It was August 12, 1964. The 20th stage of the Tour de France, 237 kilometers between Brive and the summit of Puy de Dôme. A stage that entered into the legend of the Grande Boucle thanks to the duel between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, neck and neck for the final victory, three days before the arrival of the Parc des Princes (the stage, on the other hand, was won by the Spanish climber Julio Jimenez, who died on June 8).
The arrival at the top of the Puy de Dôme had been shunned by the organizers, the last stage dates back to 1988, then made impossible with the construction of the cogwheel train and the application to Unesco. The Departmental Council, owner of the site, put an absolute veto on the return of the Tour. Only one annual opening up to the summit is authorized for cycle tourists, not to mention all those who go up clandestinely in the early morning, before the first train.
But Christian Prudhomme, the boss of the Tour, has always made the arrival at Puy de Dôme his priority and has just won his case. The County Council authorizes the return of the race. This will be done under conditions, with minimal installation at the top (ASO knows how to do it), most of the technical installations remaining in the Panoramique car park. And above all, the public should not be allowed on the final climb, the 4.5 km of regular gradient at 12%, the road being too narrow.
An ideal timing for a tribute stage
But you need a start city for this stage. That’s good, ASO and the Departmental Council of Haute-Vienne discussed at the start of the year a possible tribute to Raymond Poulidor. The timing is ideal for 2024 and celebrating 60 years of the duel. There are 115 kilometers as the crow flies between start and finish and a nice playground to wring out the peloton before the final ascent, probably passing through the Creuse, the birthplace of Raymond Poulidor. Because there is no question of a simple time trial, impossible at the Puy de Dôme to bring down cars and motorcyclists accompanying a runner to return to the start to follow another runner.
Of course, the route of the Tour 2024 is not yet done. A Tour full of unknowns, which could start from Italy (a first) and above all not arrive in Paris (another first), a logistical question since it will be a few days before the opening of the Olympic Games. The stage between Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat and the Puy de Dôme is still at the hypothetical stage, but it is already well advanced. For confirmation, it will not be before the presentation of the 2024 course, in October 2023.