The Col de Portet is a
mountain pass in the
French Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
in the
department of
Hautes-Pyrénées and the
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
. The eastern side of the pass is located in the heart of the skiing area above
Saint-Lary-Soulan
Saint-Lary-Soulan (; oc, Sent Lari e Sola) is a commune of Southwestern France, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, Occitania.
Geography
Saint-Lary is located in Hautes-Pyrénées 80 km south of the ''départements capital Tarb ...
, and is the winter home of the snowpark of the resort. In summer, it is one of the gateways to the
Néouvielle massif 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, after several arrivals at the
Pla d'Adet
Pla d'Adet or Saint-Lary 1700 is a ski resort in the French Pyrenees, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, and the region Midi-Pyrénées. The resort is situated above the village of Saint-Lary-Soulan, at an altitude of . The climb to the sk ...
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 Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and concluding on 29 July with the ...
, 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 tours. Originally planned for the Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was transferred to Brest because of th ...
, again as the finish of
Stage 17. Yellow jersey-holder
Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar (; born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenian cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Tour de France, winning three different jerseys during each Tour, a feat unseen in nearly four deca ...
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 averages an 8.6% grade for 16.1 km, ascending nearly 1,400 meters.
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 a ...
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portet
Mountain passes of Hautes-Pyrénées
Mountain passes of the Pyrenees