It takes courage just to read the numbers for stage number 18 of the Tour de France: Vif - Courchevel / Col de la Loze. In 171 kilometers, riders will have to overcome 5,450 meters of elevation gain, climb twice above 2,000 meters, and tackle a total of 67 kilometers and change of climbing.

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We start and... immediately climb onto the roller coaster in the heart of the Alps: the first difficulty of the day is the Col du Glandon 21.7 km at 5.1% with a pass at 1,924 meters. Twenty kilometers of descent to arrive at La Chambre where riders will take on the Col de la Madeleine, 19.2 km at 7.9% and the first passage above 2,000 meters in this edition of the Tour de France.

Forty kilometers of descent and valley floor to arrive at Brides-les-Bains where, despite the poetic name, the day's hell will begin: the Col de la Loze measures 26.4 km at 6.5% and at the summit, in addition to victory, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange will be awarded, given to the highest climb of the Grande Boucle. Once reaching the high-altitude plateau, four kilometers of an uneven cycle path will remain, as challenging as those faced in 2020 and 2023.