Читать книгу Tour Climbs: The complete guide to every mountain stage on the Tour de France - Chris Sidwells - Страница 37

3 STARS

Length: 14.8 km

Altitude: 2001 metres

Height gain: 1207 metres

Average gradient: 8%

Maximum gradient: 12%

WHAT TO EXPECT

Uneven gradients. The Port de Pailhères is another climber’s climb. The hairpin bends it uses are more natural than constructed, so they are a bit unpredictable too, both in their tightness and gradients.

Sunny weather. This part of the Pyrenees is protected from rain by the rest of the range, so the sun is southern-Europe strong. Use plenty of sun protection.

Part shelter. The middle part of the climb skirts the northern edge of the Hares forest, so there is some shelter from the trees, especially in the afternoon.

Side shoots. The Col du Pradel starts three-quarters of the way down the Pailhères descent towards Ax-les-Thermes. It’s not a Tour climb, but very quiet and attractive with lots of off-shoots on its own descent to explore.

Right on the eastern edge of the Pyrenees, the Col de Pailhères is a tough but typical introduction to the rest of the range. It’s a relatively new climb to the Tour that starts in Usson-les-Bains and runs partly along the edge of the Hares forest, over to Ax-les-Thermes in anything but predictable steps.

The first kilometre is quite easy, although route finding at this stage is quite complicated as a maze of roads split off and rejoin the road to the top. Soon the way up becomes much clearer and, unfortunately, the gradient gets much steeper. After an easy first one and half kilometres the next thirteen average eight percent, but they constantly switch from just under seven to ten, eleven and even twelve for a short stretch.

The hardest bit of the climb comes at a set of lacets shortly before the final run at the summit, which at 6.4 percent for two kilometres is far easier than the rest of the climb. The summit touches on the border between the Midi-Pyrenées and Languedoc-Roussillon regions of France, although the whole of the climb is in the Ariège so is therefore in the Midi-Pyrenées.

The views from the top over the Hares forest are a delight, and the descent to Ax-les-Thermes is even better. Watch out for the first hairpins. You arrive at them quickly because the descent is steep and straight just before them. There are signs warning you of their existence in good time, so do your braking in good time for them.

The Port de Pailhères climb from Ax-les-Thermes isn’t quite as hard as from Usson-les-Bains, and that side hasn’t been climbed by the Tour de France yet. However, climbing from Ax-Les-Thermes might be more practical if you are combining this climb with the Plateaux de Beille or Bonascre, or with the Col de Chioula, which shares its first three and a half kilometres with the Pailhères when climbed from Ax-les-Thermes.

WHICH WAY?

Usson-les-Bains is on the D118, 19 kilometres southwest of the town of Axat, which is 51 kilometres west of the city of Perpignan on the D117. If approaching from Axat, turn right in Usson-les-Bains onto the D16 in the direction of Mijanès. Turn right onto the D16, still in the direction of Mijanès. In Mijanès turn left onto the D25 and follow this road to the top of the climb.

The first Tour rider over the Port de Pailhères was the Spanish rider Juan-Manuel Mercado in 2003.

An Austrian, Georg Totschnig was first on the Pailhères in 2005. He used the climb to distance himself from two breakaway companions, flew down into Ax-les-Thermes and stormed up the Plateau de Bonascre to win the stage. Totschnig’s performance was remarkable in that he held off Lance Armstrong, who was chasing him up the final climb, and because he was the first rider from his country to win since a Tour stage since Max Bulla in 1931.

First on the climb in 2007 was a young Spanish rider, Ruben Plaza. He couldn’t hang on, like Totschnig did, to win the stage at Plateau de Beille, but Plaza finished 50th overall in his first Tour, so might be a name for the future.

Tour riders in the Pyrenees © Luc Claessen

Lake on the descent of the Pailheres

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