A short stage, three passes, serious percentages and a final downhill… The first foray into the Pyrenees promises to be thrilling this Saturday.
The peloton will start this Saturday from Cazères-sur-Garonne (Haute-Garonne) at 1:30 p.m. and the arrival in Loudenvielle (Hautes-Pyrénées) is scheduled for around 5 p.m.
A hearty and spicy menu
There will be something for everyone.
The three difficulties of the day are indeed very different.
First there is the Col de Menté, dry, short (6.9 km) and steep, located more than 80 km from the finish.
Then the Port of Balès, with narrow roads and percentages of almost 10% over 4 kilometers.
And finally, Peyresourde, a beautiful smooth ribbon, wide and regular, which is crossed 12 km from the goal.
The memory of Luis Ocana's fall
During the fourteenth stage between Revel and Luchon, on July 12, 1971, the duel between Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocana took a dramatic turn.
A hailstorm fell on the runners who set off down the Col de Menté.
Ocana, yellow jersey after a feat three days earlier at Orcières-Merlette, misses a turn because of the mud and falls in the company of Merckx.
The latter leaves but Ocaña is violently struck by Zoetemelk.
The Spaniard, injured in the ribs and spine, is forced to give up.
The Belgian, who refused to wear the yellow jersey the next day, then won his 3rd Tour de France in Paris.
Brochard, winner at Loudenvielle
A French won in Loudenvielle.
It was July 14, 1997. Laurent Brochard, Richard Virenque's teammate at Festina, polka-dot jersey on his back, had left behind the trio of top names Ullrich, Virenque, Pantani, in the descent, three kilometers from the goal.
The two other arrivals, in 2003 and 2007, saw the success of the Italian Gilberto Simoni and the Luxembourger Kim Kirchen respectively.