Plateau de Beille
Encyclopedia
Plateau de Beille is a ski resort
in the Pyrenees
. It is situated in the Ariège
department, in the Midi-Pyrénées
. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1790 meters.
The ski station is located between Tarascon-sur-Ariège
and Ax-les-Thermes
, close to the Spanish border. The ski slopes are at between 1650 and 2000 m. The station is the most important in the Pyrenees for cross-country skiing.
Plateau de Beille has been the finish for a Tour de France
stage five times: 1998
, 2002
, 2004
, 2007
, and 2011
. On the first four occasions, the stage winner has gone on to win the Tour: Marco Pantani
in 1998, Lance Armstrong
in 2002 and 2004, and Alberto Contador
in 2007. However, the stage winner in 2011, Jelle Vanendert
, did not win the Tour. Although the Tour de France itself does not keep precise track of elapsed time on individual climbs, and occasionally changes their official starting and finishing points, professional coaches and media organizations have recorded the following times:
* The 1998 Tour de France finish was at 1747 m whereas in later years the finish has been at 1780 m.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. It is situated in the Ariège
Ariège
Ariège is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.- History :Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans....
department, in the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1790 meters.
The ski station is located between Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Tarascon-sur-Ariège is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Tarascon-sur-Ariège are called Tarasconnais.-External links:*...
and Ax-les-Thermes
Ax-les-Thermes
Ax-les-Thermes is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France.It lies at the confluence of the Ariège River with three tributaries, 26 miles SSE of Foix by rail...
, close to the Spanish border. The ski slopes are at between 1650 and 2000 m. The station is the most important in the Pyrenees for cross-country skiing.
Details of climb
Starting from Les Cabannes (535 m.), the climb to the Plateau de Beille (1790 m.) is 15.8 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1255 m. (an average of 7.9%). The maximum gradient is 10.8%.Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
stage five times: 1998
1998 Tour de France
The 1998 Tour de France, also called the Tour du Dopage , was marred by doping scandals throughout known as the Festina affair, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet, a soigneur in the French Festina team. Voet was traveling into France when he was arrested and found with large quantities of...
, 2002
2002 Tour de France
The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps...
, 2004
2004 Tour de France
The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...
, 2007
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
, and 2011
2011 Tour de France
-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
. On the first four occasions, the stage winner has gone on to win the Tour: Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing...
in 1998, Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
in 2002 and 2004, and Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
in 2007. However, the stage winner in 2011, Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmares :20012006...
, did not win the Tour. Although the Tour de France itself does not keep precise track of elapsed time on individual climbs, and occasionally changes their official starting and finishing points, professional coaches and media organizations have recorded the following times:
Tour de France stage finishes
| Year | Stage | Start of stage | Distance (km) | Category of climb | Stage winner | Yellow jersey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 2011 Tour de France -Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in... |
14 | Saint-Gaudens Saint-Gaudens Saint-Gaudens is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.Saint-Gaudens lies at an altitude of 405 m on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Garonne... |
168.5 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Jelle Vanendert Jelle Vanendert Jelle Vanendert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmares :20012006... |
Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour... |
46:01 |
| 2007 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
14 | Mazamet Mazamet Mazamet is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolitan area.-Geography:... |
170 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro... |
Michael Rasmussen Michael Rasmussen Michael Rasmussen is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who rides for the Danish team Christina Watches-Onfone. In the 2007 Tour de France, Rasmussen, while in the yellow jersey, had his contract terminated by his team and was removed from the Tour... |
44:08 |
| 2004 2004 Tour de France The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and... |
13 | Lannemezan Lannemezan Lannemezan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:The Petite Baïse has its source in the commune.Lannemezan is around 30 km east of Tarbes, and around 100 km south-west of Toulouse.-References:*... |
205.5 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour... |
45:30 |
| 2002 2002 Tour de France The 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps... |
12 | Lannemezan Lannemezan Lannemezan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:The Petite Baïse has its source in the commune.Lannemezan is around 30 km east of Tarbes, and around 100 km south-west of Toulouse.-References:*... |
198 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support... |
45:43 |
| 1998 1998 Tour de France The 1998 Tour de France, also called the Tour du Dopage , was marred by doping scandals throughout known as the Festina affair, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet, a soigneur in the French Festina team. Voet was traveling into France when he was arrested and found with large quantities of... |
11 | Bagnères-de-Luchon Bagnères-de-Luchon Bagnères-de-Luchon , also referred to as Luchon, is a spa town and a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Geography:... |
170 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Marco Pantani Marco Pantani Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing... |
Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport... |
43:30} |