Final decision on missing tours, and the climbers lay down their last card in a very demanding stage that features two uphill monster ports in the Pyrenees. The finish line sits atop Hautacam, a legendary summit that has decided many campaigns in the past.
Saturday will bring a brisk time trial that seals the general classification and signals the raid’s culmination with a decisive confrontation at 143.2 kilometers. The route stretches from the Marian shrine of Lourdes to the high-altitude finish at 1,520 meters, where the air is thinner and the stakes feel heavier.
The day is brief, with riders hardly rested after the opening miles. The first 60 kilometers are a test of legs, a jagged path that refuses to yield the slightest respite before the trio of ascents begins to bite deep into fatigued muscles.
El Aubisque, a Pyrenean staple, returns as the opening challenge, climbing 16.4 kilometers at a steady grade around 7.1 percent. With the summit still 76 kilometers from the finish, the climb saps strength and simultaneously signals the start of the real aggression on the day.
Its descent, followed by an approach to Spandelles, pushes riders to the foot of this climb, a new feature for the Tour that organizers inserted with the aim of avoiding a straight valley crossing toward Hautacam—an attempt to keep the race dynamic through the legs and lungs of the peloton.
This is the Tour de France’s overall classification after stage 17.
Spandelles’s discovery created a fresh opening for strategies to unfold. Local authorities, while repairing a badly damaged road, convinced the organizers that its slope could be folded into the 2020 route, bringing a new test to the race.
Until recently, Spandelles appeared only on the Southern Route in 2012, but the asphalt was in such poor condition that opting to ride it was ruled out due to safety concerns and rider welfare. The recent repairs changed the calculus, opening a path to make the mountain a permanent feature and adding options for a battle on a narrower, more technical road with sections flirting with ten percent grade in just a few kilometers.
Fourteen kilometers of downhill followed in this Tour, a stretch that demands constant attention. Then comes the ascent to Hautacam, a climb long respected for its mountain-toppoint pressure and relentless grade, and often the decisive moment where riders must summon every last reserve of power.
The ascent begins on a narrow road that widens as it climbs. Over 13.6 kilometers, riders encounter a sequence where the first seven kilometers feel more forgiving, but after that the slope increases, flirting with steeper segments. As the grade hovers around 6.8 percent, the mountain reveals its Pyrenean temperament—unforgiving and pure in its challenge.
This combination—narrow roads, strategic turns, and a climb that tightens the tempo—makes Hautacam an ideal stage for attacks. After nearly three weeks of racing, the field still carries fatigue, and nothing can be saved. The mountain does not hold back; it exposes every weakness and punishes hesitation with a sharp gain in the standings.
The terrain at Hautacam is primed for large gaps at the top, offering the GC contenders a fresh canvas on which to paint their differences. The summit becomes a new focal point, a potential reshaping of the overall standings depending on how aggressively riders press the attack.
Stage 18: Lourdes – Hautacam, 143.2km
Departure time: 13:40 (11:40 GMT)
Estimated arrival time: 17:32 (15:32 GMT)
Mountain:
Col d’Aubisque (Private): 16.4 km at 7.1%, 66.5 km to go
Col de Spandelles (1st): 10.3 km, 8.3% at 33.2 km
Hautacam (Special): 13.6 km at 7.8% finish.