The day after Tadej Pogacar’s landslide victory at Isola 2000, the Tour de France makes one last mountain excursion on Saturday, a 20e short stage (132.8 km) but likely to cause serious damage with four passes and 4600 m of positive elevation gain on the program.
On the eve of the final arrival in Nice, the peloton will set off from the Vieux Port to head into the hinterland on roads that most of the riders, like Pogacar, know by heart as they live in the area or train there often.
Four climbs are on the programme, the Col de Braus to warm up, followed by three climbs classified in the first category, the famous Col de Turini (20.7 km at 5.7%), Colmiane (7.5 km at 7.1%) and finally Couillole (15.7 km at 7.1%).
“It’s a very short stage but when you calculate the elevation gain per kilometre, the ratio is extremely high, much higher than many stages in the Alps or the Pyrenees,” warns Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour’s route planner. “Starting from the seaside and arriving at altitude means that we have many more climbs than descents.”
“The passes are never very hard if you take them one by one, but the accumulation means that it can be a day when you can crack,” he adds. “For example, it’s much harder than the Vosges stage last year. We’re on the same distance but with 1,000 meters more elevation.”
Even though the Slovenian yellow jersey has killed – barring an accident – any suspense for the final victory by consolidating his lead over Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel on Friday, the rest of the top 10 in the general classification could still be shaken up on the eve of the final time trial between Monaco and Nice.
“The descents are also technical, so there is a way to overturn something,” Gouvenou emphasizes.
And the last climb, used in particular during Paris-Nice in 2023 where Tadej Pogacar won ahead of David Gaudu and Jonas Vingegaard, is long and hard enough to create gaps.
“Couillole is not a spectacular climb. But in the third week it is a complicated piece,” insists Gouvenou.
Departure from Nice at 1:35 p.m. (actual at 1:55 p.m.), arrival at the Col de la Couillole at 5:30 p.m. (time calculated on an average of 37 km/h)