マリニャックの峠・トップ12

A beautiful transitional port between the Le Ger river valley and the Garonne river valley

Beautiful road marked on every bend by posts celebrating Spanish winners of the Tour de France, and kilometre markers with gradient, altitude etc. it finishes at the border, which is the col.

Beautiful climb up Col de Menté. Although not a really famous climb it is a beautiful one, with nice hairpins inside the forest and beautiful views at the end.

Also, stop at the Là Soulan hostel for a well-deserved break. Very warm welcome. 👍

From Mauléon-Barousse, this 19-kilometer hors catégorie climb is completed in three stages. The first seven kilometers are fairly straightforward, then the next seven become more complicated, before culminating in a grand finale with the last five at over 9%. Even more so than on other passes, the key here is economy.

From Lez, the ascent of the Col de Menté is classified as first-class, with nine kilometers at an average gradient of 8.7%. Its fairly steady gradient allows you to find your own pace.

One of the mythical Pyrenean ports of the Tour de France, known largely for the tragic fall of Luis Ocaña in the 1971 Tour when he was leading the general classification. Its 2 aspects have a lot of crumbs: - west slope that starts from Saint Béat: it is the hardest. It is 9.7 km with an average slope of 8.7%. It is a very constant climb, with a small break when passing through Boux. The first part is a little harder and uglier since you barely have any views and you go up through the middle of a valley. The final part is spectacular with its many horseshoe curves, good panoramic views and the monument to the place where Luis Ocaña fell. - east slope: it is longer, with an initial section of 7 km very winding with a slope of 4%. It also has a break in its intermediate zone. Once the hard part starts, it is also very constant, like the west slope, although the average slope is 7-8%. This aspect has even more twists than the previous one. For more information, consult the profile published by cylcingcols.com -- > http://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Mente

Magnificent view for the climb to the pass from Artichan-de-Frontignes, however I found the climb on the other side (from the Col de Buret) more interesting because it was a little longer.