The 18th stage climbs the last passes of the Tour de France, Thursday, between Lourdes and Hautacam, for the final day in the Pyrenean massif.
Three severe climbs are programmed in the course of 143.2 kilometers in the form of a quasi-loop. First, the Aubisque, one of the great classics of the massif since 2010, climbed on the western slope from Laruns (Km 58.5). Then, the Col de Spandelles, an unprecedented climb in the Tour. Finally, Hautacam and its 13.6 kilometers with an average gradient of 7.8% to reach the finish installed at an altitude of 1520 meters.
“Going through the Spandelles, which is a difficult pass (10.3 km at 8.3%), has the great advantage of tackling the climb to Hautacam without taking the valley”, explains race director Thierry Gouvenou, pointing out that the Spandelles descent has been made safe by work carried out by the Hautes-Pyrénées department.
Hautacam is hosting the Grande Boucle for the 6th time since 1994. Last winner to date, the Italian Vincenzo Nibali won the stage ahead of Thibaut Pinot in 2014 before taking the final classification in Paris.
Departure from Lourdes at 1.30 p.m. (launched at 1.40 p.m.), arrival in Hautacam around 5.38 p.m. (timetable calculated at 36 km/h on average).
