- Col de Menté
-
Col de Menté 
The summit of the Col de MentéElevation 1,349 m (4,426 ft) Traversed by D44 Location Location of Col de Menté
Col de MentéLocation Haute-Garonne, 
FranceRange Pyrenees Coordinates 42°55′9.7″N 0°45′42.1″E / 42.919361°N 0.761694°ECoordinates: 42°55′9.7″N 0°45′42.1″E / 42.919361°N 0.761694°E The Col de Menté is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees in the department of Haute-Garonne in France. It is situated on the D44 road between Saint-Béat and the D618 (at the bottom of the Col de Portet d'Aspet). At 1349 m, it connects the Ger and Garonne valleys.At one km distance it's the Mourtis ski resort.
Contents
Details of climb
Starting from Pont de l'Oule (east), the climb is 10.9 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 716 m. (an average percentage of 6.6%). The climb proper starts at Ger-de-Boutx, 7 km from the summit (at 7.8%), with the steepest sections being at 10.5%.
Starting from St. Béat (west), the climb is 9.3 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 849 m. (an average percentage of 9.1%) with several sections in excess of 11%.
At the summit there is a road that loops up and over the Col de Menté-Le Mourtis (1409 m.), via the ski-station, returning to the Col de Menté.
Appearances in Tour de France
The Col de Menté was first used in the Tour de France in 1966 and has appeared frequently since. The leader over the summit in 1966 was Joaquim Galera.
The Col has featured 14 times (including on stage 15 of the 2007 tour). In addition, the Tour de France crossed the Col de Menté-Le Mourtis in 1979 and 1995.
Year Stage Category Leader at the summit 2007 15 1 Juan Manuel Garate 2005 15 1 Erik Dekker 2003 14 1 Richard Virenque 2001 13 1 Laurent Jalabert 1999 15 1 Alberto Elli 1998 11 1 Alberto Elli 1995 15 1 Richard Virenque 1988 15 1 Robert Millar 1979 1 2 Bernard Hinault 1976 14 2 Lucien Van Impe 1973 13 2 José-Manuel Fuente 1971 14 2 José-Manuel Fuente 1970 18 2 Guerrino Tosello 1969 16 2 Raymond Delisle 1967 16 1 Fernando Manzanèque 1966 11 2 Joaquim Galera Luis Ocaña
On stage 14 of the 1971 Tour de France Spanish cyclist Luis Ocaña was in the Maillot Jaune with an overall lead of 7 minutes on Eddy Merckx and they crossed the summit of the Col de Menté together in a storm, with streams of mud running across the road. Merckx, an excellent descender, attacked as he descended dangerously down the mountain road. To stay in contact with Merckx, Ocaña took risks descending. Flying through the corners, Merckx lost control and skidded into a low retaining wall at the side of the road. Ocaña trailing close behind could not avoid the fallen Merckx and fell himself. Merckx was up quickly and sped away. Ocaña struggled to release his cleats from the toe clips and was struck by the pursuing Joop Zoetemelk. Ocaña lay on the ground screaming with pain. Help arrived quickly and Ocaña was rushed by helicopter to the hospital in St. Gaudens. He recovered from his injuries, but his 1971 Tour dreams had come to an end.[1] The following day Merckx refused to wear the yellow jersey in order to pay tribute to Ocaña. There is now a memorial plaque at the scene of the accident on the eastern side of the Col de Menté (at 42°54′55.9″N 0°44′37.7″E / 42.915528°N 0.743806°E).
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
References
- ^ "Top 25 All Time Tour 1971- Unbeatable Merckx Gets a Major Scare". Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian. http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/nov05/top25-17.html. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
External links
Categories:- Mountain passes of France
- Mountain passes of the Pyrenees
- Climbs in cycle racing
- 2007 Tour de France
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
