It’s back to the mountains! After a relative respite in Auvergne and Beaujolais, the Tour de France peloton returns to altitude on the occasion of the thirteenth stage of this 110th edition, Friday July 14.
On the menu: 138 kilometers from Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, on the roads of Ain. A “dynamic” route warns the director of the event, Christian Prudhomme. The climb to the Hauteville-Lompnes plateau, where an intermediate sprint will take place, at kilometer 87, will in particular allow the runners to “sharpen [their] legs”, he underlines, before “the” big piece of the day : the Grand Colombier (17.4 kilometers of ascent, with an average gradient of 7.1%, out of category).
The finish will be judged at the top, as was the case in 2020. That year, Tadej Pogacar had beaten Primoz Roglic on the line, winning his second stage in this edition, which will see him triumph for the first time, a few days later, in the general classification.
The place will also bring back memories to Thibaut Pinot, who won there in 2011 and 2019, during the Tour de l’Ain. More generally, it should inspire the French riders in the peloton, always expected on a national holiday.
Considered one of the most difficult passes in France, the Grand Colombier is on the way to becoming one of the classics of the Grande Boucle: a high-flying duel between the two favorites, Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, would undoubtedly accelerate the process.