The Tour de France faces the high mountains without finishing the first week, with the first of the two Pyrenean days that have two large ports and an arrival in Laruns, the place where the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar achieved the first of his nine stages in 2020 .
In an edition that began last Saturday in Bilbao, the route was forced to face the Pyrenees early and to keep the excitement of the general as much as possible, do it less intensely than the Alps.
But on this first day, of 162.7 kilometers between Pau and Laruns, the cyclists will have to ascend Soudet, a special category, 15.2 kilometers at 7.2% of average slope, and Marie-Blanque, first class, 7 .7 kilometers at 8.6%, whose peak is 18 kilometers from the finish line.
Enough terrain for the candidates for the general classification to begin to show their form, just five days after the start of the test, although it will not be a matter of expending all the energy either, because the next day comes the first goal at altitude, in the Cauterets port.
The fight for the yellow jersey will begin to give the first indications on terrain that is very favorable to Pogacar, used to having good results in that region.
In a stage very similar to that of this Wednesday, but with a climb to Soudet on the other side, the Slovenian achieved his first stage win in 2020, before managing to snatch the yellow jersey from his compatriot Primoz Roglic on the penultimate day and get his first Tour.
The decisive climb will be that of Marie-Blanque, with the toughest ramps in the final section, with a special bonus at the top, and a fairly technical descent to the Laruns finish line.
The start in Pau will also bring back good memories for Pogacar, who in 2021, on his way to his second consecutive victory, won a stage that began in that city and ended in Luz Ardiden.
