The 2027 Tour de France looks set to have its major mountain showdown in the Pyrenees next year, with a summit finish on the notoriously difficult Col du Portet a frontrunner to finish off what could well be the toughest single climbing stage of the race.
Described back in 2021 by Tadej Pogačar as a "never-ending story," according to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées, this time round the Col du Portet could be preceded by two historically famous Hors Catégorie ascents, the Tourmalet and Aubisque, making for a ferociously difficult stage.
2027's Tour is widely reported to see the Pyrenees taking over from the Alps in 2026 as the scenario for next July's main climbing challenges, with stages 18 and 19 likely the key dates in the country's southernmost mountain range.
Other rumours about the major peaks of the 2027 race include an ascent of the Jura's highest paved mountain pass, Le Grand Colombier, as the curtain-raiser to the Tour's climbing stages at the end of the first week.
This could likely be followed by two stages with strong historical links to memorable French cycling triumphs, the Worlds circuit at Sallanches, where Bernard Hinault destroyed the field en route to his first rainbow jersey in 1980, and the summit finish in the Massif Central in Mende, scene of Laurent Jalabert's greatest ever Tour stage win in 1995.
However, as the date of the route publication on Thursday October 22 in Paris looms fast on the horizon, the most striking mountain rumours are the possible inclusion of the Col du Portet. Less famous than the Tourmalet or Aubisque, but also ranked Hors Categorie, the Portet's viciously irregular slopes first appeared in the 2018 Tour. That year it was the finish of one of the Tour's shortest-ever mountain stages - just 65km long - that saw Nairo Quintana take his last ever victory in the race.
The Tour then returned to Col du Portet in 2021, when the top favourite both now and then, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), won the stage ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and simultaneously further cemented his considerable overall lead. With Pogačar very likely looking to fight for a record-equalling sixth Tour in 2027, the odds of a repeat battle next summer with the Dane on the same 16.2-kilometre ascent, with many segments at over 9%, are not small.
Although the date for the possible ascent of Col du Portet is provisionally said to be stage 18, another day's racing is also expected in the Pyrenees 24 hours later.
But in stark contrast to stage 18, no information has yet been leaked regarding potential climbs for stage 19. However, it would seem likely that the stage takes place at the western end of the mountain range, prior to the final weekend's return to Paris.
Overall, as reported by Velowire, the specialist website in Tour de France pre-route publication news, the first week of the race looks much easier than in 2026. This July saw the Pyrenees feature, albeit briefly, as soon as stage 3, then again in a much fuller format across the Tourmalet to Gavarnie-Gèdre on stage 6.
Next summer after the transfer from Cardiff following three stages in Britain and a long hike across northern France, the first summit finish could be on stage 9 at Le Grand Colombier. Another very irregular climb with stretches at 20% in places, the last ascent of the HC climb in the Jura in 2023 saw Vingegaard and Pogačar maintain their stalemate at the top of GC.
There were seven stages in the Alps in 2026, and far fewer are expected in 2027, but the few opportunities there will likely be memorable ones all the same. After a rest day in the northern Alps, racing is expected to resume on stage 10 with a visit to the famous World Championships circuit in Sallanches.
The circuit's principal challenge, the Côte de Domancy, is both where Hinault took one of the toughest ever Worlds in 1980, and also a preview for the World Championships of 2027, with two highlights being the elite men's road race taking place on the same course next August 28 and the equivalent women's event a week later.
Back to Mende
Major Alpine finishes are expected on stage 11 and possibly stage 12, with Le Dauphiné Libéré reporting that the first day could see a finish at the Col de Samoëns 1600. Part of the same Grand Massif range which contains the much better-known Col de Joux Plane, the Samoëns climb is a relatively benign 11 kilometres long, and its 900 metres of climbing are relatively steady.
The same goes for the next day's predicted big final climb, Col des Saisies, 14.6km or 15.2km long depending on the approach road, but with a gradient never reaching more than 8%.
Often used in early parts of the Alpine stages – like in 2023 when the race ended by crossing the much more difficult Col de la Loze – 2027 could be the first ever summit finish on the Saisies. However, its easier slopes once again will ensure the Pyrenees remain the crunch stages of the race.
Before the Tour gets there, though, there'll be time for a very difficult stage across the Massif Central, featuring 4,500 metres of vertical climbing, according to ici.fr and Velowire. It is said to finish at the airfield in Mende, which has been the scene of some memorable victories by versatile breakaway specialists like Steve Cummings and Michael Matthews in recent years.
But Mende's most memorable day in the GC of the Tour remains 1995 when Laurent Jalabert and the ONCE team all but toppled Miguel Indurain en route to his record-equalling fifth overall win. 32 years later, it remains to be seen if Tadej Pogačar is by then en route to an all-time sixth success, and if anybody is in a position to stop him.
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