The
Tour de France route will be announced this Thursday the 27th of October, and most of the pieces in the puzzle have already been fit in throughout recent months. The ascent of the incredibly difficult Col de la Loze will be present in the race when it reaches the Alps.
According the the Dauphiné Libéré the stage has been confirmed already. Early reports suggest it will come on the 15th stage, the last day of the second week of the race, as the riders travel from the west via the Pyrenees, Massif Central and a likely stage finish at the Grand Colombier in the Jura mountains. The route over the Alps will feature either two or three stages, with a finale is Morzine almost certain for the 14th stage - whilst the 16th is relatively unknown.
The 15th stage will very likely finish on the Courchevel Altiport, based on the other side of the mountain, with a downhill finish after climbing the Col de la Loze. Debuted in 2020, the ascent features 21.5 kilometers and 7.8% average gradient, featuring over 10% average in the final 5 kilometers, and ramps of up to 20%, furthermore with the altitude topping at over 2300 meters.
It is a demolishing ascent, over the ski resort of Méribel. After it's success in 2020, the climb will once again feature in the 2023 Tour de France, and it is possible that it will be ranked by many as the queen stage as big differences will be inevitable.