The 4 best Col du Tourmalet finishes
1. Tour De France 1910, Stage 10
Octave Lapize, the first rider to crest the Col du Tourmalet in the 1910 Tour De France.
Quite how anyone managed to ride to the top of the Col du Tourmalet the first time the tour took on the mountain is a marvel, considering it was late in the day on a 326km ride that took in not one, but four beastly climbs. On single speed bikes, the riders were challenged by the Peyresourde, the Aspin, the Tourmalet and the Aubisque mountains, setting off at 3.30am in order to give them time to complete the stage. Lapize was first over the first two climbs, battling against Garrigou to become to the first ever cyclist on the Tour de France to defeat the Col du Tourmalet, albeit having to walk some of the way on the day.
2. Strava KOM
Cyril Barthe took the Strava KOM a day after the Tour went up it in 2019.
The day after the Tour de France snaked its way up the Col du Tourmalet in 2019, B&B Hotels rider Cyril Barthe – who did not ride the Tour – decided to have his own fun and sped up the famous ascent, claiming the coveted Strava KOM at the top. Clearly, it's a shame he didn't race that year as he might just have claimed his first ever stage win at the Tour if he had. With an average speed of 18.7km/h, it took Cyril Barthe 45 minutes and 22 seconds to complete.
Tour De France 2019, Stage 14
Thibault Pinot takes the win on Stage 14 of the Tour de France 2019.
The one thing you don't often expect when a stage finishes at the top of the Col du Tourmalet is a sprint for the line, but in 2019, Thibault Pinot broke free from a group of six key GC riders in the final metres to claim the stage for himself and his team, Groupama FDJ. Leaving Alaphillipe, Buchmann, Kruijswijk and Bernal in his wake. He was led up by an extraordinary effort from teammate David Gauda before launching his attack with 500m to go and claiming the momument as his own.
Tour De France 2010, Stage 17
A 10km battle between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador in 2010 went right to the finish line.
A climb like the Col du Tourmalet always comes with fireworks and in the Tour de France's ascent up it in 2010, yellow jersey wearer Alberto Contador and his main GC rival Andy Schleck put on quite the show. With 10km of the climb – and stage – to go, Schleck launched the attack everyone had been waiting for, hoping to use it to take the yellow jersey as his own. Contador was right on his wheel and the two slogged it up together, matching each other's efforts at every turn. As the finish line came into sight, their mutual respect for one another's work that day was evident and they crossed the finish line together, Schleck taking the stage and Contador keeping his yellow jersey all the way to Paris. Controversially, however, Schleck is now credited as the winner of the 2010 Tour de France after positive doping results from Contador, which he claims were due to food contamination.
