Hautacam

Arguably the most brutal sustained climb in the French Pyrenees. Hautacam rises from Ayros-Arbouix near Lourdes in an almost unbroken wall: 13.6km averaging 7.9% with multiple ramps between 10-14% that sever any attempt at a consistent rhythm. The climb gained global attention when Bjarne Riis won here in 1996 and Lance Armstrong took two Tour stage wins on these slopes. In 2022 Tadej Pogacar soloed to the summit in a performance that underlined Hautacam's status as a genuine Tour de France decider. The road surface above the mid-station is rougher than most Pyrenean climbs but the gradient ensures speed is modest.