Luz Ardiden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden Location in Occitanie Show map of Occitanie Luz Ardiden Location in France Show map of France Luz Ardiden Location in Pyrenees Show map of Pyrenees
Location	Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitanie, France
Coordinates	42°53′8″N 0°3′41″W / 42.88556°N 0.06139°W / 42.88556; -0.06139
Top elevation	2500
Base elevation	1680
Runs	26
Lift system	15
Website	http://www.luz.org/

Luz Ardiden is a popular ski resort located high up in the Pyrenees mountains. You can find it in the Hautes-Pyrénées area, which is part of the Occitanie Region in France. The resort sits at an elevation of 1,720 meters (about 5,643 feet) and first opened its slopes on January 16, 1975. Besides being a great place to ski, the road leading to Luz Ardiden is also famous. It has often been the finish line for exciting cycling races like the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

Climbing to Luz Ardiden

The road that goes up to Luz Ardiden is a challenging climb, especially for cyclists. If you start from the town of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, which is at 710 meters (about 2,329 feet) above sea level, the climb to Luz Ardiden (1,720 meters) is 14.7 kilometers (about 9.1 miles) long. Along this distance, you gain 1,010 meters (about 3,314 feet) in height. This means the road goes up quite steeply, with an average slope of 6.9%. At its steepest, the road reaches a 10% incline, which is very challenging!

Cycling Challenges at Luz Ardiden

The winding road leading up to Luz Ardiden, a famous cycling climb.

Luz Ardiden is well-known in the world of professional cycling. It has been the finish line for several stages of two major bike races: the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. These races bring top cyclists from around the world to tackle the tough mountain climb.

Tour de France Stage Finishes

The Tour de France is one of the most famous cycling races. Luz Ardiden has hosted the end of a stage many times. Here are some of the years it was a finish line:

Famous Moments in Tour de France History

Luz Ardiden has been part of some memorable moments in the Tour de France.

In the 1985 Tour de France, during stage 17, a famous event happened. Two riders, Greg LeMond and Stephen Roche, were far ahead of the main group. LeMond's team boss and coach told him to slow down, saying that his teammate Bernard Hinault was only 45 seconds behind. LeMond waited, but when he reached the finish line, he realized Hinault was actually more than three minutes behind! Hinault went on to win that year's Tour. LeMond was promised Hinault's support the next year for his help.

During the 1990 Tour de France, Claudio Chiappucci was surprisingly leading the race by over two minutes as they headed into stage 16, which finished on Luz Ardiden. Near the end of the stage, Fabio Parra attacked, and only LeMond and Miguel Induráin could keep up. LeMond and Induráin then rode away from Parra, with LeMond setting a fast pace up the final climb. By the time they reached the top, LeMond had almost secured his third Tour de France win. Induráin won the stage. This strong performance by LeMond on Luz Ardiden made his overall victory very likely.

In the 2003 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong had an unexpected fall at the start of the climb to Luz Ardiden. He crashed when his bike's handlebar got caught on a spectator's bag strap, and another rider, Iban Mayo, also fell. Jan Ulrich, who was riding right behind them, managed to avoid the crash. In a kind gesture, he slowed down to wait for the fallen riders to get back up. Armstrong eventually went on to win the Tour that year by his smallest winning difference ever.

Vuelta a España Stage Finishes

The Vuelta a España is another major cycling race, held in Spain. Luz Ardiden has also been a finish line for some of its stages:

See also

In Spanish: Luz-Ardiden para niños

• List of highest paved roads in Europe
• List of mountain passes