Col du Tourmalet (east from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan)

The most climbed mountain in Tour de France history and the undisputed centrepiece of Pyrenean cycling. The eastern approach from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is the classic line: 17.1km at a relentless 7.4% average with ramps hitting 10-13% in the upper reaches above La Mongie ski station. The gradient rarely softens below 6% once you clear the valley floor, making this a sustained test of pacing discipline. At 2,115m the summit offers the iconic bronze statue of Octave Lapize — who first crested this road at race pace in 1910 and called the organisers of the Tour de France assassins. The views west across the Pyrenean ridgeline on clear days are among the finest in cycling.