The Tour de France is renowned for its punishing climbs, which often define the race and distinguish the champions from the rest. While the race is famous for its sprint finishes, scenic routes, and grueling endurance challenges, it is the mountain stages, with their long and steep ascents, that are the ultimate test of a cyclist’s skill, strength, and endurance. Climbs like the Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux, and the Col du Tourmalet have become iconic landmarks of the race, and they play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the overall competition.
Tackling the punishing climbs of the Tour de France requires a combination of physical fitness, mental toughness, strategy, and team support. Riders must manage their energy levels, optimize their pacing, and often work in concert with their teammates to maximize their performance.
The nature of Tour de France climbs
Climbing in the Tour de France is unlike any other aspect of the race. The climbs vary in terms of length, gradient, and altitude, making each one unique in its challenge. Climbs are classified by their difficulty, with the “hors catégorie” (HC) climbs being the most difficult, followed by Category 1 through Category 4. The classification depends on the length of the climb, the steepness, and the elevation gain.
Some climbs, like the Col du Tourmalet, stretch for over 17 kilometers with gradients averaging around 7-8%. Others, like Mont Ventoux, feature relentless gradients and high-altitude conditions that make breathing more difficult. Alpe d’Huez, with its 21 hairpin bends, is a short but sharp ascent that tests riders’ ability to tackle steep gradients under high pressure. These climbs are spread throughout the three-week race, often concentrated in the middle or later stages, when fatigue starts to accumulate.
Climbs play a key role in determining the winner of the Tour de France, as they often create significant time gaps between the strongest and weakest riders. In addition to the physical challenge, climbs also demand an acute awareness of race strategy, as riders must decide when to conserve energy and when to attack, all while navigating the psychological pressure of racing in a large group or chasing down breakaway competitors.
Physical demands
Climbing in the Tour de France is first and foremost a test of physical endurance and strength. Riders face a number of physiological challenges as they ascend, particularly as the climbs become steeper and the air thinner at higher altitudes. Successfully tackling these climbs requires a finely-tuned balance between raw power output, efficient oxygen usage, and the ability to sustain a high effort level for long periods of time.
In addition to physical fitness, professional cyclists train their bodies to recover quickly from these efforts. During the Tour de France, riders have to ascend multiple climbs in a single stage, and their ability to recover between climbs—sometimes during descents or flatter sections—can make or break their overall performance.
Climbing techniques
Conquering a steep, long climb requires more than just raw fitness; cyclists must also employ specific techniques to maximize their efficiency and maintain a high pace over challenging terrain. These techniques vary depending on the gradient of the climb, the pace of the race, and the rider’s overall strategy for the stage.
Seated vs. standing climbing
One of the key decisions a rider must make during a climb is whether to remain seated or to stand on the pedals. Each technique has its advantages and is used in different scenarios.
Seated Climbing: Most riders spend the majority of their time climbing while seated, as it allows them to conserve energy and maintain a more consistent power output. In the seated position, the rider can engage larger muscle groups like the glutes and hamstrings, reducing the load on the quadriceps and making it easier to maintain an efficient, steady pace.
Standing Climbing: While standing, the rider shifts more weight onto the pedals and uses the upper body to generate additional force. This technique is useful on steeper sections of a climb, where extra power is needed to maintain momentum. However, standing consumes more energy than sitting, so it’s typically reserved for shorter efforts, bursts of acceleration, or when riders are trying to drop their rivals in critical moments.
Many climbers alternate between seated and standing positions during long climbs to give their muscles brief relief and prevent one muscle group from becoming overly fatigued.
Pacing and cadence
Pacing is critical on the long, punishing climbs of the Tour de France. Riders who start a climb too fast may exhaust themselves before reaching the summit, while those who pace themselves too conservatively may miss an opportunity to attack or respond to a rival’s move. Riders typically aim to maintain a steady effort just below their lactate threshold, allowing them to climb efficiently without overexerting themselves.
Riders often adjust their cadence based on the gradient of the climb. On steeper sections, a lower cadence with more force per pedal stroke may be necessary, while on gentler gradients, riders can maintain a higher cadence and preserve their energy for later in the race.
Mental strategies and psychological endurance
The mental challenge of climbing in the Tour de France is almost as significant as the physical one. Riders face not only the pain and fatigue of climbing at high intensity but also the psychological strain of competing against rivals, pacing themselves, and handling pressure from fans and media. A few key mental strategies can help riders cope with these pressures:
Breaking the climb into sections
Rather than focusing on the daunting prospect of a long climb, many riders mentally divide the climb into smaller sections, tackling it one piece at a time. By breaking the climb into more manageable chunks, they can focus on maintaining a steady pace without becoming overwhelmed by the length or steepness of the ascent.
Mind over matter
The ability to push through pain and fatigue is a hallmark of elite climbers. Riders often use mental techniques such as visualization, deep breathing, or repeating mantras to stay focused and positive, even when their bodies are screaming for relief. This psychological toughness is critical, especially in the later stages of the Tour, when cumulative fatigue sets in, and every climb feels more challenging than the last.
Tactical patience
While the climbs offer an opportunity to gain time on rivals, patience is often the key to success. Riders who attack too early on a long climb risk running out of energy before reaching the summit. The best climbers know when to hold back and when to make their move. This tactical patience allows them to stay with the lead group, conserving energy until the final critical moments when they can launch a decisive attack.
Team support and race strategy
In the Tour de France, climbing is not just an individual effort; it is often the product of well-coordinated teamwork. Teams play a critical role in positioning their leaders for success on climbs, setting the pace, and providing physical and psychological support.
Domestiques and team tactics
Teams are composed of domestiques, whose primary role is to support their team leader in various ways, including on climbs. In mountain stages, domestiques help by setting a steady pace for the team leader, protecting them from wind, and chasing down attacks from rival riders. The domestiques often ride at the front of the group, pulling their leader along and allowing them to conserve energy.
As the climb progresses, the domestiques may “burn out” and drop off, having expended all their energy to help their leader. This leaves the team leader to fend for themselves in the final, most decisive moments of the climb, where their ability to maintain a high pace or launch an attack will determine their overall success.
Attacking and defending
Climbs are often where the race is won or lost, especially in the battle for the general classification (GC). Teams with GC contenders carefully plan their tactics for each climb, deciding when to attack and when to defend.
Attacking on a climb involves launching a sudden acceleration in an attempt to drop rivals and gain time. This requires perfect timing, as attacking too early or without sufficient energy can backfire. Teams with multiple climbers may also use the tactic of sending one rider ahead in a breakaway, forcing rival teams to chase and potentially tire themselves out before the main GC contenders make their move.
Defending on a climb is equally important. Riders with the yellow jersey (indicating they are the current race leader) must respond to attacks from rivals while conserving as much energy as possible. Team support plays a huge role here, as domestiques help neutralize attacks and protect their leader until the final critical moments.
Recovery after climbing
After a punishing climb, recovery is essential. Cyclists need to replenish their energy stores, manage muscle fatigue, and prepare for the next stage or climb. Proper nutrition, hydration, and recovery techniques, such as massage and stretching, are vital in ensuring that riders can continue to perform at a high level throughout the three-week race.
(lead picture Charly Lopez / A.S.O.)