The first ever climb that we filmed as part of The Col Collective, on June 16th 2014, so for that reason alone an ascent that will always be close to my heart. I’ve been fortunate enough to ride the Col d’Aubisque from Laruns a number of times in the past and every time I get the same feeling of nervous excitement inside, knowing that at this point I’m heading deep into the high mountains. For me the Aubisque really marks the gateway to the Pyrenees and is the entrance towards a playground of cols that have not only played centre stage for the professionals in races like the Tour de France but also for thousands of amateur and cycling enthusiasts like me that simply want to experience the climb for themselves. Hautacam, Tourmalet, Peyresourde all have their stories but the Aubisque is the one that gets things started. The goal is to make it to the summit so take your time and whatever happens don’t forget to look around and enjoy the view! Length: 16.6km Summit: 1,709m Elevation gain: 1,190m Average gradient: 7.2% Max gradient: 13% We hope you enjoyed this video. For more help and advice visit our website at thecolcollective.com and don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter to get the latest updates and become part of the col community. Please help to spread our message by sharing with your friends, subscribe to our channel and get in touch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We’d love to hear from you. The more people that we can help to inspire, educate and get smiling on the way to the summit of the greatest mountain passes in the world the better. Thank you for watching and being part of our journey. Ride safe. Mike Cotty The Col Collective Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheColCollective?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheColCollective Twitter: twitter.com/colcollective Instagram: instagram.com/thecolcollective Google+: www.google.com/+TheColCollective