BEYOND THE TOUR

Cyclist Off-Road takes an unconventional route up the Col du Tournment, then carries on climbing long after the tarmac stops

Words SAM CHALLIS

The Col du Tourmalet is the Tour de France’s most famous mountain. The world’s best pro riders have ridden the ascent in the world’s biggest bike race an impressive 87 times and untold drama has unfolded on its slopes over the years. Even the story of its recognition as a suitable Tour inclusion is famous. Alphonse Steinès, a colleague of the Tour organiser Henri Desgrange, nearly died during his recce of the pass, but nonetheless the next morning (after being saved by a search party sent to rescue him) he relayed an iconic telegram that read: ‘Crossed Tourmalet. Very good road. Perfectly feasible.’ The asphalt might reach its highest point as you pass le Géant du Tourmalet – a huge statue of a straining Octave Lapize – at 2,115m (making it…

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Cyclist Off Road (Digital) - 1 Issue, Autumn 2020

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