The 18th stage of the Tour de France 2022, between Lourdes and Hautacam, will pass through Béarn and Bigorre this Thursday July 21, with in particular for the first time the ascent of the Col de Spandelles, unprecedented in the history of the Grande Boucle. This will lead to several road closures and other traffic restrictions, especially in the departure city, Lourdes. Where to park? How to circulate serenely this Thursday in Lourdes and around the course? We explain everything to you in this article.
In Lourdes
It is at 1:30 p.m. this Thursday, July 21 that the runners will leave from the Place Monseigneur Laurence, in front of the sanctuary, where the start village will be installed. But parking and traffic restrictions will enter into force in the Marian city from this Wednesday, July 20. From noon, parking will be prohibited on all the lanes used by the runners as well as the adjacent lanes. In these streets, traffic will be prohibited on Thursday July 21 from 10:30 a.m. This concerns in particular the following streets:
- rue Bernadette Soubirous
- cave street
- rue Laffitte
- Avenue du Maréchal Foch
- Avenue Francis Lagardere
It is therefore advisable to take Boulevard d’Espagne and Boulevard du Centenaire, whether you are coming from Pau, Tarbes or Argelès Gazost. Diversions will be put in place and it is also advisable to park upstream of the closed streets, to finish the journey to the city center on foot.
In Bigorre: especially around Spandelles and Hautacam
In general, throughout the course, traffic will be closed 1 hour before the passage of the publicity caravan. The reopening of the roads is planned 30 minutes after the passage of the runners.
Roads and access closed
Here are the details of the closed roads and accesses:
- D821 (2×2 lanes Lourdes – Argelès-Gazost) : closed on Thursday 21 July from 10am. Reopening around 7 p.m.
- D918 (Argelès / Arrens / Soulor pass) : closed on Thursday 21 July from 1 p.m.
- D102 (Argelès / Gez / Sere-en-Lavedan) : closed on Thursday 21 July from 2 p.m.
- Spandelles Pass : closure of access to the pass on Tuesday July 19 at 8 a.m. depending on attendance.
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D100/Montée du Hautacam – access road to the resort :
– Closed on Wednesday 20 July from Ayros-Arbouix depending on the places available in the car parks. However, from 4 p.m., filtering by the National Gendarmerie will be carried out until the car parks are saturated.
– Total closure of the road between Wednesday July 20 from 8 p.m. to Thursday July 21 at 3 a.m. (increase in logistics for the arrival of the Tour de France. Reopening depending on car park attendance.
– Traffic is prohibited except for medical and veterinary emergencies on Thursday July 21 from 8 a.m. Opening of the road on Thursday July 21 from 7 p.m.
- D913 (Prechac – Beaucens) : closed on Thursday 21 July from 2 p.m. Bicycles are authorized to access the passes depending on the security conditions. To leave, access Lourdes recommended via the Col du Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, otherwise via Pierrefitte-Nestalas and Agos Vidalos (RD 921 b)
The parking
Regarding parking:
- In Hautacam : five temporary car parks (P1 to P5) are set up for cars from Wednesday July 20 at 8 a.m. A 6th (P6), has been accessible for motorhomes and other “parking vehicles” since July 14. For cars, the car parks will be evacuated on Thursday July 21 after 7 p.m. For the others, it will be necessary to wait until Friday from 7 a.m. Please note that access and parking are strictly prohibited from 4 p.m. on Wednesday July 20 in the car park of the station and the Tramassale restaurant.
- At the Spandelles pass : the parking of motorhomes and harnessed vehicles is recommended in the car parks of the Col du Soulor and the Col de Couraduque (access to the Col de Spandelles is possible via the Haugarou forest track). Cars can park on the lower side. No parking will be authorized on the side of the roadway used by the Tour de France, unless the width of the shoulders allows parking far enough from the roadway.
In Béarn: with the Aubisque pass
Several roads will also be closed due to the passage of runners between Lestelle-Bétharram, Bruges, Louvie-Juzon, Laruns before finishing by the Col d’Aubisque:
- D937 : closed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- D35 : closing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- D934 : closed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- D918/Col d’Aubisque : regulated access. It is possible that depending on attendance, the access road to the pass will be closed from this Wednesday, July 20 in the evening.
The detailed route map
You can zoom in the map to see more precisely the course of the runners and the caravan.
Schedules
Discover the detailed timetables for the passage of the Tour (caravan, then runners).