In the realm of the Tour de France’s most legendary climbs, the stage finish at Le Puy de Dôme on Sunday stands out for one special reason: it was thought to be lost forever in Tour history for 35 years. The question of whether the race would return to the extinct volcano in the Massif Central became a recurring topic when interviewing Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France. Prudhomme always gave a similar answer: taking the race back to the Puy had been a top priority when he started working at ASO, the Tour owners, in 2004, and it would happen when local politics allowed.
Compared to other climbs in the Tour, the Puy de Dôme is not the longest, highest, or steepest. Its peak reaches a relatively modest 1,415m (for the Tour), and the toughest final section lasts only 4km, with a maximum gradient of about 14%. However, the first winner on the summit, Fausto Coppi, claimed that it was “harder than Mont Ventoux,” and Jacques Goddet, the man who brought the Tour to the climb for the first time in 1952, described it as “literally a backbreaker.”
What makes Puy de Dôme unique is the unrelenting nature of its gradient, with an average of 12% from the barrier at the foot of the climb to the top. Unlike other climbs with hairpin turns, the road spirals around the extinct volcano “like a helter-skelter in reverse,” as Geoffrey Nicholson put it. Prudhomme, after confirming the climb’s return this year, emphasized its uniqueness, stating that it’s not just about the steepness but also the continuous turning of the road in the same direction, which is unparalleled and contributes to its mythical status.
Similar to Mont Ventoux, the Puy, with its almost perfectly conical shape, can be seen looming ominously from miles away. However, unlike the Giant of Provence, the Puy is covered in lush vegetation and, more significantly, is a dead-end road. According to Nicholson, the Tour was drawn to the climb because of its severity, its proximity to the city of Clermont-Ferrand, and the toll gate at its foot. Unlike other ascents on the Tour, spectators could be charged for entry.
As with all the Tour’s great climbs, it’s not just about the toughness, but also the history. One image captures the climb’s significance: the 1960s rivals Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor side by side near the top on July 12, 1964, a defining moment in French bike racing’s greatest rivalry. Although the memories have faded, Poulidor’s enduring popularity could still be seen at the Tour half a century later, as he received applause every day. Sunday’s stage starts in his hometown of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat as a tribute to him. The duel on the mountain that day, witnessed by a crowd of over six figures, pushed Anquetil to his limits before he finally cracked. Poulidor gained enough time to hope for an overall victory but fell short of taking the yellow jersey, as hope often did in his career.
The list of winners on the Puy includes legendary names such as Felice Gimondi, Federico Bahamontes, Luis Ocaña, and Lucien Van Impe. However, it has also produced memorable anticlimaxes, such as the finish in 1969 when Eddy Merckx was beaten to the top by the last-place rider Pierre Matignon, who took advantage of a long-distance break. A similar scenario occurred in 1988 when the Danish rider Johnny Weltz emerged as the winner.
Merckx, who has bitter memories of the place, was punched in the kidneys by a spectator 200m from the finish in 1975. Despite the assault, Merckx crossed the line and returned to identify his attacker, Nello Breton, whom he took to court and was awarded a symbolic one franc in damages.
Since Weltz’s victory, a combination of factors has kept the Tour away from the mountain. Initially, it was due to the lack of space at the top for the Tour caravan, which had become too expansive. Under Prudhomme’s leadership, the Tour has learned to accommodate tighter finishes, but then local politics came into play. The regional president desired to designate the top of the extinct volcano as a UNESCO reserve, which meant keeping the Tour out. Additionally, the construction of a narrow-gauge railway up the road to the top resulted in limited space for riders and spectators. Barriers were erected at the start of the steepest section, where even leisure cycling is prohibited. The top of the climb will be closed to fans, who will be encouraged to watch the race on the lower slopes as the route ascends out of Clermont-Ferrand.
Whether with or without fans, the Tour is finally returning to the Puy after 59 years since Anquetil and Poulidor’s rivalry. The first eight days of the 2023 Tour have been defined by another thrilling one-on-one battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, who have fiercely competed on various climbs, including the Basque Country, the Col du Marie Blanque, and the Cauterets climb. Their fourth encounter is now set for the slopes of a mountain that has held sacred significance for the Gauls, the Romans (who built a temple of Mercury on its summit), and Christians. At last, the Puy de Dôme is set to reclaim its iconic status in cycling.
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