After the sprinters had their final say in Valence, where Jonathan Milan powered through a crash-marred finish to take Stage 17, the Tour de France shifts gears—dramatically. Sidenote: there is still the traditional gallop into Paris with the Champs-Élysées finish—traditionally for the sprinters. But this year, it may be very different, as riders will tackle a portion of the 2024 Olympic course—riding up the tough Montmartre climb three times.
Stage 18, a 171.5-km monster from Vif to Courchevel, will be a decisive day of this year’s race, with 5,500 m of elevation and three hors-catégorie climbs standing between the peloton and the finish line.
The route opens gently but quickly heads skyward. First comes the Col du Glandon—over 21 km of steady ascent. That’s followed immediately by the Col de la Madeleine. But it’s the final climb, the Col de la Loze, that is a whole bag of no fun. At 26.4 km long, topping out at 2,304 m, it’s the highest point in the race. And, the most feared.
Memories of Pog’s melancholy Loze
This is the same climb where Tadej Pogačar cracked in 2023—the ol’ “I’m gone, I’m dead” day. While the Slovenian has dominated this Tour and holds a commanding lead (over four minutes), he had a more…measured approach on Mont Ventoux on Sunday.
Watch and listen to the moment Tadej Pogačar knew he had lost the Tour
Jonas Vingegaard and his Visma–Lease a Bike squad will try to exploit any weakness. Expect them to send teammates up the road and launch attacks on the steepest slopes. Although Pogačar has lost his trusted lieutenant João Almeida, and his UAE Team Emirates squad may do something similar.
Meanwhile, Lenny Martinez could go on the offensive in the polka-dot jersey race. With so many points on offer, expect early fireworks—and sustained chaos.
Vingegaard has been riding better and better since the hill climb TT. On Mont Ventoux, the former Tour winner attacked the world champ multiple times, and it was clear he put the Slovenian on the rivet. Still, the yellow jersey managed to take the final push to the line. But all it takes is one bad day for all of that to go south. And we know from previous years that the Dane usually rides better in the third week. And…that’s where we are.
However, 2023 seems like a loooong time ago, relatively, and recall, he didn’t have the ideal prep. But you never know—in theory, Pogačar is human, and he could crack and lose time if Vingegaard puts the…
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