Tour de France 2023 Route stage 6: Tarbes

Tour de France 2023 Route stage 6: Tarbes - Cauterets

Wednesday 5 July - Stage 5 of the Tour de France travels from Tarbes to Le Cambasque above Cauterets. The finish climb is 16 kilometres long and averaging 5.4%. The riders tackle the Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aspin on the run-in to Cauterets.

The riders clip into their pedals in Tarbes to enter the Pyrenees. The first big climb on the route is the Col d’Aspin (12 kilometres at 6.5%). The riders then descend into the valley of the Adour River, only to go up again on the most used climb in Le Tour. The Col du Tourmalet adds up to 17.1 kilometres, while the average gradient sits at 7,3%. After descending to Luz-Saint-Sauveur the route follows the Gave de Gavarnie upstream to Pierrefitte-Nestales. That’s where the finish climb kicks in.

The first part is not very special, it all comes down to the last 4 kilometres. That’s were a section of 2.5 kilometres at double digit gradients kicks in. The climb then evens out for a bot before the kilometre gpes up at 6.6%. The entire climb is 16kilometres long and averaging 5.4%.

Le Tour finished twice before in the mountains above Cauterets. In 1989 it was Miguel Indurain who triumphed at Le Cambasque, in 1995 Richard Virenque took the spoils on the nearby pass Les Crêtes du Lys.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 6 2023 Tour de France.