Two hundred metres into the northern ascent of the Col du Soulor is a large yellow sign decreeing ‘Route Historique du Tour de France depuis 1910’. It’s a claim to fame that requires little translation, but it does need a pinch of salt. You see, the race didn’t go up this climb until 1982 – 72 years later – and has only done so four times since.
At 12.1km long and an average gradient of 7.7%, the Col du Soulor’s northern approach really should be more famous, especially considering how beautiful it is, but the reason this climb was overlooked for so long may have something to do with the climbs that surround it.
From its 1,474m summit you can see its big brother to the west, the Col d’Aubisque. East across a broad valley stands Hautacam and over its shoulder towers the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and the crown atop the queen of the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet.
The Aubisque and Tourmalet have matching yellow signs of their own, likewise the Cols d’Aspin and Peyresourde further east, denoting their inclusion in the legendary tenth stage of the 1910 Tour de France when the race first visited the high mountains.
The monstrous 326km from Luchon to Bayonne took in those climbs, and indeed did go up the Col du Soulor on its way to the summit of the Aubisque. But they didn’t ascend it from the side we’re riding.
There are three ways to arrive at the top of the Col du Soulor by road (plus three more by gravel). In 1910 the Tour approached from the east, a 7km ascent that follows a drag and an initial 3km climb from Argèles-Gazost. From 1913 until 1930, the Tour route switched to run anti-clockwise around France.
This put the Col d’Aubisque first, with a partial descent and a short climb delivering riders to the Col du Soulor from the west, rendering it insignificant. From 1931 the Tour route began to vary more, although these climbs remained firm fixtures.
The third way
This northern road, the third route, first welcomed the Tour peloton in 1973, but for a descent. Finally, in 1982, after a lifetime with its nose pressed against the glass of the world’s greatest bike race, the north face of the Soulor was invited in as a hors categorie climb, although the race still continued on to the Aubisque.
There was another long wait until the next inclusion in 1995, which produced by far the slowest ascent, for a deeply tragic reason. The day before, Fabio Casartelli crashed and was killed descending the Portet d’Aspet. Stage 16 was therefore neutralised and ridden as a sombre procession, with Casartelli’s Motorola team crossing the finish ahead of the peloton.
The 1997 Tour gave us the first proper crossing of the Col du Soulor from the north and down to Arrens-Marsous, which is surely one of the most exciting descents in the Pyrenees. Unfortunately the mountain was enveloped in cloud so no one really saw it. The same was true in 2010 when the Tour celebrated a century in the Pyrenees.
Flying high
The theatre begins well before the climb. A defining characteristic of the Pyrenees is how abruptly they rise from the plains, and the approach from Asson is perhaps the most profound example. All around is essentially flat, while up ahead the mountains loom like a vast wall, a kilometre high and eerily straight.
While the road begins dragging upwards at Arthez-d’Asson, the real start is 12km later at Ferrières, with a sharp ramp after the official sign leaving no doubt the challenge has begun.
For 3km the gradient remains easy and the road sheltered in trees, keeping it cool on hot days. The village of Arbéost punctuates proceedings with a dip, a sharp S-bend and a steep ramp, the initial 17% grade of which is mitigated slightly by the momentum you can carry into it, but which nonetheless kicks off the hardest section of the climb.
Don’t forget to look up at this point. High on the right, the restaurant at the top of the Col d’Aubisque is now in view, 4.5km away in a straight line but 19km by road. If you’re heading that way the sight can be either inspiring or crushing, depending on how your legs feel.
This side of the Soulor has only two switchbacks. The first is steep and plain; the second swaps gradient for aesthetics, with a castellated stone wall between the closely stacked levels. It offers a chance for a moment’s recovery, or a longer one if you and your buddies stop to take some overhead photos of each other.
As the road winds upwards for the next 4km, the quality of the view and the 8% gradient are consistent. You can see the road ahead, up to a point at which it takes a sharp left. When you get there it’s like stepping through a portal. The whole Cirque de Litor is revealed in front of you and it’s almost too much to take in. The peaks opposite reach 2,600m, twice your altitude, and the sheer splendour of the scale is overwhelming.
To top it off, you’ll often see griffon vultures – there are more in this valley than anywhere in the Pyrenees. With wingspans of up to 2.8m they are among Europe’s biggest birds, and spectacular to watch soaring among the peaks.
The hardest day
The climb remains firm until the final kilometre, which features three horseshoe-shaped hairpins and is fairly easy unless you’re suffering as badly as Marcus Burghardt was in 2019, the last time the Soulor featured in the Tour.
The German veteran was unwell on the day of Stage 14 and he clawed his way over the Soulor with the slowest time of the day – 43:13 – nearly five minutes down on renowned non-climber André Greipel, and nearly nine minutes slower than pace-setters Richie Porte and Thibaut Pinot.
While the latter would go on to win the stage, Burghardt finished last, just 30 seconds inside the time cut. Yet when a very similar stage had been used back in 2010, Burghardt had been the first rider over the Soulor as part of the break on a day dominated by the duel between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador.
With Strava likely to be your only time pressure, remember to go all the way to the painted line to complete the climb; it’s just past the first cafe. Use that cafe for Cokes and gaufres (waffles; it does little else). Go to the next cafe for a fair menu of sandwiches, or roll down 400m to La Tachouère, a restaurant charming and authentic in equal measure.
The 2022 Tour used a new combination for the final mountain stage, climbing the Col d’Aubisque from the west then turning left atop the Col du Soulor to descend this northern road to the foot of the debuting Col de Spandelles.
Giulio Ciccone was first over the top of the Soulor, but it would be Jonas Vingegaard who would triumph on the day, cracking Tadej Pogačar on the Hautacam to win the stage, and the Tour.
We doubt any of them will have had time to look at the view. Their loss.