Greatest Mountains of the Tour De France

Great climbers usually win the Tour de France. Dozens of famous and infamous peaks have been used during stages and as finishing summits.

Although some climbs remain nearly the same every time they’re contested, Tour organizers also look for mountain innovation, like the introduction of the climb to L’Alpe d’Huez as an individual time trial during the 2004 Tour.

Just like the diverse styles of race riders, Tour mountains have their own personalities.

Here are 10 of the most famous, infamous and wondrous mountains, (listed alphabetically) of the Tour de France.

Aspin

One of several Pyrenees peaks added to the Tour in 1910, Aspin (as-pan) been visited more than 65 times. The peak is 4,888 feet and it’s reached after a 7 3/4-mile climb at an average 6.3 percent grade. The mountains road are narrow, rough and hazardous.

French race winner Octave Lapize was the first rider over the summit in its 1910 debut. Since then, many legendary Tour performers and its current riders have crested Aspin first en route to stage wins, overall Tour wins, and infamous days in the Pyrenees. American Bobby Julich, third overall in the 1998 Tour among riders who’ve reached the top of Aspin first, en route to 18th in the General Classification (the overall finish) in the 2001 Tour. Three years later, Julich was Olympic time trial bronze medalist in Athens, Greece.

Aubisque

The Aubisque (oh-beesk), a legendary Tour peak added in 1910, has been conquered by great climbers, but it has also humbled countless cyclists.

The Aubisque culminates at 5,605 feet and riders as varied as Firmin Lambot of France (1920), Gino Bartali (1938) and Fausto Coppi of Italy (1949 and 1952), Charly Gaul of Luxembourg (1955), Eddy Merckx of Belgium (1969), Miguel Indurain of Spain (1989), and Laurent Jalabert of France (2002) all mastered the mountain.

Now part of the Tour more than 60 times, the Aubisque progresses for 10 1/4 miles with an average grade of 7.1 percent.

Courchevel

Courchevel (core-sha-vell), a ski resort in the Alps, is a newcomer to the Tour and has only twice hosted a stage finish. Richard Virenque, the seven-time winner of the best-climber jersey, was victorious in 1997. Marco Pantani, 1998 race winner, tamed the 13.5-mile and 6.3 percent average gradient ascent en route to his stage win to Courchevel in 2000.

Courchevel stands at 6,573 feet and is among the highest mountaintops used in the Tour. Often considered among the world’s most prestigious ski resorts, the ski events at the 1992 Winter Olympics were held there.

Galibier

Among the Tour’s longest climbs, the Galibier (gahl-eeb-bee-yay) is often presented in the same stage as the Col du Telegraphe and is among the race’s oldest ascents. It was first added in 1911 when, like other notable Tour climbs, it was still a dirt road. Riders often got off their bikes and walked sections of the 18.3-mile trek. Today, like all race mountains, the Galibier is a place for great climbers to showcase their talents.

The climb has an average gradient of 6.8 percent, and that suited Jacques Anquetil just fine. He dominated the 5,136-foot climb in 1957 and many others have also contributed to their legends with leading ascents of the climb and its 6.8 percent gradient – Charley Gaul (1959), Eddy Merckx (1969), Joop Zoetemelk (1972), Tony Rominger (1993), and Marco Pantani (1998).

Izoard

Many of the Tour’s legendary riders have mastered Izoard (eye-zore) the steep ascent into the Alps; the best known include Fausto Coppi (1949 and 1951) and Louison Bobet (1950, 1953, and 1954). This mountain debuted in 1922 and quickly built its reputation as among the race’s most difficult climbs that peaks at 7,744 feet.

The climb continues for 12 miles and at an average gradient of 5.9 percent while advancing along dusty, winding roads and through varying other landscape. Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon dueled on this mountain in 1989.

L’Alpe d’Huez

It’s not the hardest ascent, but since its debut in 1952, L’Alpe d’Huez has defined the mystique of Tour de France mountains. Fausto Coppi win the inaugural ascent, a 9.5-mile climb that includes 21 switchbacks and an average gradient of 7.9 percent. The course isn’t included every year, but in each of its more than 20 editions, it’s the most highly anticipated race stage, particularly for race fans.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators line the course, many arriving days in advance. It’s a party from start to finish, often to excess, for spectators; It’s a dangerous grind for cyclists who often have to negotiate their way through tight and rowdy crowds. The finishing climb ends at 6,102 feet.

