Col de la Pierre St Martin


Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin is a mountain pass on the France-Spain border in the western Pyrenees in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Navarra. The climb from the Spanish side was used in the 2007 Tour de France.
Close to the summit of the pass, there is the ski station of Arette-Pierre-Saint-Martin.
In 2015, on Bastille Day, the tenth leg of the Tour climbed the Col in the other direction, from Arette up to the village of Pierre Saint Martin, which hosted the end of a stage for the first time ever..
Every year on 13 July since 1375, the ceremony of the Tribute of the Three Cows takes place on the summit of the mountain pass.

Details of the climb

The southern side of the climb, starting from Isaba is long at an average gradient of 3.6%. The final stages of the climb start at Larra Belagua with at 5.2%, with a maximum of 7.4%.
The pass is situated south east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie. Starting from Arette, the climb is long gaining . En route, the climb passes over the Col de Labays, the Pas de Guilhers and the Col du Soudet.

Tour de France

The climb from the south featured in 2007 in the Tour de France for the first time on the stage 16 from Orthez to Gourette–Col d'Aubisque.

Appearances in Tour de France

YearStageCategoryStartFinishLeader at the summit
201510HCTarbesCol de la Pierre St Martin
2007161OrthezGourette–Col d'Aubisque