The Col de Menté (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 central

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. ...

in the department of

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...

in France. It is situated on the D44 road between Saint-Béat and the D618 (at the bottom of the Col de Portet d'Aspet) and connects the Ger and

Garonne The Garonne ( , ; Catalan language, Catalan, Basque language, Basque and , ; or ) is a river that flows in southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

valleys. Le Mourtis ski-station is located 1 km. south of the col. A stele in memory of Serge Lapébie (son of Guy) is situated at the summit.

Details of climb

Starting from Pont de l'Oule (east) (at the foot of the Col de Portet d'Aspet), the climb is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average gradient of 6.6%). The climb proper starts at Ger-de-Boutx, from the summit (at 7.8%), with the steepest sections being at 10.5%. Starting from Saint-Béat (west), the climb is long. Over this distance, the climb is (an average gradient of 9.1%) with several sections in excess of 11%. At the summit there is a road that loops up and over the Col de Menté-Le Mourtis (), via the ski-station, returning to the Col de Menté.

Appearances in Tour de France

The Col de Menté was first used in 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 ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

and has appeared frequently since. The leader over the summit in 1966 was Joaquim Galera. The Col has featured 20 times, including crossing the Col de Menté-Le Mourtis in 1979 and 1995.

Luis Ocaña

On stage 14 of the

1971 Tour de France The 1971 Tour de France was the 58th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The race consisted of 22 race stage, stages, including three split stages, starting in Mulhouse on 26 June and finishing at t ...

Spanish cyclist

Luis Ocaña Jesús Luis Ocaña Pernía (; 9 June 1945 – 19 May 1994) was a Spanish road bicycle racer who won the 1973 Tour de France and the 1970 Vuelta a España. During the 1971 Tour de France he launched an amazing solo breakaway that put him ...

was in the Maillot Jaune with an overall lead of 7 minutes on

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...

and they crossed the summit of the Col de Menté together in a storm, with streams of mud running across the road. Merckx, an excellent descender, attacked as he descended dangerously down the mountain road. To stay in contact with Merckx, Ocaña took risks descending. Flying through the corners, Merckx lost control and skidded into a low retaining wall at the side of the road. Ocaña trailing close behind could not avoid the fallen Merckx and fell himself. Merckx was up quickly and sped away. Ocaña struggled to release his cleats from the toe clips and was struck by the pursuing

Joop Zoetemelk Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk (; born 3 December 1946) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in Tour de F ...

. Ocaña lay on the ground screaming with pain. Help arrived quickly and Ocaña was rushed by helicopter to the hospital in St. Gaudens. He recovered from his injuries, but his 1971 Tour dreams had come to an end. The following day Merckx refused to wear the yellow jersey in order to pay tribute to Ocaña. There is now a memorial plaque at the scene of the accident on the western side of the Col de Menté (at ).

References

External links

Summary of the climb Website (French)Col de Menté on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mente Mountain passes of Haute-Garonne Mountain passes of the Pyrenees Climbs in cycle racing in France