Col du Soulor

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = Col du Soulor

| other_name =

| photo = Corniche Aubisque Soulor.jpg

| photo_caption = Road from Col d'Aubisque to Col du Soulor.

| photo_alt =

| map = Pyrenees#France

| map_relief = 1

| map_caption = Location in the Pyrenees##Location in France

| label = Col du Soulor

| elevation = 1474 m

| elevation_ref = [http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=-0.261111,42.960556&z=0.000316906&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&permalink=yes IGN map]

| location = Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
Hautes-Pyrénées, France

| range = Pyrenees

| topo =

| coords = {{coord|42|57|38|N|0|15|40|W|type:pass_region:FR|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref =

| traversed =

}}

Col du Soulor (elevation {{convert|1474|m|ft|abbr=on}}) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees in France, linking Argelès-Gazost with Arthez-d'Asson. It connects the Ouzom and Arens valleys. A road leaves the pass to the west to reach the higher Col d'Aubisque.

The road over the col is regularly used in the Tour de France cycling race, normally in conjunction with the Col d'Aubisque.

Details of the climbs

Starting from Argelès-Gazost (east), the Soulor is {{convert|19.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}. It rises {{convert|1019|m|ft|abbr=on}}, an average gradient of 5.2%. It gets tough after Arrens-Marsous with stretches at 10% or steeper.{{cite web|title=Col du Soulor: Argelès Gazost|url=http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?qryMountainID=6708|publisher=www.climbbybike.com|accessdate=21 July 2012}}

The col can also be reached from the north, via the D126. Starting from Arthez-d'Asson, the ascent is {{convert|22|km|mi|abbr=on}} long. Over this distance, the climb gains {{convert|1074|m|ft|abbr=on}}, at an average of 4.9%. The real climbing, however, comes at Ferrières, after which the gradient increases to 9%.{{cite web|title=Col du Soulor: Arthez-d'Asson|url=http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?qryMountainID=6705|publisher=www.climbbybike.com|accessdate=21 July 2012}} This was the direction used in the 2010 Tour de France.{{cite web|title=2010 Tour de France Stage 17 Preview |url=http://www.cycling-challenge.com/2010-tour-de-france-stage-17-preview/|publisher=www.cycling-challenge.com|accessdate=21 July 2012 |date=19 July 2010}}

Tour de France

The Col du Soulor was first used in the 1910 Tour de France{{Cite web |last=McKay |first=Feargal |date=2022-07-04 |title=Mythologies: Assassins of the Aubisque! |url=https://www.podiumcafe.com/book-corner/2022/7/4/23088428/col-daubisque-octave-lapize-assassins |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Podium Cafe |language=en}} and was most recently featured in the 17th stage of the 2010 Tour de France, as a category 1 climb.{{Cite web |url=http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/sommets/143.html |title=The history of the Tour de France, Col du Soulor - letour.fr |access-date=2011-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819052221/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/sommets/143.html |archive-date=2010-08-19 |url-status=dead }}

The Col du Soulor is also crossed during the passage over the Col d'Aubisque. When this route is used, for example in stage 16 of the 2012 Tour de France, it is often not a categorized climb,{{cite web |url=http://www.ledicodutour.com/cols/cols_s/soulor.html |title=Le col du Soulor dans le Tour de France depuis 1947 |accessdate=20 July 2022 |language = French}} since the amount of re-ascent from the west is relatively small. It has, however, been a categorized climb on 12 occasions, including in 1982 as a hors catégorie climb.

= Passages in the Tour de France (since 1947) =

The categorized crossings of the Col du Soulor since 1947 were as follows:

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
Year !Stage !Category !Start !Finish !Leader at the summit
2019 \|14 \| 1 \| Tarbes \| Col du Tourmalet \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Tim Wellens\|BEL}}
2010 \|17 \| 1 \| Pau \| Col du Tourmalet \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Marcus Burghardt\|DEU}}
2000 \|10 \| 2 \| Dax \| Hautacam \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Javier Otxoa\|ESP}}
1999 \|16 \|1 \| Lannemezan \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Pavel Tonkov\|RUS}}
1997 \|9 \|1 \| Pau \| Loudenvielle \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Laurent Brochard\|FRA}}
1996 \|17 \|1 \| Argelès-Gazost \| Pamplona \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Pascal Hervé\|FRA}}
1995 \|16 \| 1 \| Tarbes \| Pau \|Stage neutralised
1985 \|18a \| 1 \| Luz-Saint-Sauveur \| Col d'Aubisque \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Stephen Roche\|IRL}}
1982 \|12 \|HC \| Fleurance \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| André Chalmel\|FRA}}
1979 \| 3 \| 1 \| Bagnères-de-Luchon \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Mariano Martinez\|FRA}}
1975 \|10 \|1 \| Auch \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Lucien Van Impe\|BEL}}
1974 \|18 \|1 \| Bagnères-de-Bigorre \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Andrés Oliva\|ESP}}
1973 \|14 \|1 \| Bagnères-de-Luchon \| Pau \|align=left\|{{Flagathlete\| Pedro Torres\|ESP}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

Year

!Stage

!Category

!Start

!Finish

!Leader at the summit

2019

|14

| 1

| Tarbes

| Col du Tourmalet