The 10 Toughest Climbs of the 2017 Tour de France

Here are the craziest ascents you can expect out of the 2017 Tour.

Whit Yott | 28 June 2017

Here are the craziest ascents you can expect out of the 2017 Tour. – By Whit Yott

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Every year, the Tour de France’s organisers categorise each climb as either a Category 4, 3, 2, 1, or Hors Categorie (“Beyond” Category) ascent based on its length, steepness, and elevation. So one would think that a Tour de France passing through five mountain ranges would have more climbs than recent Tours. But that’s not the case this year as despite passing through the Vosges, Jura, Pyrenees, Massif Central, and Alps, the riders will “only” climb 23 Second, First, or “Beyond” Category ascents – five fewer than in last year’s Tour. Of those 23, here’s a somewhat-subjective countdown of the 10 toughest climbs in the this year’s Tour de France.

10. Stage 12 – Col de Peyresourde and Peyragudes

Category 1 & 2 – 15.4km @ 5.1%; 1580m
Stage 12 ends with two Pyrenean summits in quick succession: the long, steady Category 1 Col de Peyresourde, then the short, steep Category 2 climb to the finish in Peyragudes. But here’s the thing: when the race took exactly the same route in 2012, the organisers counted both climbs as one Category 1 ascent. So for the sake of keeping this list at ten, that’s what we’re going to do. The climb heads west out of Bagneres-de-Luchon and goes up the east side of the Col de Peyresourde. (You’ll remember this climb as the descent on which Chris Froome attacked last year at the end of Stage 8, catching everyone by surprise and gaining a little bit of time in the process.) With little shade, the 9.7km of the Peyresourde will be even harder if the weather is hot. After crossing the summit, the riders will descend for about 2km before making a sharp left-hand turn toward the ski resort in Peyragudes. Here the road gets quite steep: the first kilometer of the climb averages 9% and the final kilometre averages – yes, average – 13%. Maybe that’s why the organisers are counting each climb separately this year.

9. Stage 17 – Col de la Croix de Fer

HC – 24km @ 5.2%; 2067m

Alpine climbs are known for their consistency, which makes Stage 17’s Col de la Croix de Fer a bit of an anomaly (at least when climbed from the west, as it will be in this year’s Tour). By far the longest climb in the race at 24km, the road climbs in stages, with two short downhill sections in the middle that will give the riders a bit of a breather. Despite the low average gradient, the climb’s overall length and its 2000+metre summit are enough to justify its Hors Categorie rating.

8. Stage 12 – Port de Balès

HC – 11.7km @ 7.7%; 1755m

Originally the northern and southern approaches of this climb were separated by an unpaved access road (“trail” might be a better word for it). So in 2006 the Tour’s organisers had it paved, thus creating a pass up and over the mountain from either direction, giving them more flexibility when creating routes through the Pyrenees. The only Hors Categorie Pyrenean climb in this year’s race, the summit is quite bleak. Fans of Alberto Contador (and Andy Schleck) might remember the Balès as the scene of the now infamous “chain-gate” scandal from the 2010 Tour. Schleck attacked but dropped his chain instead of his competitors. While Schleck struggled with his jammed drivetrain, Contador responded with an attack of his own–which he swears he was planning even before Schleck’s mechanical. Right, Alberto. We totally believe you.

7. Stage 13 – Mur de Péguère

Cat 1 – 9.3km @ 7.9%; 1375m

“Mur” means “wall” in French, so any climb called the “Mur de Something” is going to be steep. But this is essentially two climbs in one: the first 6km are fairly tame, with an average gradient of about 6%. The “wall” comes in the final 3.5km before the summit, where average gradients of 13, 12, and 11%, including pitches of 16 and 18%, will have the riders cursing the Tour’s organisers. And they won’t be the first: the Mur de Péguère was scheduled to be climbed during the 1973 Tour de France, but the riders protested its inclusion because they thought the road was too narrow for their team vehicles. But rumours insist they had heard how hard it was, and created an excuse to get themselves out of having to climb it. la_planche_des_belles_filles

6. Stage 5 – La Planche des Belles Filles

Category 1 – 5.9km @ 8.5%; 1035m
Located in the mountainous Vosges region of northeastern France, the La Planche des Belles Filles is rather short at about 6km. But it’s steep enough to do some damage – especially the final 20% ramp to the finish line. Case in point: the climb has only appeared in two Tours de France, but it’s made an impact on both occasions. In 2012, Team Sky’s Chris Froome won the stage to mark the climb’s first appearance. His teammate, Bradley Wiggins, took the yellow jersey that day and held it all the way to Paris. Back again in 2014, Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali (then riding for Astana), took his second stage victory of the that year’s Tour at the summit. He won two more stages that year – and the Tour. So keep an eye on whichever rider wins Stage 5; he might be the rider who goes on to win the Tour.

