Col de Portet d'Aspet

Col de Portet d'Aspet
The summit of the Col de Portet d'Aspet
Elevation	1,069 m (3,507 ft)
Traversed by	D618
Location
Location in the Pyrenees
Location	Haute-Garonne,  France
Range	Pyrenees
Coordinates	42°56′41″N 0°51′15″E / 42.94472°N 0.85417°E / 42.94472; 0.85417Coordinates: 42°56′41″N 0°51′15″E / 42.94472°N 0.85417°E / 42.94472; 0.85417

The Col de Portet d'Aspet is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees in the department of Haute-Garonne in France. It is situated on the D618 road between Aspet and St. Girons. At 1,069 metres (3,507 ft), it connects the Ger and Bouigane valleys, on the slopes of the Pic de Paloumère (1608 m).

Details of climb

Starting from Audressein (Ariège), the climb is 18.14 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 557 m. (an average percentage of 3.1%). The climb proper starts at St. Lary, 5.9 km from the summit (at 6.8%), with the steepest sections being at 10.6% near the summit.

Starting from Aspet (Haute-Garonne), the climb is 14.31 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 594 m. (an average percentage of 4.2%). The climb proper starts at the D618/D44 junction (also the start of the climb to the Col de Menté), 4.4 km from the summit (at 9.6%), with several sections in excess of 11%; the maximum gradient is 12.6%, 3 km from the summit.

Appearances in Tour de France

The Col de Portet d'Aspet was first used in the Tour de France in 1910 and has appeared regularly since. The leader over the summit in 1910 was Octave Lapize.

Since 1947, the Col has featured 27 times (including on stage 15 of the 2007 tour). The 15th stage was selected for the 2007 L'Étape du Tour, in which amateur and club riders ride over a full stage of the tour.

Year	Stage	Category	Leader at the summit
2011	14	2	Mickaël Delage
2010	15	2	Thomas Voeckler
2007	15	2	Laurent Lefevre
2005	15	2	Erik Dekker
2004	13	2	Sylvain Chavanel
2003	14	2	Richard Virenque
2002	12	2	Laurent Jalabert
2001	13	2	Laurent Roux
1998	11	2	Alberto Elli
1997	10	2	Laurent Brochard
1995	15	2	Richard Virenque
1988	15	2	Steven Rooks
1984	11	1	Theo de Rooij
1973	13	3	Raymond Martin
1972	9	2	Christian Raymond
1971	14	3	José-Manuel Fuente
1969	16	3	Raymond Delisle
1967	16	3	Fernando Manzanèque
1966	12	2	Julio Jiménez
1965	10	2	Julio Jiménez
1964	15	3	Julio Jiménez
1963	12	2	Federico Bahamontes
1962	14	2	Federico Bahamontes
1960	12	2	Joseph Planckaert
1958	15	2	Federico Bahamontes
1957	17	3	Michel Stolker
1956	13	2	Charly Gaul
1951	15	3	Gino Bartali
1947	14	2	Albert Bourlon

In the 1973 tour Raymond Poulidor almost lost his life on the descent from the Portet d'Aspet when he plunged off the road into a ravine, taking a serious blow to the head and crawling out with the help of the race director, Jacques Goddet.

Fabio Casartelli

Monument to Fabio Casartelli on the Col de Portet d'Aspet

On July 18, 1995 during the fifteenth stage of the 1995 Tour de France, Fabio Casartelli and a few other riders crashed on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet. Casartelli sustained heavy facial and head injuries and lost consciousness. While being transported via helicopter to a local hospital, he stopped breathing and after numerous resuscitation attempts was declared dead.

The Société du Tour de France and the Motorola team placed a memorial stone dedication to Fabio Casartelli on the spot where he crashed.

See also

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes

External links

• Profile on climbbybike.com
• Climb profiles (French)
• Camping on top