The essentials
Stage 18 combines the Tourmalet and Col du Portet for the first time in a Tour stage, with 5,400 m of climbing.
The 2027 men's route includes a Pyrenean block, with stage 18 running from Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan and covering 5,400 m of climbing. The stage is described as the race's queen stage and takes place on 22 July.
For the first time in a Tour de France stage, the Col du Tourmalet and Col du Portet are combined in a single day.
Stage 19 runs from Hasparren to Laruns and includes the Burdincurutcheta and Bagargui climbs. A stage on 23 July also includes the Soudet and Marie-Blanque climbs in the Basque Country.
The announced details do not give distances, gradients or finish times for these stages, so the full difficulty of each climb cannot be compared from the published information.
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Stage 18 totals 5,400 metres of climbing across Pyrenean roads
Viewed through its climbing total, stage 18 is the largest climbing figure reported for the Pyrenean section, covering the route from Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan. Pairing the Tourmalet with the Col du Portet in one day gives the stage two major summits. Stage 19 and the 23 July stage add further Pyrenean and Basque climbs.
Tour's Pyrenean block links Basque Country climbs with Hautes-Pyrénées finish
Seen as a route-planning sequence, the mountain block starts in Pau, moves through Hasparren and Laruns, and includes climbs in the Basque Country. Stage 18 then finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The arrangement spreads the mountain stages across both the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Hautes-Pyrénées.