Introducing the Col du Haag - The brutal wall could decide the Tour de France today as Pogacar, Vingegaard and GC favourites take on stage 14
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 14:16
The Tour de France thrives on legendary names like Alpe d’Huez, the Tourmalet, or Mont Ventoux. But on Stage 14, a largely unknown climb could become the peloton’s new nightmare: the Col du Haag.
The 1,233-meter pass makes its Tour de France debut today. On paper, it’s 11.2 kilometers at an average of 7.3 percent. Yet those numbers tell only part of the story. The Col du Haag is not a steady mountain road where the favourites can comfortably settle into a rhythm. It’s a wall that strikes immediately and offers almost no respite in the finale.
The ascent begins in Saint-Amarin. As soon as the riders leave the town, the gradient shoots up with ramps of up to 13 percent. After this brutal opening, there’s a brief stretch around Geishouse where the road eases slightly.
But that relief is deceptive. The true cruelty of the Col du Haag waits in the final six kilometers. There’s virtually no flat section there. The road rises almost without interruption at ten to twelve percent.
That’s exactly where this new Vosges giant differs from Alpe d’Huez. On the famous climb with its 21 hairpins, the toughest part is right at the base. If you survive the first two to three kilometers, you can at least try to find a rhythm at around eight percent. On the Col du Haag, that moment never comes. Once you go over your limit here, you’ll hardly get a chance to recover.
Florian Lipowitz Tour de France 2026 stage 6
An old forest road becomes a Tour stage
The origin of this ascent also makes its debut special. For a long time, the route followed a dilapidated forest road that has since been renewed and expanded as a cycling link. Now it will be ridden for the first time by the world’s best pros.
The road winds through the dense forests of the Vosges. There are hardly any wide switchbacks where a rider could briefly gather momentum. Instead, long, direct stretches dominate. Looking up the road can be almost as painful as the gradient itself: riders see the ramp, know exactly what’s coming, and still can’t avoid it.
That makes the Col du Haag a climb for explosive punchy climbers—but also a tactical trap. An attack that comes too early can be fatal. Wait too long, and you risk running out of road on the steepest sections.
This mountain will be particularly interesting for the podium fight. Remco Evenepoel sits in third, while only 38 seconds separate Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, and Florian Lipowitz.
That means the Col du Haag isn’t just about the stage win or the duel between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Even a brief weak spell could cost podium competitors several positions. Conversely, the steepness also offers a big opportunity: anyone with reserves can open up massive gaps in a matter of minutes.
Focus will also be on Red Bull's dual leaders as they try to find a delicate balance. The team wants to protect Evenepoel’s podium spot, but it also can’t lose sight of Lipowitz in the tight battle for the top five. On such a steep road in particular, a clear division of roles could be decisive.
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The summit isn’t the finish
There’s added drama because the stage doesn’t end on the Col du Haag. After the KOM point, there are still just under six kilometers to Le Markstein. The official route lists the summit at kilometer 149.4, with the finish at 155.3 kilometers.
A rider therefore not only has to survive the steep ramps. He also needs enough strength after the summit to press on with an attack or close any gaps.
Before that, the Grand Ballon, the Col du Page, and the Ballon d’Alsace are already waiting. In total, the 155.3-kilometer stage includes around 3,800 meters of climbing. The Col du Haag is thus not an isolated test, but the final and most brutal blow after a long day in the Vosges.
Today, the Tour has discovered a new mountain. Perhaps the Col du Haag won’t immediately attain the myth of Alpe d’Huez. But its debut has all the ingredients for a spectacle: an unfamiliar road, double-digit gradients, a tight battle for the podium, and German hopes right in the thick of it. There’s hardly any place to hide on the Col du Haag. The weak will be exposed. The strong can make history.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- No, Remco drifted off the back but then fought back and pushed to the line. He really is handling the long climbs better than I thought. On a mountain top finish though, Lippo is their man.Pedalmasher18-07-2026
- finally some selection. unfortunately, i could only watch it without sound. did lipo have to wait for remco AGAIN?Ketterechts18-07-2026
- Remco the slaveabstractengineer18-07-2026
- It must make Lance crazy to know he will never be anything other than a shit stain on cycling.Crashjames18-07-2026
- If they were smart, Visma would keep the bunch together as long as possible, letting the top 10 stay in the mix - let them attack and force tadej to burn up his men chasing the attacks.Crashjames18-07-2026
- I would like to see a Mathieu vs Mads showdown on stage 17, like we've had at Gent-Wevelgem. And then on stage 21 Pogačar can join in and why not Remco too.
Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026 - All valid points. Only problem is, everyone else looks more worn out (except Florian Lipowitz, who hasn't ridden to his fullest in order to protect cry-baby Remco's GC ambitions)Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- Armstrong is repulsive. The fact that he doped is bad enough but what really makes him a terrible person is how he attacked some really good people in cycling. Just ask Frankie and Betsy Andrew, Greg LeMond and Emma O'Reilly how he made their lives miserable so he could perpetuate his lie that he was clean. Those are just a few names on the list of people he bullied and/or went after with his lawyers to silence the truth. Even if he hadn’t doped, he is not someone I would ever want to know.
Rggg18-07-2026 - Roglič will fall out of GC, go in the breakaway and get caughtRafionain-Glas18-07-2026
- Answer: He doesn't look himself in the mirror and never has. Have you seen how grimy his face is?Rafionain-Glas18-07-2026
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