page_title: Col d'Aubisque
section_title: Details of the climb
hierarchical_section_title: Col d'Aubisque / Details of the climb
caption_attribution_description: English: Road from Col d'Aubisque to Soulor, Atlantic Pyrenees, France Deutsch: Corniche zwischen Col d'Aubisque und Col du Soulor, französische Pyrenäen
context_page_description: The Col d'Aubisque is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.
  The pass is on the northern slopes of the Pic de Ger and connects Laruns, in the valley of the Gave d'Ossau, via Eaux-Bonnes to Argelès-Gazost, in the valley of the Gave de Pau, via the Col du Soulor. 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, generally rated an hors catégorie climb.
context_section_description: From the west, the climb to the Aubisque starts in Laruns. From there, the Aubisque is 16.6 km (10.3 mi) and rises 1,190 m (3,900 ft), an average gradient of 7.2%. The first few kilometres, to the spa resort of Eaux-Bonnes, are fairly easy. After the Cascade de Valentin comes a section at 13%. From there to the top, the climb is 8.0 km (5.0 mi) at 8% average, passing the ski resort of Gourette at 1,400 m (4,600 ft).
  The east side is climbed after the Col du Soulor (1,474 m (4,836 ft)). Starting from Argelès-Gazost, the Soulor is 19.5 km (12.1 mi). It rises 1,019 m (3,343 ft), an average gradient of 5.2%. It gets tougher after Arrens-Marsous with 10% and more. From the Soulor, the climb is 10.6 km (6.6 mi), gaining a further 235 m (771 ft). The road from the Soulor runs along cliffs in the Cirque du Litor, where there are two short, narrow tunnels. From the Cirque du Litor, the climb is 7.5 km (4.7 mi) at 4.6%, a height gain of 350 m (1,150 ft).
  Writing in  Vélo, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle 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.
caption: The road from Col d'Aubisque to Soulor
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