Col du Tourmalet: Riders climb through crowds at the Tour de France.

Stage 18Summit Finish22 July 2027

Stage 18: Pau to Col du Portet

174km

5,400m elevation

Stage 18 details
Stage	18
Type	Summit Finish
Date	Thursday, 22 July 2027
Route	Pau → Saint-Lary-Soulan, Col du Portet
Distance	174 km
Elevation	5,400 m

Why This Stage Matters

This is the day the 2027 Tour is built around. Four big climbs, 5,400 metres of climbing and a summit finish at 2,215 metres, three days before Paris. If the race is still open in the morning, it is unlikely to be by the evening.

The Portet suits the best climbers in the sport. Tadej Pogačar won here in 2021 in the yellow jersey with Jonas Vingegaard second, and the pair finished the same way at Pla d'Adet above Saint-Lary-Soulan in 2024.

The Route

The Race

The Col du Soulor, 11.8 km at 7.3%, comes first. Then the Col du Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, 19 km at 7.4%, with the Souvenir Jacques Goddet at the top. The Hourquette d'Ancizan, 8.2 km at 5.1%, takes the race into the Aure valley and Saint-Lary-Soulan.

Then the Col du Portet: 16 km at 8.7% to 2,215 metres, the roof of the Tour and the Souvenir Henri Desgrange. The upper slopes are high above the tree line, open to the wind and the sun.

Prudhomme calls it the perfect stage for bold climbers. Expect the strongest teams to thin the group on the Tourmalet and the decisive attacks on the Portet, where gaps can run into minutes.

Stuey's Thoughts

“The Queen Stage, and it could prove decisive.”

174 kilometres and approximately 5,400 metres of climbing, including the Col du Soulor and the legendary Col du Tourmalet. It is the Queen Stage of the race and could prove decisive in the fight for the yellow jersey. This is where the strongest contenders could make their decisive move, although the following stage means nobody can afford to celebrate too early.

Stuey's 2027 route review, October 2026

Stuart O'Grady leads Crédit Agricole in 2001 Tour de France TTT

Stuart O'Grady OAM OLY

4 x Tour de France Stage Winner

Experience This Stage

Saint-Lary-Soulan is a small mountain town in the Aure valley, and on Tour day it is the centre of the race. The Portet road climbs straight out of the valley, and the higher you stand, the longer you watch the riders come up through the hairpins below.

If you ride, this is the climb to do. Go up the Portet the day before, or early on race morning before the road closes, and you will understand the race the moment it arrives. The Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur is the other one: 19 km of Tour history.

Key Climbs

Col du Soulor, 11.8 km at 7.3%
Col du Tourmalet, 19 km at 7.4%
Hourquette d'Ancizan, 8.2 km at 5.1%
Col du Portet, 16 km at 8.7%, summit finish at 2,215 m

Climb Profiles

Col du Tourmalet from Luz-Saint-Sauveur: 19 km at 7.4%.

Col du Portet: 16 km at 8.7% to 2,215 m, the roof of the 2027 Tour.

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