- Ascent
- 1090 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 16.5 km
- max. gradient
- 13 %
- ø gradient
- 6.6 %
The Cirque de Troumouse from Gèdre is an HC climb of 16.5 km with 1,090 m of elevation gain at an average of 6.6 %, peaking at 13 %. The road climbs via Héas up to the cirque at 2,103 m, and the way back is the same road. The gradient changes often, with the steepest kilometre about three kilometres below the top.
The Cirque de Troumouse is a dead end that finishes in a huge rock cirque above the Gavarnie valley. From Gèdre it is 16.5 kilometres and 1,090 metres of climbing up to 2,103 metres. The road keeps changing its rhythm, without any long flat stretches. In the Pyrenees of our list only three climbs finish higher.
The Cirque de Troumouse at a glance
The key figures from Gèdre: category HC, 16.5 km, 1,090 m of climbing, 6.6 % on average and 13 % at its steepest. The road branches off in Gèdre from the valley road to Gavarnie and climbs via Héas up to the end of the valley at 2,103 m. Start and finish are both in Gèdre, so the way back is the same road. In our list the Troumouse belongs to the Pyrenees region.
The climb from Gèdre
The first two kilometres are a calm start at 3 to 4 %. Then comes the first steep block: three kilometres at 7 to 9 %. After that it calms down again, the gradient sits around 6 %, and one kilometre at just over 2 % is almost a break. Up to about halfway it is a climb with many changes but no big hardships.
The second half is more restless: around kilometre twelve comes a kilometre at just over 9 %, and about three kilometres below the top lies the steepest kilometre of the whole climb. After it the gradient stays at 5 to 6 % until the end. So the last kilometres are not a roll out but steady work up to the cirque.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
At 2,103 m the Troumouse finishes high: in the Pyrenees of our list only three climbs end higher, across all 100 it is 37. With 1,090 m of climbing and a 6.6 % average it sits in the middle, 61 climbs have more elevation gain and 59 are steeper on average. The Col de Tentes uses the same valley: it starts lower down in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, passes through Gèdre and ends even higher at 2,208 m, but at 29.9 km it is almost twice as long.
Practical tips
A compact chainset is enough for the 13 % peak, what matters more is pacing through the constant changes of rhythm. Save something for the steepest kilometre in the last third. At 2,103 m it is cool even in summer, so bring a jacket for the descent. The way back to Gèdre is the same road.
