Col de Marie-Blanque (West side)
Distance: 9.98 km
Elevation Gain: 708 m
Elevation Loss: 33 m
Difficulty:
716 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 5.45 FIETS
Avg Grade: 7.70 %
Max cat climb: 1
Min elevation: 332 m
Max elevation: 1040 m
Ride Category:
Epic Climb
The Col de Marie-Blanque is a low pass between the Aspe and Ossau valleys in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, and its steep western side is the one racers climb. The Tour de France has crossed the pass 16 times since 1978, almost always from this side. In 2022 the Quebrantahuesos, the big Spanish sportive run from Sabiñánigo since 1991, also climbed it this way, after crossing the Somport.
This ride starts in Escot, on the road to the Somport. The last four kilometres are the hardest: a straight road that never drops below 9%. On the 2023 Tour stage from Pau to Laruns, Jonas Vingegaard attacked on that stretch, 1.5 km from the top, and gained more than a minute on Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley, who was ahead in the breakaway, led over the summit and took the yellow jersey in Laruns. The ride ends just over the col, at the edge of the Bénou plateau.
