The Col de Portet 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

French 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. F ...

in the department of

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...

and the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. The eastern side of the pass is located in the heart of the skiing area above

Saint-Lary-Soulan Saint-Lary-Soulan (; , ) is a commune of Southwestern France, located in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitania. Geography Saint-Lary is located in Hautes-Pyrénées 80 km south of the ''départements capital Tarbes, next to the L ...

, and is the winter home of the snowpark of the resort. In summer, it is one of the gateways to the

Néouvielle massif The Néouvielle massif () is a group of mountains in the Pyrenees in France notable for its lakes and its microclimate. Much of the massif lies within the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve; this nature reserve was created in 1936 and is the thi ...

and the Pyrénées National Park for hikers.

Cycling

An attempt to reach the Col de Portet had already been considered by the city of Saint-Lary-Soulan for the

1982 Tour de France The 1982 Tour de France was the 69th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 25 July. The total race distance was 22 stages over . It was won by Bernard Hinault, his fourth victory so far. Teams In response to the finish of the ...

, after several arrivals at the Pla d'Adet ski station. Though, the planned finish was cancelled at the end of May 1982, resulting in a finish at Pla d'Adet. After a further wait of 36 years, the climb to the Col de Portet was introduced in the

2018 Tour de France The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 race stage, stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and ...

, as the finish for Stage 17. The Col was also featured in the

2021 Tour de France The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), grand tours. Originally planned for the Denmark, Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was trans ...

, again as the finish of Stage 17. Yellow jersey-holder

Tadej Pogačar Tadej Pogačar (; born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenia, Slovenian professional road bicycle racing, cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His victories include three Tour de France, Tours de France (2020 Tour de France, 2020, 2021 Tou ...

won the stage. At 13 FIETS, the Col de Portet is ranked by PJAMM Cycling as the second hardest bike climb in France, behind only the

Col de la Loze The Col de la Loze is a mountain pass in the French Alps, with an elevation of . A path up the mountain was opened in May 2019, and is the seventh-highest mountain pass in France. The ascent featured in the 2020 Tour de France, 2020 and 2023 To ...

. The Col averages an 8.6% grade for 16.1 km, ascending nearly 1,400 meters.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portet Mountain passes of Hautes-Pyrénées Mountain passes of the Pyrenees

Cycling

See also

References

External links