Col d'Aspin
| Col d'Aspin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 View from the pass in east direction ( Arreau ) |
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| Compass direction | west | east | |
| Pass height | 1489 m | ||
| Department | Hautes-Pyrénées | ||
| Valley locations | Sainte-Marie-de-Campan | Arreau | |
| expansion | D 918 | ||
| Winter closure | open all year | ||
| Mountains | Pyrenees | ||
| profile | |||
| Mountain scoring | 1 | 1 | |
| Ø pitch | 5.2% (649 m / 12.5 km) | 6.3% (785 m / 12.3 km) | |
| Max. Incline | 8.5% | 8.7% | |
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| Coordinates | 42 ° 56 '32 " N , 0 ° 19' 38" E | ||
The Col d'Aspin is a French road pass in the Pyrenees . The 1489 m high crossing is located in the Occitania region ( Hautes-Pyrénées ) and connects Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Sainte-Marie-de-Campan in the Campan valley with Arreau in the Aure valley .
Routing
The north-westerly approach to the Col d'Aspin begins in Bagnères-de-Bigorre at an altitude of 555 meters. The D 935 follows the course of the Adour for twelve kilometers to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan at an altitude of 840 meters. There the road meets the D 918, the Route des Cols coming from the Col du Tourmalet and La Mongie . After seven kilometers with a moderate incline, you will reach the Payolle lift station, which is 1100 meters high and belongs to the municipality of Campan. To the south, a paved road branches off to the Pass Hourquette d'Ancizan (1564 meters). The ascent to the Aspin is now steeper (up to 9%) and contains a few bends. It leads almost completely through the forest. From the top of the pass there is a beautiful view of the steep eastern ramp of the Aspin and over the valley of the Neste d'Aure .
The east ramp from Arreau is much more challenging. The first two kilometers it follows a small stream, where a small alternative route branches off via the village of Aspin-Aure . The main route now climbs a steep mountain wall. She changes direction several times. The eighth kilometer is the steepest at 9.5%. The street is quite narrow and it is difficult for two motor homes to pass each other.
Both climbs are equipped with special signs for cyclists at intervals of one kilometer .
Tour de France
The Col d'Aspin was on the Tour de France program 74 times , making it the third most popular pass on the tour. Usually it is used in combination with the Col du Tourmalet or the Col de Peyresourde . The Tour of France crossed the Aspin for the first time in 1910, most recently in 2018 during the 19th stage (as of 2019). In the 1950 tour , there were fights at the top of the pass, as a result of which the Italian team with Gino Bartali and Fiorenzo Magni , the leaders in the overall classification at the time, resigned.
