Col de Peyresourde from Luchon: 13.7 km to pace like a threshold test

The Col de Peyresourde is 1,569 m high, above the spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon. From Luchon it is 13.7 km and 944 m of climbing at an average of 6.8%, with a maximum of 11.7%, according to the Pyrénées 31 tourist office, which adds that Tour de France riders use it regularly. It isn't the highest or the steepest climb in the Pyrenees, but it may be the most even: after a broken start, the gradient hardly changes all the way to the top. That makes it the place to learn to pace a climb of about an hour. Here is how it is built, how to ride it, and how to fit it into a day out of Luchon.

The climb out of Luchon

The tourist office's route starts at Luchon station and turns towards the col at the roundabout de la Lionne. Our track is the same length, 13.7 km, with 942 m of climbing.

• The first 3 km: irregular. The gradient varies between 4 and 7% until a flat section. On our track the third kilometre averages under 2%, the only real break on the climb.
• To the Vallée d'Oueil: steady. After the flat the road climbs steadily to the junction with the road into the Vallée d'Oueil. Our track holds 6–7.5% through here.
• From Garin: the real climb. The tourist office notes that from Garin the gradient clearly stiffens, and that the section from Saint-Aventin is the more demanding part. On our track every kilometre from about 8 km to the top is between 7.5% and 8.3%.
• The last 3 km: hairpins. The final stretch winds up in hairpins at a steady 7.8%, by the tourist office's figures. Our track's steepest kilometre, at 10%, is near the very top.

How to ride it: one hour, one effort

The tourist office gives the climb about an hour and a half. Fitter riders will do it in under an hour. Either way it is the right length to ride close to threshold, and the even gradient means you can pace it almost entirely by power.

• Ride the first 3 km easily. They are irregular and they don't count for much. Use them to warm up and find your rhythm.
• From the flat, hold a number. If the climb will take you about an hour, 90–95% of FTP is the effort; if it will take you closer to ninety minutes, come down to 85–90%. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains how to pick the number.
• Expect it to hurt from Garin. The power stays the same but the speed drops. That is the climb, not you fading. Stay seated and keep your cadence steady; standing briefly on the hairpins is fine.
• Gearing. A compact with a 28 or 30 sprocket is enough for most riders at 7–8%. See gearing for climbing.
• The descent. Coming back down to Luchon, the hairpins at the top are the slowest part. Descending faster and safer covers how to brake for a bend.

A Tour climb from a spa town

Luchon is a spa town, reachable by train, and the Pyrénées 31 tourist office presents it as a cycling base: the Peyresourde, the Col du Portillon, the Col de Menté and the climb to Superbagnères are the climbs it says "forged the legend of the Tour de France". Tourisme Occitanie also lists the Peyresourde as many times climbed by Tour riders.

The tourist office's routes follow the race. Its CYCL 9 route is a Tour stage from Luchon to Peyragudes: 161 km with four climbs and 4,765 m of climbing. Peyragudes itself is reached by the Montée des Agudes, which shares its first section with the Peyresourde.

When to go and how to make a day of it

• Season. According to Pyrénées 31, the high cols, including the Peyresourde, are open from May to November depending on snow. It recommends April to October for road cycling.
• The big loop. The tourist office's CYCL 6 is a 100 km loop with 1,964 m of climbing, from Luchon station through Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges and Arreau and back over the Peyresourde.
• More climbs from Luchon. Superbagnères is 18.5 km at 6.3%, and the Port de Balès, at 1,755 m, is hors catégorie. All of them start from the same town, so a week in Luchon gives you a different big climb every day. For planning, see mountain pass route planning.
• Further west. Over the Peyresourde and the Aspin lies the Tourmalet; our guide to the Tourmalet from Luz covers it.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Luchon to the col. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces its gradient as you ride, and the world around you is built from map data of the valley. Because the Peyresourde is so even, it works as a real-world threshold test: ride it at a steady effort, then compare your time and average power with your FTP. Riding it again a few weeks later shows clearly whether your climbing has improved.

Every ride is saved with its power data. If you would rather ride it on another device, download the GPX above.

The short version

13.7 km and 944 m from Luchon to 1,569 m, at an average of 6.8%. The first 3 km are irregular, then the road climbs steadily, getting harder from Garin and finishing with hairpins at 7.8%. Warm up in the first 3 km, hold one steady effort from there to the top, and use it as a test of your climbing on the trainer.