Читать книгу Tour Climbs: The complete guide to every mountain stage on the Tour de France - Chris Sidwells - Страница 48

Length: 10 km

Altitude: 1981 metres

Height gain: 691 metres

Average gradient: 6.9%

Maximum gradient: 7.8%

A really pleasant climb in the tiny country of Andorra, the Col d’Ordino meanders lazily up from the town of Ordino over a ridge in the Vall d’Andorra that leads to the Pic de Casamanya (2742 metres). There aren’t any really steep parts to this climb, and the gradient is fairly constant. Added to the valley views, this makes the Ordino a great climb for beginners.

The first Tour de France climber to get over the Col d’Ordino was Oliviero Rincon in 1993. Rincon was a great climber, who said his ability to accelerate uphill came from his riding a 20 kilogram bike to deliver 30 kilograms of newspapers every day in his mountainous home in Duitama, Colombia, when he was a child.

WHICH WAY? Ordino is eight kilometres northeast of Escaldes, which is a suburb of the Andorran capital, Andorra La Vella, on the CG4 and CG3 roads. The climb is signposted in Ordino and the road to the top is the CS240. If you carry on and descend the Ordino to the CG2 you can turn left onto that road and climb the Col d’Envalira.