Once again in 2012, the classic Col du Tourmalet is included in the Tour de France on the 18th July. This will be the 76th time in the tours history and it has been crossed more than any other pass.  The 16th stage which starts in Pau and finishes in Bangnères-de-Luchon not only includes the Tourmalet but also the Col d'Aubisque, the Col d'Aspin and the Col de Peyresourde.  

The Tour de France's stage 16 in 2010 was a tribute to Eddy Merckx's spectacular solo victory in 1969's stage 17, in which he soloed for approximately 120km to win the stage by nearly eight minutes. The 2011 route is nearly identical to the roads Merckx flattened 41 years ago, it includes the same four climbs.

At the summit there is a memorial to Jacques Goddet, director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1987, and a large statue of Octave Lapize, the Frenchman who won the 1910 Tour de France which included the first crossing of the Col du Tourmalet,  gasping for air as he struggles to make the climb.  He actually walked most of the dirt road climb.

The pass stands at 2155 metres (6939 feet) above sea level, it is one of the most famous mountain passes in the central Pyrenees in southwestern France, it has been crossed more than any other col since 1910 when the Pyreness were introduced into the Tour de France.
At the base on the Western side of the pass, from Luz St Sauveur, the climb is 19 kms (11.8  miles) long and you climb 1404 metres (4606 feet), the average gradient is 7.4% with a maximum or 10.2% near the summit.  It is classified as 'hors catagorie' in Tour de France.

The translation, in Gascon (an ancient language used in the South West of France and the Arun Valley in spain), is The distance mountain.  'Tur' which is pronounced 'tour' means distance, 'mal' means mountain and 'et' translates into The.  If you translate Tourmalet directly in French it actually means bad trip or bad detour!