Col de Peyresourde

The most accessible of the Pyrenean grand cols and the ideal introduction to high-altitude cycling in the range. The eastern ascent from Bagnères-de-Luchon climbs 939m over 15.3km at a benign-seeming 6.1% average — but the gradient hides a demanding mid-section between 7-9% that makes this far harder than the numbers suggest. Peyresourde has appeared in the Tour de France over 60 times since 1910 and invariably acts as the launchpad for attacks before the final climb. The summit at 1,569m sits on the boundary of the Hautes-Pyrénées and Haute-Garonne departments with views south into the Spanish Aran Valley.