Col de Portet: The Tour’s new icon

In the Col de Portet, the Tour de France has unearthed a stunning climb that’s set for legendary status. Peter Cossins headed to the Pyrenees to ride it before the pros do

(Image credit: Daniel Gould)

Unlike the organisers of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme and his first lieutenant/route-finder Thierry Gouvenou don’t have the benefit of an almost endless supply of testing climbs with which to spice up each edition of the Tour.

Nevertheless, over the past decade or so, they have regularly served up some of the most compelling and unpredictable mountain stages in recent Grand Tour history, frequently conjuring something new and dynamic from what is often very well-travelled terrain.

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