DIFFICULTY: Black

DISTANCE: 132 km

CLIMB: +2940 m

TIME: 5:30h-8:30h h

WITH MUD: Feasible

MARKINGS: No

AREA: Francia

EXIT: Saint Lary Soulan

ARRIVAL: Saint Lary Soulan

VARIATIONS:

DESCRIPTION

A very tough route that could very well be a decisive stage of the Tour de France, in which we’ll be linking 3 bicharracs without interruption, all of them great classics of the Tour and signposted for cyclists.

The first part of the proposed route is very bearable, and we have tried to take the flatter roads thinking about what comes next, but there are several options to get to Saint Bertrand de Commingues, a beautiful village that deserves a stop, especially to admire its splendid cathedral.

From here the road starts to climb gently up to Mauléon-Barousse, where the Balés pass begins, an endless climb first through dense forests and then through high pastures and meadows. It is precisely this part that concentrates the hardest part, with a very demanding final 6km.

Just after finishing the descent we take the Peyresourde on its most scenic side, with some final kilometres of wide horseshoes between green pastures. Almost 10km at over 7% where Froome almost lost the 2017 Tour.

And to finish, Val Louron-Azet, the pass where Indurain started to win his first Tour, back in July 1991. It is not very long but has several sections above 10% and with all the accumulated fatigue it can become interminable.

There are few fountains and bars, so take water with you.

If we want to take it easy, once we have descended Peyresourde we can head towards Arreau and then Saint Larý, to avoid the final pass, or we can do the variant, much shorter, which omits the Port de Balés and all the flat detour beforehand.

TERRAIN

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From May to October