Ax-les-Thermes
This ride follows the N20 up the upper Ariège valley in France, towards Andorra and Spain. The N20 was Napoleon’s imperial road number 23, from Paris to the Spanish border, and he fixed its route in 1811. The valley is the gateway to some famous Tour de France climbs, Plateau de Beille and Ax 3 Domaines among them. In 2021 the Tour raced down it: stage 16 began at Pas de la Casa with a 36 km descent to Tarascon-sur-Ariège, and Patrick Konrad won alone in Saint-Gaudens.
The ride starts at Ussat, just south of Tarascon, and heads up the valley to Les Cabannes, where the only road to Plateau de Beille begins. At Luzenac, the Trimouns quarry high above the valley produces about a tenth of the world’s talc. The road skirts Ax-les-Thermes on the town’s bypass, opened in 2016, and climbs on to Mérens-les-Vals, the village that gave its name to the Mérens horse. The ride ends below L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre, where the climb to the Port d’Envalira continues.
Region: Occitanie
City: Ornolac-Ussat-les-Bains
Distance: 34.26 km
Elevation Gain: 788 m
Elevation Loss: 63 m
Difficulty: 375 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 1.53 FIETS
Avg Grade: 2.11 %
Max cat climb: 1
Min elevation: 490 m
Max elevation: 1214 m
Ride Category: Hilly