5. Stage 9 – Col de la Biche/Croix de Famban

HC – 10.5km @ 9%; 1316m
A newcomer to the Tour de France, the 10.5km Col de la Biche will certainly leaves its mark. The Hors Categorie ascent begins “officially” in Gignez, but the road starts going up about 2km before the town. The first 5km are the steepest, with grades hovering around 11%. As an added blow to the morale of a peloton that will cover seven categorised climbs through the mountainous Jura region during Stage 9, the “summit” is a false one. While King of the Mountains points will be awarded at the Croix de Famban, the true summit of the Col comes 2km later. A stunning view of the Alps to the east awaits them at the top – not that the riders will have time to stop and soak it in.

4. Stage 9 – Grand Colombier

HC – 8.5km @ 9.9%; 1501m
There’s a club of riders who live near this climb in the Jura region called the “Confrérie des Fêlés du Grand Colombier,” which basically means “The Insane Brotherhood of the Grand Colombier.” To join you simply have to ascend the mountain’s four main routes in a single day – not an easy task. The Tour only climbs one of them this year (last year it covered two), but for the first time in its history, this year’s race tackles the worst of them all. The climb begins in Virieu-le-Petit and as soon as the riders leave the small town, the going gets steep. Really. Steep. For about 3km the road won’t dip below a 12% grade, including one ramp that hits a whopping 22%. This climb – and the two other Hors Categorie ascents on tap during Stage 9 – will have many riders asking their mechanics for compact gearing.

3. Stage 17 – Col du Galibier
HC – 17.7km @ 6.9%; 2642m
The Tour de France climbed its first 2,000+m ascent, the Pyrenean Col du Tourmalet, in 1909. The riders hated it, but Tour founder Henri Desgrange didn’t care. He responded by introducing the Col du Galibier, an Alpine pass more than half a kilometre taller than the Tourmalet, the following year. It’s been a Tour icon ever since. This year, the riders will climb it from the north, via the Col de Télégraphe. After summiting the Télégraphe, they’ll descend 5km into Valloire, at which point the road will immediately start going up again. The first 10 of the Galibier’s 18km climb gradually, but once the race hits Plan Lachat, 8km from the summit, the going gets really tough – and the last 2km are the steepest. To add insult to injury, the Galibier actually got taller in the 1970s, when a tunnel was closed for repairs and a road was constructed that climbed above it as a detour. That road remains as the route the riders must take, making the Galibier even longer and higher than Desgrange first intended. Fittingly, a monument to Desgrange was erected near the top of the climb, and each year a special cash prize is awarded in his honour to the first rider over the top of the highest summit in that year’s Tour. This year, that climb is (You guessed it!) the Galibier.

2. Stage 9 – Mont du Chat
HC – 8.7km @ 10.3%; 1504m
It’s hard to see any climb getting the better of a rider like Eddy Merckx, but the Jura’s Mont du Chat is something special. The only climb in this year’s Tour with a double-digit average gradient (10.5%), it literally never lets up. With nowhere to recover and pitches of 14 and 15% between kilometres 4 and 5 the climb is simply a beast.This is only the climb’s second Tour de France appearance. In 1974, wearing the yellow jersey at the time Merckx was dropped by France’s Raymond Poulidor, his closest challenger. By the summit, Merckx found himself over a minute behind the Frenchman, and almost two minutes adrift of the lone leader, Spain’s Gonzalo Aja. Merckx had no choice but to take all sorts of risks on the twisty, treacherous descent. He caught both Poulidor and Aja to win the stage and defend his jersey.

1. Stage 18 – Col d’Izoard
HC – 14.1km @ 7.3%; 2360m
In recent years, the Tour de France has chosen one legendary climb to honour during the Tour’s final week. Sometimes they’ll climb it more than once; other times they’ll make it the final ascent of the race and therefore a key strategic moment. This year, they’ve chosen the Hors Categorie Col d’Izoard. The Izoard has featured in many key Tour de France moments, launching legends such as Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet, and Eddy Merckx to overall victories. (Monuments to Coppi and Bobet have since been erected on the climb.) Coming from the south, the first half of the climb isn’t too bad, despite the looming presence of the rocky summit hovering high above. But the final 7km are quite steep (a steady grade of about 10%) making this one of the most brutal climbs in the Alps. And the scenery only adds to the misery. With about 3km still to climb the riders enter the Caisse Déserte, a barren landscape that looks like more like the surface of the moon than the French Alps. Boulders, fields of scree, and towers of rock litter the side of the mountain, making the Izoard the setting of many of the iconic black and white photos of suffering riders from “back in the day.” The Izoard has been climbed 34 times before this year, and on 11 occasions the rider who was first over the top went on to win the Tour de France. As the final summit finish of the 2017 Tour, it could happen again.

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The 10 Toughest Climbs of the 2017 Tour de France

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