Skip to content
Home » Aubisque

Aubisque

Wim van Est after he fell into a 70 meter deep ravine in the 13th stage of Tour de France 1951

17 July 1951 Wim van Est’s crash on the Aubisque

On the 12th stage of Tour de France 1951 Wim van Est escaped with a small group, won the stage and took the lead in the general classification. He was the first Dutchman to wear the yellow jersey. Next day the peloton arrived in the Pyrenees. The 201 km 13th long stage between Dax and Tarbes included the mighty Col d’Aubisque. Pretty big challenge for a rider, like Wim van Est, who had never climbed a major climb before. Nevertheless, he wanted to keep the yellow jersey even after a stage like this, tried to keep up with the best climbers of the days. He had puncture and crashed a few times before cressing the… Read More »17 July 1951 Wim van Est’s crash on the Aubisque

Felicien Vervaecke Tourmalet Tour de France 1936

Felicien Vervaecke’s bad luck (Tour de France 1936)

A  Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees (especially, when it includes the big four, Peyresourde, Auspin, Aubisque and Tourmalet) always provides stories to tell. Belgian rider Felicien Vervaecke won the mountain competition of Tour de France twice, in 1935 and 1937. Before the 16th stage (Peyresourde, Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque) in 1936, he was 4 minutes behind his teammate Sylvère Maes in the GC. But bad luck prevented him to maintain this position. First his bicycle broke, and he had to convince a spectator to lend his. Then he suffered a flat tire, and Tour officials forced him to wait for the reserve car. Antonin Magne, the actual third in the GC passed him. When… Read More »Felicien Vervaecke’s bad luck (Tour de France 1936)

Eddy Merckx Tour de France 1969

Eddy Merckx’s epic solo ride in the Pyrenees

Before the 17th stage of Tour de France 1969 Eddy Merckx’s first overall victory was almost secured. He led the general classification with more than 8 minutes. The 214, 5 km long stage between Luchon and Mourenx included the “big four” ascents of the Pyrenees: Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque. Eddy Merckx (Faema) attacked right before the top of Tourmalet, only to collect some mountain points. A few km later he realized, that nobody went with him. Lomme Driessens, the Directeur Sportif of Faema told him to wait for the rest of the peloton. But Merckx decided differetly. It was still 105 km to go. Merckx rode it solo. He finished almost 8 minutes ahead of… Read More »Eddy Merckx’s epic solo ride in the Pyrenees