2023 Tour de France to feature Puy de Dôme for the first time since 1988

The Tour de France route for the 2023 edition is soon to be announced, and the pieces f the puzzle begin to take shape. A recent report suggests that the climb to the Puy de Dôme will be featured in the route for the first in over 30 years.

The rumours had been recently surging, and local newspaper La Montagne have said that on the ninth stage the riders will be going up the - inactive - volcano. This is a climb that has started gaining it's reputation in the 1950's and has seen many historical climbers win atop it, but has been last used in 1988.

Atop a narrow road, with the UNESCO World Heritage site and a railtrack being built alongside the road, the mountain has become unable to receive the Tour de France convoy. However, although it is expected that there will be audience limitations, the race appears to be ready to return to the climb of the Massif Central - which features gradients of over 10% for several kilometers. The full route will be revealed in the 27th of October.

Additionally, the report also claims that the Tour de France Femmes will start in the same region, with the city of Clermont-Ferrand to host the Grand Depart.