The French Pyrenees do not ease you in. From the valley floor at Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the road begins climbing within two hundred metres of the town centre. By the time you reach the Col du Tourmalet's summit at 2,115 metres — after 17.1 kilometres at 7.3 percent average — you will have gained more than 1,240 metres of elevation and crossed into the upper atmosphere of Pyrenean cycling history.
The Tour de France has visited the Tourmalet more than any other mountain pass, returning since 1910 when Octave Lapize crossed it and reportedly shouted at the officials waiting at the summit. The 2026 Tour visits again on Stage 6, July 9, and for the first time in race history, continues beyond the descent to a summit finish at Gavarnie-Gèdre — 18.7 kilometres of steady road ending near the entrance to the Cirque de Gavarnie, one of the Pyrenees' great natural amphitheatres.
This guide is for athletes who want to ride these roads before or after the race passes through.
The Climbs
Col du Tourmalet
Two approaches; two different races.
The southern face from Luz-Saint-Sauveur is the longer and more consistently demanding: 17.1 kilometres at 7.3 percent, with the gradient settling into a rhythm after the initial hairpins out of town and then steepening significantly in the final third above the ski village of Barèges. The summit at 2,115 metres carries the Géant du Tourmalet sculpture — a giant figure from local legend that has become the mountain's marker. In July, the summit café is open and marmots appear in the meadows around the upper hairpins.
The northern face from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan connects to the Col d'Aspin at its foot. This is the Stage 6 direction — riders come over the Aspin, descend to Campan, then climb the northern face of the Tourmalet. If you want to ride Stage 6's profile, the sequence is: Campan → Aspin → Campan → Tourmalet → Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Col d'Aspin
12 kilometres at 6.5 percent from the Campan valley side, crossing at 1,489 metres into the Aure valley. Quieter than the Tourmalet, narrower, more forested. The views from the summit toward the Tourmalet are unusually clear on still mornings. Stage 6 uses the Campan-to-summit direction; the descent into the Aure valley brings riders to Arreau, where the stage route turns south.
Gavarnie-Gèdre
The new Stage 6 finish — 18.7 kilometres at 3.7 percent from the valley at Luz-Saint-Sauveur, running up through Gèdre and continuing to the approach zone below the Cirque de Gavarnie. The gradient is steady and never severe; the road climbs without interruption. At altitude, after the Aspin and Tourmalet, those 3.7 percent ramps do not feel as gentle as they look on paper.
The Cirque de Gavarnie — a UNESCO World Heritage semicircle of 3,000-metre walls and France's highest waterfall — is visible ahead for the final kilometres of the approach. The Tour has never finished here. Stage 6 is a first visit to terrain that the Pyrenean landscape made inevitable eventually.
Where to Base
Luz-Saint-Sauveur (720 m) is the natural centre for this section of the range. It sits at the junction of the Tourmalet road to the east and the Gavarnie road to the south, putting both climbs within two minutes of any hotel door. The town is small — a few hundred metres of main street, a fortified 14th-century church, a thermal bath complex — but the hotel and rental accommodation infrastructure is built around cycling. Most of the specialist cycling hotels in the central Pyrenees operate here or nearby.
Lourdes (18 km north, 420 m) is the logistical hub: international rail connections, a larger accommodation market, car rental. Not a cyclist's base in the same sense, but a practical arrival or departure night.
Barèges (9 km up the Tourmalet from Luz) is the ski village directly on the southern face. Quiet in summer, a handful of restaurants and the thermal baths. For cyclists who want to be on the climb from the moment they leave the door.
Connect with training partners, earn travel miles, and discover terrain worth crossing borders for.
Join ZealZagFollow us on InstagramWhen to Ride
June through September is the operating season. The Tourmalet typically opens in May or early June depending on the winter snowpack; the Aspin opens sooner. July is the peak month — best road conditions, longest days, the Tour through on July 9.
Stage 6, July 9: the Tourmalet and the Gavarnie road will be closed to private vehicles from the morning of race day. If basing in Luz for the race week, plan a riding day on July 7 or 8 to experience the roads without the caravan, then position yourself to watch Stage 6. The race passes the Tourmalet summit in the early afternoon depending on the peloton's pace; the Gavarnie finish follows in the mid-to-late afternoon.
August is the peak tourism season: warmer, busier, accommodation harder to find. September quiets considerably and the light changes. October sees the passes close again after the first significant snowfall.
Getting There
By air: Fly into Toulouse-Blagnac. The central Pyrenees are roughly two hours south on the A64 motorway. A rental car is essential for climbing access.
By train: TGV from Paris connects to Tarbes or Lourdes in approximately four hours. Regional services continue from Lourdes toward the mountains, though limited. A rental car from Lourdes provides the most flexibility.
From Spain: The Bielsa-Parzan tunnel (open late spring through autumn) connects the Aragonese Pyrenees to the French side near Saint-Lary-Soulan, putting the Aspin and Tourmalet within 45 minutes. A useful combination with the Spanish Pyrenees; see our Aragonese Pyrenees cycling guide.
What Else to Do
The Cirque de Gavarnie is non-negotiable on a rest day. The walk from the village to the base of the cirque takes about 90 minutes each way on a broad, flat path — accessible to any fitness level. The Grande Cascade drops 422 metres from the cirque wall, the highest waterfall in France. Arrive before 10:00 to miss the summer tour groups.
Pont d'Espagne and Lac de Gaube: above Cauterets (25 km northwest of Luz), a waterfall and a glacial lake accessible by walking path and a short gondola. The summer ibex population is visible on the surrounding cliffs in June and July.
Barèges Thermal Spa: the thermal baths at Barèges have operated since the 17th century and are used as a military recovery facility, open to the public. A recovery soak after a Tourmalet day costs less than a ski town café.
Frequently Asked
Can I ride the Tourmalet as a day trip from Luz? Yes — and back. The 34-kilometre south-side out-and-back (Luz → summit → Luz) involves roughly 1,240 metres of climbing and is a self-contained day. Most riders take two to three hours each way depending on pace. The round trip takes a full day with a proper summit stop.
Is the Gavarnie road surfaced the whole way? Yes. The road from Luz through Gèdre to the Gavarnie village and approach area is sealed and maintained throughout the season. Surface near the cirque parking area is occasionally patchy but fully rideable on road bikes.
How does this compare to other Pyrenean cycling bases? The area around Luz-Saint-Sauveur offers the densest concentration of hard climbs in the French Pyrenees — more than any other single valley base. For the Catalan and Spanish Pyrenees approach, our Catalonia cycling guide covers the northern Catalan passes.
Is July crowded on the Tourmalet? Yes, especially on weekends. The mountain is a pilgrimage site for European cyclists in summer. Ride early on weekday mornings to have the road largely to yourself. On Stage 6 (July 9) itself, the climb is closed to private vehicles.
Where can I find other cyclists in the area? Connect with athletes training the Pyrenees via Find Athletes in Luz-Saint-Sauveur on ZealZag.
For Stage 1 Barcelona TTT coverage, see our Tour de France Stage 1 preview.
