The Col d'Aubisque is the big challenge for Stage 13 of the Tour de France today, but it probably won't prove decisive since it's nearly 30 miles from the finish.
There are three climbs over the 156km (97-mile) route between Pau and Lourdes — a Category 3 and 4 summit and the “above category” Col d'Aubisque.
There is no mountain top finish, like Thursday. That final climb catapulted Frank Schleck into second place overall and further hurt the chances of defending champion Alberto Contador, who fell to 4 minutes behind.
Tour analysts say this might be a good day for a breakaway to win the stage; I'm more interested in whether France's Thomas Voeckler can continue to hold onto the yellow jersey for another day.
Col d'Aubisque
Although Aubisque might not be a factor in the overall outcome of the bike race, it's certainly a difficult climb. It first appeared in the Tour in 1910, the same year the the Tourmalet, but isn't used as frequently.
[Wikipedia has a good yarn about Wim Van Est, a Dutch cyclist in the yellow jersey who missed a turn coming down the Aubisque and rolled off the road, coming to rest 70 meters down the mountain. A rope wasn't long enough to reach him so his team manager tied 40 bicycle tires to the end and pulled him up.]
To appreciate the climb, and descent, here's a 3D Tour of the climb presented by Cycling the Alps. You'll need Google Earth to view it.
Cycling the Alps also has profiles and 3D Tours for the other climbs of Stage 13, Cote de Belair and Cote de Cuqueron, as well as other upcoming Tour stages. When available, he also has “Streetview” tours.
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