2022 Tour de France Stage 18 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 18 of the 2022 Tour de France! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The last high-altitude test of the Tour de France is a 143.2 kilometres race from Lourdes to Hautacam. The Col d'Aubisque and Col de Spandelles serve as intermediate climbs before the ascent to the ski resort is 13.6 kilometres long and averages 7.8%.
The riders clip into their pedals near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and leave the pilgrimage site behind to enter the Pyrenees. On virtually flat roads the route travels to Laruns and after 60 kilometres in the saddle, the climbing begins.
The Col d’Aubisque is a climb of 16.4 kilometres at 7.1% before the riders descend via the Col du Soulor to Ferrières. That’s the base of the Col de Spandelles, which is a 10.3 kilometres climb at 8.3%.
A long descent leads to Argelès-Gazost, and that’s the base of the finish climb.
The ascent to ski resort Hautacam is a scenic one-way climb. The length is 13.6 kilometres and the average gradient sits at 7.8%. The second half is the hardest part with kilometres 8, 9 and 11 standing out – respectively with gradients at 10.3%, 11.3%, and 10.4%.
It’s the sixth time the Hautacam ascent is included in the Tour de France. Luc Leblanc won in 1994, Bjarne Riis in 1996 , Javier Otxoa in 2000, Juan José Cobo in 2008, and in 2014 Vincenzo Nibali took the win. With the exception of Otxoa and Nibali, all these riders were affiliated with doping at some point in their career.
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