Video: The final three climbs of Stage 19 of this year’s Tour de France

Stage 19 of the 2018 Tour de France takes in five Pyrenean climbs. The latest video from the Col Collective sees Mike Cotty take on the final three – Bordères, Soulor and the Aubisque, starting from Argelès-Gazost.

The Bordères is not so well know, but at 18.4km, it is not insignificant. Its average gradient of 6% is deceptive with many undulations and at one point it hits 16.5%.

The Soulor and Aubisque are far better known. Both featured in the 1910 Tour de France (along with the Peyresourde, Aspin and Tourmalet) making them amongst the very oldest in the race and steeped in heritage, history and drama.

Cotty said: “I remember the first time I saw the Cirque du Litor, a tiny ribbon of road connecting the summit of the Soulor to the summit of the Aubisque. On that day I was actually heading in the other direction but my mind was racing at what lay the other way.

“Since then I’ve ridden it many times and every time feels just as special. The feeling of being pinned to the edge of the mountain with vertical drops just metres away never fails to get the heart pumping.

“The Pyrénées are blessed with many beautiful roads but for me this is one of the all-time greats and coupled with the Bordères and Soulor you can’t fail to have a challenging but wonderful day on the bike.”