Luz Ardiden

Luz Ardiden is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Occitanie Region. The ski resort lies at a height of 1720 meters and was opened on January 16, 1975. In recent years the road to Luz Ardiden has served as an occasional stage finish for the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden
Location within Occitanie
Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden (France)
Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden (Pyrenees)
LocationLuz-Saint-Sauveur, Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitanie, France
Coordinates42°53′8″N 0°3′41″W
Top elevation2500
Base elevation1680
Runs26
Lift system15
Websitehttp://www.luz.org/

Details of climb

Starting from Luz-Saint-Sauveur (710 m), the climb to Luz Ardiden (1720 m) is 14.7 km long. The elevation gain over this distance is 1010 m (an average of 6.9%). The maximum gradient is 10%.[1]

Cycling
The road up to Luz Ardiden.

Luz Ardiden has been the finish-line for Tour de France and Vuelta a España stages several times.

Tour de France stage finishes
Year Stage Category Start of stage Distance (km) Stage winner Yellow jersey
2011 12 HC Cugnaux 211 Samuel Sánchez Thomas Voeckler
2003 15 HC Bagnères de Bigorre 159.5 Lance Armstrong (Disqualified) Lance Armstrong (Disqualified)
2001 14 HC Tarbes 144 Roberto Laiseka Lance Armstrong (Disqualified)
1994 12 HC Lourdes 204.5 Richard Virenque Miguel Indurain
1990 16 HC Blagnac 215 Miguel Indurain Claudio Chiappucci
1988 15 HC Saint-Girons 187.5 Laudelino Cubino Gonzalez Pedro Delgado
1987 14 HC Pau 166 Dag Otto Lauritzen Charly Mottet
1985 17 HC Toulouse 209.5 Pedro Delgado Bernard Hinault

During the 2003 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was riding with Iban Mayo at the start of the climb to Luz Ardiden when Armstrong crashed, bringing Mayo down with him. The fall was caused when Armstrong caught the handlebar of his bike on the strap of a spectator's bag. Jan Ulrich, who was riding just behind Armstrong and Mayo, avoided the crash, and in an act of chivalry he slowed to wait for the fallen riders.[2] Armstrong would go on to win by his smallest ever margin.

Vuelta a España stage finishes
Year Stage Category Start of stage Distance (km) Stage winner GC leader
1995 17 HC Salardu 179 Laurent Jalabert Laurent Jalabert
1992 9 HC Vielha 144 Laudelino Cubino Jesus Montoya

See also

References
  1. climbbybike.com: Luz Ardiden
  2. The Official Tour de France Centennial 1903-2003. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2003. ISBN 1-84188-239-9.
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