American Andy Hampsten, who twice finished fourth overall in the Tour, won the stage in 1992 – a first for an American. Lance Armstrong claimed the stage in 2004 when, for the first time, the 21 switchbacks comprised an uphill individual time trial.

La Mongie

A ski resort near the top of the Tourmalet (tor-ma-lay), La Mongie (lah moan-jee) has been a Tour stage finish area only three times. The climb is 10.5 miles and the average gradient of the Pyrenees climb is 8 percent. Bernard Thevenet of France (1970) was the inaugural winner at La Mongie. Lance Armstrong has one victory (2002) and one second place (2004) in the resort’s two other arrival days.

La Mongie stands at 5,625 feet and its nearby summit, the top of the Tourmalet, is one of cycling’s grand monoliths at 6,934 feet, the highest peak in the Pyrenees. The Tourmalet was first included in 1910 and was nicknamed Circle of Death, and this Pyrenees climb is where the legendary rider Octave Lapize called race officials “assassins” as he negotiated the mountain in its Tour debut. Eddy Merckx, Claudio Chiappucci and Richard Virenque have also been victorious on the Tourmalet. At the peak of the Tourmalet, a monument honors race founder, Henri Desgrange.

Madeleine

Introduced to the Tour in 1969, Col de la Madeleine (coal-duh-luh-mad-ah-lahn) is often presented as a three-part mountain package in the Alps, with Telegraphe and Galibier. Lucien Van Impe of Belgium (1983), Pedro Delgado of Spain (1984), Richard Virenque of France (1995 and 1997), Jan Ullrich of Germany (1998), Michael Boogerd of the Netherlands (2002), and Gilberto Simoni of Italy (2004) all claimed the Madeleine climb.

The climb to Madeleine is 15.8 miles and has an average gradient of 6.1 percent.

Mont Ventoux

First included in the Tour in 1951, this climb to the barren peak above the French countryside is as infamous as it is famous. It plateaus at 6,261 feet. A half-mile from the top is where British cyclist Tom Simpson collapsed and subsequently died in 1967.

Like all great Tour mountains, Mont Ventoux (mon-von-too) is steep and long. But it’s the legendary Mistral winds – the cold, strong gusts that can surpass 100 mph (160 kph) – that most affect the race. The brutal winds have swept away most vegetation on the mountain, leaving it barren and brutally difficult for riders. Mont Ventoux is called the Windy Mountain and sometimes, the Tour of the Moon.

Mont Ventoux has been part of the Tour only 13 times, but it has produced epic battles, including the 2000 challenge between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani. Armstrong’s strategically eased up at the finish line, allowing Pantani to claim the stage win. Pantani was upset, stating he didn’t need Armstrong’s sympathy, and duo began a nasty battle of words for the remainder of the Tour.

Sestriere

A respected ski resort, Sestriere (ses-tree-air) is just across the French border in the Italian Alps. It has been used as both a mid-stage climb and as a finish point at 6,668 fee. Sestrieres made its debut in 1952; Italian Fausto Coppi was victorious that year, and the mountain has been mastered by Claudio Chiappucci (1992) and Bjarne Riis of Denmark, the 1996 Tour winner on a solo breakaway win. Charly Gaul of Luxembourg (1956) and Jose Jimenez of Spain (1966) are also Sestrieres climb winners.

Lance Armstrong had plenty of nonbelievers when he returned to the Tour de France in 1999. But he had many fewer detractors after claiming the 9th stage from Le Grand Bornand to Sestrieres over Alex Zulle of Switzerland and Fernando Escartin of Spain.

Armstrong had assumed the race lead the day before with a time trial win in Metz, but his mountain stage win in Italy proved he could climb with the sport’s best. After winning in Sestrieres, he maintained the race lead en route to his first Tour title.

Reference:

• www.letour.fr