Departure town is Saint-Gaudens in the Midi-Pyrénées. In 1955 Louison Bobet became the first rider to win the Tour de France three times in a row, with the foundation for that victory coming in Saint-Gaudens, where he won a tough stage through the Pyrenees and was rewarded with the yellow jersey. Among the other winners in Saint-Gaudens were Bartali, Ocaña, Gaul and Darrigade.
Leaving from Saint-Gaudens, the route heads south and makes an S. We also cross into Spain temporarily. The first climb’s summit comes after 57.5 kilometres. The Col du Portillon lies at an altitude of 1,292 metres – the ascent is 8.3 kilometers, the average gradient 7.1%.
Col de Peyresourde
An 11 kilometre descent and then it’s straight up again, heading for the Col de Peyresourde, located at 1,569 metres. With an average gradient of 7%, the Peyresourde is more or less as steep as the first climb but not as long at 13.2 kilometres.
The riders drop to Loudenvielle, 32 kilometres from the finish line. Not quite done yet….
Col de Val Louron-Azet
The penultimate climb is the Col de Val Louron-Azet – 7.4 kilometres long with an average gradient of 8.3%. After the summit it’s 10 kilometres of descending and then the equally steep final climb awaits the riders.
Soulan Pla d’Adet
Arrival town Soulan Pla d’Adet has seen some great winners. The first Tour finish was in 1974 and Raymond Poulidor won the stage. Two years later it was Lucien Van Impe’s turn; the Belgian climber won after a long distance solo attack.
Tour de France 2014 stage 17: Images and more
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