- Ascent
- 1346 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 22.6 km
- max. gradient
- 12 %
- ø gradient
- 6 %
The Lac de Cap de Long from Saint-Lary-Soulan is an HC climb of 22.6 km with 1,346 m of elevation gain at an average of 6 %, peaking at 12 %. The road climbs out of the Vallée d'Aure into the Néouvielle massif to the dam at 2,161 m, and the way back is the same road. The first nine kilometres are gentle, the rest averages a little over 7 %.
The Lac de Cap de Long climbs from the Vallée d’Aure into the Néouvielle massif up to a high dam. From Saint-Lary-Soulan it is 22.6 kilometres and 1,346 metres of climbing up to 2,161 metres. In the Pyrenees of our list only the Col de Tentes is longer and finishes higher. The first third is gentle, the rest is serious climbing.
The Lac de Cap de Long at a glance
The key figures from Saint-Lary-Soulan: category HC, 22.6 km, 1,346 m of climbing, 6 % on average and 12 % at its steepest. The road leaves Saint-Lary-Soulan, climbs into the Néouvielle massif and ends at the dam at 2,161 m. Start and finish are both in Saint-Lary-Soulan, so the way back is the same road. In our list the climb belongs to the Pyrenees region.
The climb from Saint-Lary-Soulan
The first nine kilometres average only around 3.5 %, with a few almost flat pieces in between. It is a long warm up that costs little energy. Around kilometre ten the character changes abruptly, with two kilometres at around 9 %. From here on the actual climb begins.
The last 14 kilometres or so average a little over 7 %. Steeper pieces of 8.5 to 9.5 % alternate with calmer kilometres of around 5 %. The steepest kilometre, right at the 12 % of the fact box, comes about three kilometres before the end. The last kilometre up to the dam is noticeably gentler.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
Among the 14 Pyrenees climbs in our list only the Col de Tentes is longer and finishes higher, and only two have more elevation gain. Across all 100 climbs 22 are longer and 34 finish higher. With a 6 % average it sits in the lower middle, 72 climbs are steeper. The Klausenpass is similar in size with 22.1 km and 1,299 m of climbing, but peaks at only 9 %.
Practical tips
At Cap de Long the effort belongs in the second part, the first nine kilometres are warm up terrain. A compact gearing with a large sprocket makes sense for the steep kilometres near the end. At 2,161 m it is noticeably colder than in the valley, so bring a jacket for the descent. The way back to Saint-Lary-Soulan is the same road.
