“Le XXIe -siècle pass”, “a real cowardly” … How the Col de la Loze has become legendary in five years

Inducted on the Tour in 2020, the Col de la Loze was borrowed for the third time in five years by the Grande Boucle on Thursday.

Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux, Alpe d'Huez, Galibier. For over a century, the Tour de France writes its story in legendary ascents, which have become real historic monuments of the little queen. But the big loop also knows how to innovate, with finds like the Col de la Loze, final ascent of the 18th stage, Thursday July 24. Climb for the first time in 2020, then in 2023, this old alpine path has already become legendary. “It's the 21st century pass”also likes to repeat Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour.

“It's a real cowry”sums up the former runner Pierre Rolland, who had climbed it during the 2020 edition. “If you want to try it, it is better to an electric bike “smiles Thierry Gouvenou, race director on the Grande Boucle, who makes the course every year. “It is a long climb, up to 2,304 meters, the culmination of this tower, with less and less oxygen and violent slope ruptures”, he details. A real project aligned for the third time in five years on the Tour, where Tadej Pogacar had given ground in 2020, and Completely exploded in 2023.

Like Mûr-de-Bretagne or La Planche des Belles Filles, the Col de la Loze quickly acquired its stripes on this race, despite its recent history. “It is important to go through historical myths, but Also to seek ascents that have the potential to become mythical, like the Col de la Loze, which does not leave indifferent “justifies Christian Prudhomme, before specifying: “But a myth should not be borrowed every year, should not be trivialized. It must be an event every time.”

For the moment, the Col de la Loze has been. In 2020, Primoz Roglic thought he had sealed his final victory there by distanting the very young Tadej Pogacar, who had reversed the tour three days later. In 2023, Jonas Vingegaard had ratified his second coronation on the big loop there, completely exploding this same Tadej Pogacar. Two ultra-spectacular stages in the line of which should register that of 2025, since the Col de la Loze comes to conclude a terrible day with three passes out of category to swallow in 171 km.

A menu all the more indigestible since the Col de la Loze is not like any other, even if it will be climbed this time by the Courchevel side, not that of Méribel. “It is more regular, with fewer slope ruptures than the slope borrowed in 2020 and 2023, but it remains very violent and irregular, and above all very long”warns Pierre Rolland. Unlike other legendary climbs, the Col de la Loze was not drawn for cars, but for skiers and maintenance vehicles in the ski area, before being paved for cyclists.

“Unlike many Alpine valleys, we had no big passes to link our stations from the 3 valleys for the summits”explains Jean-Christophe Vidoni, Deputy for Sports of Courchevel since 1997. “This is how the via 3 valleys project was born to link Courchevel, Méribel, Menuires and Val Thorens by cycle collaborations. It is a natural project, because the bike has always been the other mountain sport with alpine skiing.”

“We decided to tread this mountain road which was used mainly in summer by mountain dwellers, herds, and winter by ski lift companies and skiers.”

Jean-Christophe Vidoni, sports assistant in Courchevel

In Franceinfo: Sport

“As this path was already designed to support the weight of snowfields, once tarmac in 2019, it could largely bear the vehicles of the Tour de France“, specifies Jean-Christophe Vidoni, while recalling that it is a collar “Reserved for cyclists and hikers, and prohibits motorized vehicles the rest of the year”. What the mountain reminded itself to the followers of the Tour de France, in 2023, when several vehicles stalled in steep turns, even forcing Jonas Vingegaard to get ground. The fact remains that the Loze, tarmac in 2019, entered the Tour from 2020.

“He fell to us all raw in his arms. We saw that there was a big cycle tourist race, then the tour of the future went there in 2019. Bernard Hinault was there, he called me to tell me that I had to come to see that”recalls Christian Prudhomme. “”As of Monday, we went to see this Col de la Loze, hiding obviously. We were immediately won over “. Just as the tour lovers were then, but not Tadej Pogacar. Unless the Slovenian erases his bad memories on Thursday, as he did in Hautacam.