The Col de Val Louron-Azet (or Col d'Azet) (elevation 1,580 m (5,180 ft)) is a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, which links Saint-Lary-Soulan and Azet, in the Aure Valley to the west, with Génos and Loudenvielle in the Louron Valley to the east. To the east of the pass is the Val-Louron ski station, and the GR10 footpath is also nearby.[2]
| Col de Val Louron-Azet | |
|---|---|
 A panorama of the Col d'Azet in the direction of the Louron Valley. | |
| Elevation | 1,580 m (5,184 ft)[1] |
| Traversed by | D225 |
| Location | Hautes-Pyrénées, France |
| Range | Pyrenees |
| Coordinates | 42°47′31″N 0°22′52″E / 42.79194°N 0.38111°E |
  Col de Val Louron-Azet Location in the Pyrenees  Col de Val Louron-Azet Col de Val Louron-Azet (Occitanie)  Col de Val Louron-Azet Col de Val Louron-Azet (Pyrenees) | |
Details of climb
editStarting from Génos, the hairpin climb is 7.4 km (4.6 mi) long. Over this distance, the climb is 622 m (2,041 ft) at an average gradient of 8.3%, with the steepest section being at 13%.[3]
Starting from Bazus-Aure, near to Saint-Lary-Soulan, the climb is 12 km (7.5 mi) long. Over this distance, the climb is 807 m (2,648 ft) at an average gradient of 6.7%, with the steepest sections being at 11.8%.[4]
Appearances in Tour de France
editThe Col de Val Louron-Azet was first used in the Tour de France in 1997, since when it has featured ten times, most recently in 2022.[5][6]
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 17 | 1 | Saint-Gaudens | Peyragudes |  Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
|
| 2021 | 17 | 1 | Muret | Col du Portet |  Anthony Perez (FRA)
|
| 2018 | 17 | 1 | Bagnères-de-Luchon | Col du Portet | Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
|
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | Pau | Bagnères-de-Luchon |  Wout Poels (NED)
|
| 2014 | 17 | 1 | Saint-Gaudens | Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet |  Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)
|
| 2013 | 9 | 1 | Saint-Girons | Bagnères-de-Bigorre |  Simon Clarke (AUS)
|
| 2005 | 15 | 1 | Lézat-sur-Lèze | Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet | Laurent Brochard (FRA)
|
| 2001 | 13 | 1 | Foix | Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet | Laurent Jalabert (FRA)
|
| 1999 | 15 | 1 | Saint-Gaudens | Piau-Engaly | Fernando Escartín (ESP)
|
| 1997 | 9 | 1 | Pau | Loudenvielle-Vallée du Louron |  Marco Pantani (ITA)
|
References
edit- ^ IGN map
- ^ "From Oule Lake (Hautes-Pyrénées) to Araing Lake (Ariège)". Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Col de Val-Louron Azet – Genos". www.climbbybike.com. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Col d'Azet – Bazus Aure". www.climbbybike.com. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Col de Val Louron-Azet dans le Tour de France" (in French). ledicodutour. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "First on top | ProCyclingStats". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 2021-10-14.