Special envoy to Tarbes
The day after the crushing blow delivered by Jonas Vingegaard on the Tour de France and Tadej Pogacar, the Tour de France continues its crossing of the Pyrenees with an even more dreaded stage than the day before. More compact with its 145 km route, it promises a day without downtime, with four difficulties and 3750 meters of elevation.
The Côte de Capvern-les-Bains (3rd category) will be swallowed without great difficulty by the whole peloton before the Col d’Aspin (12 km at 6.5%, 1st category), followed by the formidable and very long crossing of the Col du Tourmalet (17.1 km at 7.3%) before the final climb to Cauterets-Cambasque and a finish at altitude.
This last difficulty does not seem to be an insurmountable obstacle on paper even if the passage at more than 10% over three kilometers around the Basque Farm (in black on the graph below), risks doing damage to the legs. The ideal place to make an attack if a breakaway tries to go to the end.
The fictitious start will be given at 1:10 p.m. and the real start at 1:25 p.m. The arrival is scheduled around 5.20 p.m. with an average speed of 37 km/h.
France 3 from 12.55 p.m. then France 2 from 3 p.m.
“With such a compact stage and a finish at altitude, I don’t see a breakaway going to the end. I would rather bet on a two-way match between Vingegaard and Pogacar. The Dane really impressed me yesterday in the fifth stage when the Slovenian had psychologically made him understand that he was fresh in the Basque Country. I think Vingegaard will push hard on the final climb to increase his lead over Pogacar. »
Birthplace of Yvette Horner, the famous accordionist, but also of the emblematic Philippe Dintrans, former player of the French rugby team, Tarbes will be a stage town in the Tour de France for the 15th time in its history. Climbing enthusiasts meet there to measure themselves against one of the largest walls in Europe (19x51m) and tango lovers wiggle their hips during the Argentine Tango Festival. We can take a tour of the Massey Garden, classified as a remarkable garden, but also visit the birthplace of the hero of our country, Marshal Foch.
Cauterets-Cambasque is a mountain tourism resort of 900 inhabitants which has already hosted the Tour de France five times. It is here that Miguel Indurain signed the first of his twelve victories on the Grande Boucle in 1989. Visitors will not fail to go to the thermal baths of César (19th century) while also strolling on the side of the boulevard Latapie-Flurin and its remarkable architectural heritage made up of facades of former Belle Epoque hotels. Special mention also to the Eiffel-style shopping arcade which was the side door of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
If the weather is not very good, opt for a garbure, a Basque-Béarnaise peasant soup. Don’t hesitate to try the traditional spit cake cooked over a wood fire. In its glass, we will taste a Madiran wine. A dish based on black Bigorre pork is a must in Cauterets-Cambasque and take advantage of your visit to stock up on berlingots. It was in the 19th century in the thermal spas of the Pyrenees that this marvel of confectionery appeared with a very specific purpose: to reduce the sulfur taste of water.
A rider is in the pampas when he finds himself in a very uncomfortable situation, left behind by the peloton and completely isolated, as if he were lost in the middle of the immense Argentine plains.
Example: “I had a puncture and found myself in the pampas, completely dropped by the peloton.”