Grand Raid des Pyrénées Ultra Tour 160 course and race-day weather
- Vielle-Aure, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
- 174.2 km
- 10,406 m D+
- 16 aid stations
Analyzing route...
GRP Ultra Tour 160 course, section by section
The GRP Ultra Tour 160 course runs 174.2 km with 10,406 m of climbing and 10,406 m of descent - 60 m of climbing per kilometre. It tops out at 2,876 m, and its lowest point on the GPX is 465 m. 44% of the distance climbs at more than 3%, 41% descends at more than 3%, and the remaining 15% is flat or rolling.
The organiser's 18 checkpoints split the course into 17 sections. The table gives each leg's own climb, descent, average grade and high point, measured on the official GPX.
| Section | Km | Distance | D+ | D- | Avg grade | High point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Vielle-Aure → Restaurant Merlans (outbound) | 0.0-15.8 | 15.8 km | +1,552 m | -303 m | +7.9% | 2,214 m |
| Restaurant Merlans (outbound) → Refuge de Campana du Cloutou | 15.8-23.7 | 7.9 km | +509 m | -350 m | +2.0% | 2,505 m |
| Refuge de Campana du Cloutou → La Mongie | 23.7-31.1 | 7.4 km | +467 m | -929 m | -6.2% | 2,198 m |
| La Mongie → Col de Sencours (before Pic du Midi) | 31.1-38.9 | 7.8 km | +931 m | -235 m | +8.9% | 2,432 m |
| Col de Sencours (before Pic du Midi) → Col de Sencours (after Pic du Midi) | 38.9-45.5 | 6.6 km | +475 m | -540 m | -1.0% | 2,835 m |
| Col de Sencours (after Pic du Midi) → Descente Aoube | 45.5-51.2 | 5.7 km | +338 m | -542 m | -3.5% | 2,382 m |
| Descente Aoube → Hautacam | 51.2-65.3 | 14.1 km | +809 m | -1,454 m | -4.6% | 2,247 m |
| Hautacam → Pierrefitte-Nestalas (base vie) | 65.3-77.0 | 11.7 km | +148 m | -1,173 m | -8.8% | 1,541 m |
| Pierrefitte-Nestalas (base vie) → Lac d'Estaing | 77.0-98.0 | 21.0 km | +1,601 m | -910 m | +3.3% | 1,666 m |
| Lac d'Estaing → Refuge d'Ilhéou | 98.0-105.9 | 7.9 km | +1,140 m | -378 m | +9.7% | 2,254 m |
| Refuge d'Ilhéou → Cauterets | 105.9-113.9 | 8.0 km | +108 m | -1,085 m | -12.2% | 2,006 m |
| Cauterets → Béderet | 113.9-123.4 | 9.5 km | +1,016 m | -219 m | +8.4% | 1,944 m |
| Béderet → Luz-Saint-Sauveur (base vie) | 123.4-131.8 | 8.4 km | +52 m | -1,121 m | -12.7% | 1,765 m |
| Luz-Saint-Sauveur (base vie) → Tournaboup | 131.8-144.1 | 12.3 km | +981 m | -220 m | +6.2% | 1,456 m |
| Tournaboup → Refuge d'Aygues Cluses | 144.1-150.5 | 6.4 km | +711 m | -32 m | +10.6% | 2,136 m |
| Refuge d'Aygues Cluses → Restaurant Merlans (return) | 150.5-161.0 | 10.5 km | +530 m | -633 m | -1.0% | 2,455 m |
| Restaurant Merlans (return) → Vielle-Aure (Finish) | 161.0-174.2 | 13.2 km | +177 m | -1,418 m | -9.4% | 2,210 m |
The climbs that shape the race
The track holds 9 major climbs and 12 major descents. The biggest climb runs from km 33 to km 42 (through Col de Sencours (before Pic du Midi)): +1,311 m over 8.4 km at an average of 15.2%. The steepest sustained climb averages 18.5% over 2.2 km from km 12, with pitches of 34.5%. 2 of the major climbs start in the last 30% of the course. The longest descent drops 1,418 m over 11.7 km from km 162 (down to Vielle-Aure (Finish)), at an average of 12.1%.
Distance, total climb and high point are the organiser's. Each section's climb, descent, grade and high point, the low point and the named climbs are measured on the official GPX with the same method as the interactive profile, so the sections can add up to a slightly different total.