Perched in the heart of the Hautes-Pyrénées, Cauterets is an ideal cycling destination! Cauterets has two special climbs starting from the village, one to the Pont d’Espagne and the other to Cauterets-Cambasque.
Here you’ll find all the information you need to prepare for your cycling outings.
Cauterets-Cambasque
The ascent starts from Cauterets, at an altitude of around 1000 metres.
The climb of between 8 and 10% is demanding and puts the legs to the test before arriving at the Cambasque plateau at 1350m altitude. The Cambasque site has hosted the finish of the Tour de France on several occasions.
Pont d'Espagne
From Cauterets, the road rises gradually, offering a relatively easy first section as far as La Raillère. It’s after La Raillère that the going gets tough: the gradient gets steeper, with several sections in excess of 10%, while the road becomes increasingly winding.
But the scenery is well worth all the effort, and the climb offers some magnificent scenery, between fir trees and waterfalls.
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION: As the Pont d’Espagne site is part of the Pyrenees National Park, access by bike is only permitted as far as the Puntas car park. Access to the site by bicycle is prohibited.
Cauterets – tour de france
Cauterets and the Tour de France Cauterets has gone down in Tour de France history, hosting the peloton on several occasions. Since 1953, the Tour has started or finished here seven times. A number of big names have won here, including Miguel Indurain in 1989 and Richard Virenque in 1995. The most recent finish was in Cambasque in 2023, when Tadej Pogačar won an epic stage that included the legendary Col d’Aspin and Tourmalet.
Other major Pyrenean passes
Cauterets occupies a privileged position in the heart of the Pyrenees, close to numerous climbs, some of which have gone down in history thanks to their difficulty and their history, closely linked to that of the Tour de France, the world’s greatest cycling event.
- Aubisque pass
- Col du Tourmalet
- Hautacam
