- Ascent
- 649 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 12.5 km
- max. gradient
- 8.5 %
- ø gradient
- 5.2 %
The Col d'Aspin from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is a category 2 climb of 12.5 km with 649 m of elevation gain at an average of 5.2 %, peaking at 8.5 %. The road climbs via Payolle to 1,489 m and drops on the far side to Arreau. At 8.5 % it has the lowest maximum gradient of all 100 climbs in our list.
The Col d’Aspin is the gentlest pass in our list, at least when measured by its steepest gradient. From Sainte-Marie-de-Campan it is 12.5 kilometres and 649 metres of climbing up to 1,489 metres. At 8.5 % it has the lowest maximum gradient of all 100 climbs. It is not entirely easy though, because the work is concentrated in the last kilometres.
The Col d’Aspin at a glance
The key figures from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan: category 2, 12.5 km, 649 m of climbing, 5.2 % on average and 8.5 % at its steepest. The road leads via Payolle up to the pass at 1,489 m. On the far side it drops to Arreau in the Aure valley. In our list the Aspin belongs to the Pyrenees region.
The climb from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan
The first eight kilometres average a little over 3 %, and not one of them goes above 5 %. That is more a long warm-up than a climb, and it tempts you to ride too fast. On this stretch you gain only a little over 40 % of the total climbing. The rest comes afterwards.
The last five kilometres average around 7 %, evenly between 6 and 8 %. This is where the actual climb sits, and it is clearly steeper than the 5.2 % average suggests. There are no big jumps in gradient in this part either. Ride it evenly and you reach the top without fading.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
At 8.5 % the Aspin has the lowest maximum gradient in the entire list. For elevation gain it ranks 87th with 649 m, and twelfth among the 14 Pyrenean climbs. The Col de Peyresourde has almost the same climbing at 638 m, but packs it into 8.3 instead of 12.5 kilometres and is correspondingly steeper at 7.7 % on average. The Col du Soulor has the same 5.2 % average, although it is considerably longer at 19.5 km.
Practical tips
The Aspin is best ridden in two parts: the first eight kilometres easy, the last five at your own pace. With a maximum of 8.5 % normal gearing is enough, you do not need anything particularly low. At 1,489 m it is cooler at the top than in the valley, so a wind vest for the descent to Arreau makes sense. From Arreau the Louron valley leads to Armenteule, the starting point of the Col de Peyresourde in our list.
