Col de la Croix de Mounis (elevation ) is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
in the
Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc in southern France. In July 2013, the col was crossed on stage 7 of the
Tour de France.
Location
The col is located on the D922 road between
Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare
Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare (Languedocien: ''Sant Gervais'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Hérault department
The following is a list of the 342 Communes ...
and
Lacaune
Lacaune (; , meaning ''the cave'') is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.
Its inhabitants are called the Lacaunais (los Cauneses in Occitan).
Geography
The river Gijou has its source in the commune.
History
In 1797, the fer ...
on the slopes of the Espinouse mountains.
Details of the climb
The climb starts at the village of
Andabre, where the road leaves the valley of the
River Mare. From here, the climb is , climbing at an average gradient of 6.5%.
Tour de France
The Col de la Croix de Mounis has been crossed three times in the
Tour de France bicycle race. On the first occasion, in 1953, the pass was descended en route from
Albi to
Béziers
Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...
when it was not categorised. In
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, the col was ranked Category 3, as it was descended en route from
Castres to
la Grande-Motte
La Grande-Motte (; oc, La Mota Granda) is a commune in the Hérault département in Occitanie in southern France. It is a popular seaside resort and port, built in the 1960s and 1970s. La Grande-Motte is characterized by homogeneous architecture ...
.
[
In ]2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, the col was climbed from the south-east for the first time, on Stage 7
''Stage 7'' is a 30-minute American TV drama anthology series that was broadcast on CBS from December 12, 1954, through September 25, 1955. This program premiered in December 1954 with the title ''Your Favorite Playhouse'' with all episodes being ...
between Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
and Albi, when it was ranked as a Category 2 climb. The first rider over the summit was Blel Kadri.
References
External links
Col de La Croix de Mounis on "climbbybike" website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croix de Moinis
Landforms of Hérault
Mountain passes of Occitania (administrative region)
Mountain passes of the Massif Central