home. The
stele
A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...
was inaugurated on 26 September 1948, and every year is the focus of a memorial ride.
The inscription reads:
''André Bach 1888–1945''
''Officier de la Légion d'honneur''
''Grand mutilé – Président du C.C.B. – Mort en Déportation''
''Pour perpétuer son souvenir en ce lieu qu'il aimait tant''
''Ses amis Les Cyclotouristes du C.C.B. 1948''
Details of the climb

From the west, the climb to the Aubisque starts in
Laruns
Laruns (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave d'Ossau and its tributary, the Valentin.
Formerly part of the province of Béar ...
. From there, the Aubisque is and rises , an average gradient of 7.2%. The first few kilometres, to the spa resort of
Eaux-Bonnes
Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France.
Description
Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height ...
, are fairly easy. After the Cascade de Valentin comes a section at 13%. From there to the top, the climb is at 8% average, passing the ski resort of
Gourette
Gourette (; Béarnese: ''Goreta'') is a winter sports resort in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine on the D 918 road which passes th ...
at .
The east side is climbed after the
Col du Soulor
Col du Soulor (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees in France, linking Argelès-Gazost with Arthez-d'Asson. It connects the Ouzom and Arens valleys. A road leaves the pass to the west to reach the higher Col d'Aubisque.
The road over ...
(). Starting from
Argelès-Gazost
Argelès-Gazost (; ) is a commune and a subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France.
The Pyrénées Animal Park is located in Argelès-Gazost.
Population
Climate
See also
*Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées de ...
, the Soulor is . It rises , an average gradient of 5.2%. It gets tougher after
Arrens-Marsous
Arrens-Marsous (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. It was created in 1973 by the merger of two former communes: Arrens and Marsous.Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle
Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (born 25 August 1954) is a former French professional road racing cyclist who was a specialist at one-day classic cycling races. He raced from 1977 to 1995, one of the best French riders of a generation that included Bern ...
said:
The Aubisque is one of those ''hors catégorie'' cols that make the legend of the Tour. The climb is in three parts. The first is fairly easy. The road is good and the specialists use 39 × 19 or 53 × 21. Then, at Eaux-Bonnes, you turn left and get to the real climb. This part, as far as Gourette, is a lot more difficult. The hardest part swings between eight and ten per cent from the seventh kilometre until Pont-du-Goua at the ninth kilometre and you need 39 × 21. Then, after 300m of flat in Gourette, a hairpin goes up to the Hôtel des Crêtes Blanches. Riders use 39 × 17 over four kilometres before going into 39 × 16 in the last two kilometres.
Tour de France

The Col d'Aubisque appeared in the Tour de France in
1910
Events
January
* January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military.
* January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...
, crossed by
François Lafourcade
François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis.
People with the given name
* François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter
* François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...
. It has appeared frequently since then, more than once every two years. It was included at the insistence of Alphone Steinès, a colleague of
Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange (; 31 January 1865 – 16 August 1940) was a French cycle sport, bicycle racer and Sports journalism, sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of on 11 May 1893. He was the first o ...
at the Tour de France. Steinès visited the man responsible for local roads, the ''ingénieur des ponts-et-chaussées'', who said: "Take the riders up the Aubisque? You're completely crazy in Paris."
Steinès agreed that the Tour would pay 5,000 francs to clear the pass. Desgrange knocked the price down to 2,000.
In
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
,
Wim van Est
Willem "Wim" van Est (25 March 1923 – 1 May 2003) was a Dutch racing cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the Tour de France of 1951, and for falling in ...
was in the
yellow jersey
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, the leader of the general classification has worn the yellow jersey ( ).
History
For the first t ...
– the first Dutchman to wear it
[Vélo, France, April 2005] and chasing the leaders towards the Soulor when he slipped on gravel and fell into a ravine. He said:
:That first bend was wet, slippery from the snow. And there were sharp stones on the road that the cars had kicked up, and my front wheel hit them and I went over. Well, there was a drop of 20m. They've built a barrier there now but then there was nothing to stop you going over. I fell 20 metres, rolling and rolling and rolling. My feet had come out of the straps, my bike had disappeared, and there was a little flat area, the only one that's there, no bigger than the seat of a chair, and I landed on my backside. A metre left or right and I'd have dropped onto solid stone, six or seven hundred metres down. My ankles were all hurt, my elbows were ''kaput''. I was all bruised and shaken up and I didn't know where I was, but nothing was broken.
The team's manager, Kees Pellenaars, took a tow rope from the Dutch team's car. It was too short to reach van Est and so to it he tied 40 racing tyres, and thus he was pulled out. Van Est said: "It was all the tyres that Pellenaars had for the team. By the time they'd tugged me up, they were all stretched and they wouldn't stay on the wheels any more! Forty tyres! I wanted to get back on my bike and start racing again. But I couldn't. Pellenaars stopped the whole team."
Van Est told journalists: "I had the feeling that I was taking that bend badly but I so much wanted to keep the yellow jersey, so I went flat out and off I flew.
A monument spot 50 years later, on 17 July 2001, says: "Here on 17 July 1951 the cyclist Wim van Est fell 70 metres. He survived but lost the yellow jersey."
A newspaper advertisement in the Netherlands showed van Est displaying the watch that he'd worn, with the legend: "My heart stopped, but not my Pontiac."
Tour de France stage finishes
Stage 16 of the
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of Tour de France, the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and ...
finished at the summit of the Aubisque. There has been one previous finish at the summit (in 1985). In
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
, stage 16a finished at
Gourette
Gourette (; Béarnese: ''Goreta'') is a winter sports resort in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine on the D 918 road which passes th ...
on the western approaches to Aubisque.
Rasmussen won stage 16 in
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, confirming himself as favourite for victory in Paris, but that evening was sacked by his team and thrown off the race.
Passages in the Tour de France (since 1947)
There have been 47 passages over the summit since 1947, making it the second most visited mountain in the race's history.
[
]
Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España stage finishes
Stage 14 of the 2016 Vuelta a España
The 2016 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain between 20 August and 11 September 2016. The race was the 71st edition of the Vuelta a España and the final Grand Tour of the ...
finished at the summit of the Aubisque.
See also
* Souvenir Henri Desgrange
The Souvenir Henri Desgrange is an award and cash prize given in the yearly running of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. It is won by the rider that crosses a particular point in the race, mostly the summits of the highest ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Aubisque bicycle climb description excerpt from "Best Cycling Routes of the Pyrenees"
Cycling Col d'Ausbique and the History of the Tour de France
photos, video and report.
Complete list of Tour de France appearances
Col d'Aubisque on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aubisque
Mountain passes of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Mountain passes of the Pyrenees
Climbs in cycle racing in France