Col du Soulor is located in the northwestern Pyrenees mountain range. The Col is accessed from the north via the small village of Ferrières on D126, and from the south via Arrens on the busier and wider D918. The col can also be accessed from Eaux-Bonnes to the west via Col d’Aubisque.
TOUR DE FRANCE HISTORY
Col du Soulor was first featured in the 1912 Tour de France and has been included many times since then. The race organizers truly were “assassins” -- as Octavio Lapize uttered on Tourmalet in 1910. TdF’s 1912 Stage 10, Luchon to Bayonne, was just plane gruesome -- 326 km with five cols: Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet, Soulor and Aubisque. Torturous and unbelievable -- truly!
Col du Soulor first appeared in the TdF on Stage 10 1912
Photo - hyperleap.com - 1912 Tour de France.
Soulor has not been considered a category climb when it is part of the approach to Col d’Aubisque. During the post-WWII Tour de France (1947) Soulor has been featured 12 times between 1973 and 2010 and will return in Stage 14 July 20, 2019. Other than receiving the prominent HC rank in 1982, it has most often been ranked a Cat 1, but for Cat 2 in 2000.
Col du Soulor -- TdF made it famous and the Vuelta visited in 2016.
7.5 km at 7.9%.
KM markers along the route.
This climb has seen plenty of TdF action.
Continue on to Col d’Aubisque -- it’ll be epic -- guaranteed!
There are two restaurants at the top.
Steepest kilometer begins at km 6.3 (9%)