Col de Marie-Blanque (East side)
Distance: 18.47 km
Elevation Gain: 641 m
Elevation Loss: 97 m
Difficulty:
534 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 3.03 FIETS
Avg Grade: 5.11 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 445 m
Max elevation: 1039 m
Ride Category:
Climb
The Col de Marie-Blanque links the Ossau and Aspe valleys in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. Its name comes from the Béarnais “Maria Blanca”, White Mary, which was also a local name for the Egyptian vulture. The Tour de France usually climbs the other side and races down this one to finish in Laruns. In 2020 Marc Hirschi crossed the col alone and was caught in the last two kilometres. Tadej Pogacar, one of the riders who caught him, won the sprint for his first Tour stage.
This ride starts just north of Laruns and follows the valley down to Bielle, the old capital of the Ossau valley. It then climbs through Bilhères to the Bénou plateau and the chapel of Notre-Dame de Houndas. Between 1766 and 1776 the French Navy cut fir trees for masts in the Bénou forest and hauled them over the col to Escot. From there the masts went by raft to Oloron and Bayonne. The ride follows their route to the top.
