France Plateau de Beille
Plateau de Beille Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

10.3
FIETS
9.5 mi
DISTANCE
3,952 ft
GAINED
7.9 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Bruce Hamilton, Palm Desert, CA, USA; Carl Hansen, Guernsey, UK

INTRO

The climb begins in Château-Verdun (pop. 54, 2008) which is a small village in Haute-Ariège Canton in the French Pyrenees in southeastern France.

This is a challenging climb that occasionally makes it into the Tour de France route. It is one of the more difficult climbs in the Pyrenees. The views are great from the Nordic ski station at the top.

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via our interactive Profile Tool.
Roadway: The roadway is in good shape up to the top.

Traffic: There is almost no traffic in the non-ski season. However, you may encounter farm animals (and lots of flies) on the road.

Parking: You can park in Les Cabannes. It is also possible to ride to the start of the climb from Ax-les-Thermes or Tarascon-sur-Ariege, although the main road (N20) can have heavy traffic.

Summer in the Pyrenees is normally warm and sunny, even at higher elevations. However, there are some periods of low clouds that can make the climbs quite damp. Bring warm clothes just in case. There are bike shops in Ax-les-Thermes. There is water, food, and toilets available at the top of the climb during certain hours.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
There are places to stay in Ax-les-Thermes, Tarascon-sur-Ariege, and some of the smaller villages in the area. Ax-les-Thermes and Tarascon-sur-Ariege also have restaurants and shops for food.  

ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Strenuous
4
Road
5
Traffic
4
Scenery

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Apr 1, 2021
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
Apr 1, 2021
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
This is one of the harder climbs in the Pyrenees with good scenery once you get up on the Plateau.
ROUTE MAP
PROFILE TOOL
Route Data
S.G. (%)
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Climb Profile Not Found
CLIMB SUMMARY

Climb Summary

 

Image from Commons.wikimedia.org

The climb begins in Château-Verdun (pop. 54, 2008) which is a small village in Haute-Ariège Canton in the French Pyrenees in southeastern France. Of The Plateau, Wikipedia notes:

“For a long time, this plateau was only a place of livestock, especially cattle. It has recently become the site of an important winter sports resort of the Pyrenees, mainly dedicated to the practice of cross-country skiing, with tracks between 1,650 and 2,000 metres (5,410 and 6,560 ft) altitude. The ski station is located between Tarascon-sur-Ariège and Ax-les-Thermes, close to the Spanish border, and above the communes of Les Cabannes, Albiès and Vèbre. Road access to the plateau (the D522) starts from Les Cabannes. Moreover, the Plateau de Beille is a crossing point of the GR 10 hiking trail that crosses the Pyrenees from east to west.”  Wikipedia 

 

Steepest kilometer begins at km 9 (11.1%)

Tour de France

This climb has been featured in the Tour de France 6 times from 1998 to 2015 (as of 2017), 5 of those 6 as summit finishes.

PJAMM will document this climb in September, 2018