Col de Marie-Blanque

Col de Marie-Blanque (elevation 1035 m) is a mountain pass in the western Pyrenees in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in France. The pass is situated south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and connects the valleys of the Aspe and the Ossau rivers.

Details of the climb
The western side of the climb, starts from Escot on the N134. The climb is 9.3 km long at an average gradient of 7.7% (height gain – 715 m). Although relatively short, there are several long sections with gradients in excess of 11%.

From Louvie-Juzon (east), the climb is 15.0 km long. Over this distance, it gains 615 m at an average gradient of 4.1%. The climb proper starts at Bielle on the D934 from where it is 11.5 km long, gaining 585 m at an average gradient of 5.1%, with a maximum of 8.5% near the start. En route, the climb passes the Plateau de Bénou.

Tour de France
The pass was first used in the Tour de France in 1978 and has been crossed 15 times by the tour, including on stage 9 of the 2020 tour from Pau to Laruns.