As ever so often, the Queen Stage of Paris-Nice is very clear. Two big climbs, c’est tout.
Okay, the first phase features a 4.4 kilometres at 4.4% to Gattières before the road continues to climb false flat for another 4 kilometres. But the action really comes down to the Côte de Tourette-du-Château and the finish climb, the Col de la Couillole.
The riders enter the Côte de Tourette-du-Château after 30 kilometres in the saddle. It’s 17.8 kilometres test with an average gradient of 4.6%, which casually continues to go up as shallow gradients for another 15 kilometres after the KOM sprint. It’s only in the village Ascros, at kilometres 64, that the downhill begins.
A flat to rolling section of 50 kilometres takes the riders to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, at the base of the finish climb. The Col de la Couillole requires a steady effort; 15.7 kilometres long and with and average gradient of 7.1%. The first kilometre is negligable, the rest of the ascent hovers between 7 and 8%.
The 2017 edition of Paris-Nice also saw a Col de la Couillole mountain top finish. Richie Porte attacked inside the last 3 kilometres and soloed to victory, while Alberto Contador crossed the line 21 seconds later in second position.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint comes with 6, 4 and 2 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 7 Paris-Nice 2023.
Another interesting read: results 7th stage Paris-Nice 2023.
Paris-Nice 2023 stage 7: route, profiles, more
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