Col des Bordères, Soulor and Aubisque – a triple bill of Pyrenean perfection!

Home to many of the most mythical climbs in Tour de France history, the French Pyrénées are a wonderland of beauty and exploration.

Although Stage 19 of the 2018 Tour is a five climb monster, featuring the Aspin, Tourmalet, Bordères, Soulor and Aubisque, today we’re taking a closer look at the final three climbs of the stage, starting from Argelès-Gazost.

Although lesser known than its compatriots, the Bordères shouldn’t be overlooked. Its average of 6% is deceptive with many undulations and a stinging pitch up to 16.5%. What it lacks in height (1,156m) it makes up for in length (18.4km) and is the perfect way to start the day as you climb above the Val d’Azun and towards serenity.

In comparison the Soulor and Aubisque need little introduction, both featuring in the 1910 Tour de France (along with the Peyresourde, Aspin and Tourmalet) making them amongst the very oldest in the race and steeped in heritage, history and drama. Although the Soulor’s profile is much more linear than that of the Bordères there are still a couple of steep pitches to watch out for as you make your way up to 1,474 metres elevation and onwards towards the legendary Aubisque.

I remember the first time I saw the Cirque du Litor, a tiny ribbon of road connecting the summit of the Soulor to the summit of the Aubisque. On that day I was actually heading in the other direction but my mind was racing at what lay the other way. Since then I’ve ridden it many times and every time feels just as special. The feeling of being pinned to the edge of the mountain with vertical drops just metres away never fails to get the heart pumping. The Pyrénées are blessed with many beautiful roads but for me this is one of the all time greats and coupled up with the Bordères and Soulor you can’t fail to have a challenging but wonderful day on the bike.

Mike Cotty has been bringing the mountains to life through his inspiring videos for over 5 years and TORQ have been fuelling him and the Col Collective for the entire journey. The Col Collective Cycling Tours have since sprung to life.

Why not join us for one of our cycling tours in the French Pyrénées, Dolomites and Italian Alps. For more details visit thecolcollective.com/cycling-tours

Thank you to our partners Mavic, Cannondale, Exposure Lights, Lezyne, MyPower by InfoCrank, Muc Off, The Sufferfest, TORQ and USE for enabling us to bring these truly special mountains to life for you all. If you're in need of new bike kit in the future and you enjoyed this video then bear them in mind and help keep the wheels turning :-)

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Stay well, ride safe and thank you for watching.

Peace.

Mike Cotty
The Col Collective

The Col Collective Tours are fully stocked with TORQ Performance products. And this season they will also be debuting our new TORQ SNAQ range. So if you fancy going out to Mike’s boutique-style guest house in France and spending some time riding the Cols, rest assured you’ll be TORQ Fuelled whilst you’re there too.