The Col du Soulor (1,474m) is a lesser-known medium mountain pass in the French Pyrenees. It links the French towns of Argelès-Gazost in the east and Arthez-d’Asson in the north.
Col du Soulor is a long climb regardless of these two directions.
- From Argelès-Gazost (east)
- From Arthez-d’Asson (north)
Starting point : Argelès-Gazost
Argelès-Gazost is located east of Col du Soulor.
It’s a long, Hors Catégorie (HC) climb from Argelès-Gazost at 18.9km and an average of 5.1%. There is a false flat and rolling section in the middle, between the sixth and twelfth kilometer. The last 7km are steep, with the gradients rarely dipping below 6%.
Once at the summit, you can either turn right and descend into Arthez-d’Asson, or continue towards the Col d’Ausbique, another 9.7km from here.
The Hautacam is also near Argelès-Gazost for those looking for a more challenging climb.
| Col du Soulor from Argelès-Gazost | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 18.9km |
| Climb category | HC |
| Elevation gain | 999m |
| Minimum elevation | 491m |
| Maximum elevation | 1,458m |
| Average gradient | 5.1% |
| Maximum gradient | 13.0% |
| Strava segment | Col du Soulor from Argelès-Gazost |
Starting point : Arthez-d’Asson
Arthez-d’Asson is located north of Col du Soulor. It’s an Hors Catégorie (HC) climb from Arthez-d’Asson up to the Col du Soulor. The side up the Col du Soulor is the lesser-known of the two and the more scenic route.
The climb to Col du Soulor from Arthez-d’Asson is 24.4km long and averages 4.6%.
The first 12km are easier with some false flat sections. From the thirteenth kilometer onwards, the gradient gets significantly steeper and rarely dips below 6%.
| Col du Soulor from Arthez-d’Asson | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 24.4km |
| Climb category | HC |
| Elevation gain | 1,161m |
| Minimum elevation | 335m |
| Maximum elevation | 1,459m |
| Average gradient | 4.6% |
| Maximum gradient | 13.1% |
| Strava segment | Col du Soulor from Arthez-d’Asson |
Col du Soulor in the Tour de France
The Col du Soulor was used in the Tour de France 16 times from 1922 to 2019.
In 2019’s Stage 14, the peloton ascended from Arthez-d’Asson, turned left at the top, and descended into Argelès-Gazost.
Col du Soulor is sometimes used with Col d’Ausbique as part of the west-east approach, such as on Stage 10 in 2000. The peloton ascended the Col d’Ausbique from the west, descended east into the Col du Soulor, and eventually finished atop the Hautacam.
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | First to summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | Tarbes | Col du Tourmalet | Tim Wellens |
| 2010 | 17 | 1 | Pau | Col du Tourmalet | Marcus Burghardt |
| 2000 | 10 | 2 | Dax | Hautacam | Javier Otxoa |
| 1999 | 16 | 1 | Lannemezan | Pau | Pavel Tonkov |
| 1997 | 9 | 1 | Pau | Loudenvielle | Laurent Brochard |
| 1996 | 17 | 1 | Argelès-Gazost | Pamplona | Pascal Hervé |
| 1995 | 16 | 1 | Tarbes | Pau | Stage neutralised |
| 1985 | 18a | 1 | Luz-Saint-Sauveur | Col d’Aubisque | Stephen Roche |
| 1982 | 12 | HC | Fleurance | Pau | André Chalmel |
| 1979 | 3 | 1 | Bagnères-de-Luchon | Pau | Mariano Martinez |
| 1975 | 10 | 1 | Auch | Pau | Lucien Van Impe |
| 1974 | 18 | 1 | Bagnères-de-Bigorre | Pau | Andrés Oliva |
| 1973 | 14 | 1 | Bagnères-de-Luchon | Pau | Pedro Torres |