France · Pyrenees
Port de Balès
A relatively recent addition to Tour de France parcours. The narrow road through thick forest feels remote and wild.
- Length
- 11.7 km
- Avg gradient
- 7.7%
- Max gradient
- 11%
- Elevation gain
- 900 m
- Summit
- 1,755 m
- Hairpins
- 16
Versants
- From Mauléon-Barousse — 11.7 km at 7.7% (max 11%)
History
Port de Balès is a relatively recent addition to the Tour de France — it first appeared in 2007 — but it's been quickly absorbed into the roster of great Pyrenean climbs. The road is narrow and carries little traffic except during the Tour, making it feel remote and wild.
From Mauléon-Barousse the climb is 11.7 km at 7.7% average, a short, punchy ascent through thick forest that feels isolated despite its proximity to more visited Pyrenean cols. The trees close in on both sides and the road is barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass.
The Tour uses the Balès as a strategic climb rather than a stage finish — positioning it to split the field and control the race. But it's the raw, forested character that makes it interesting to cyclists: there's little of the ski-station infrastructure or tourist infrastructure of some other climbs.