Tour de France: It's time for the Pyrenees, the big guns will show their mettle in Hautacam

If the yellow jersey is still on Ben Healy's shoulders, the Irishman will have to perform a feat - if not a miracle - to keep it at the end of a 180.6 kilometer course which will end around 5:45 p.m. above Lourdes, after a 13.5 km hors catégorie climb at an average gradient of 7.8%, in Hautacam.

"The first real long and hard summit finish" of this edition, Thierry Gouvenou, the race planner for a Tour that will spend two more days in the Pyrenees, told AFP, on Friday (the time trial finish in Peyragudes) and Saturday (between Pau and Superbagnères).

The big favorite to reclaim the yellow jersey is obviously Tadej Pogačar, even though the Slovenian giant suffered a major scare when he crashed in the final in Toulouse on Wednesday. It seems to have been more of a scare than harm for the world champion, who was expected by the group of favorites and who only mentioned "a bit of bruised skin."

Vingegaard had already shone at Hautacam

Even if he appears dominant, the outgoing winner will need all his strength to respond to any attacks from his rivals, starting with those of Jonas Vingegaard, who is finally arriving on his favorite terrain, that of the long high-altitude passes.

In 2022, it was at Hautacam that the Dane, on the way to his first final victory in the Grande Boucle, definitively distanced Pogacar.

Before Hautacam, the 172 riders, who set off from Auch at 1:25 p.m., will experience the first part of the stage on the plains. The first major challenge, the Col du Soulor (Category 1, 11.8 km at 7.3%), will only come after one hour and forty-five minutes of racing. This will be followed by the Col des Bordères (Category 2) and the final climb.

The weather will be fine on the Tour route, including in the mountains, with around 30 degrees expected at the start in Auch, and 25°C in Hautacam.