Vuelta a España - Stage 13

The Vuelta enters the French Pyrenees and takes on the Col du Tourmalet summit finish

The 2023 Vuelta a España promises a great battle for the red jersey

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Updated: August 21, 2023

For the third time in under as many months, the Col du Tourmalet will test the world’s best riders upon its slopes as the Vuelta tackles two mountainous days in the Pyrenees.

Before the race reaches its iconic slopes, however, the riders must summit three categorised climbs that go a long way to racking up the more than 4,000m of climbing on offer. Right from the flag drop, the fight for the breakaway will begin as they climb the Category 3 Puerto de Portalet. Despite only being 4.4km in length, this initial test is slightly harder than the Vuelta roadbook makes out, averaging 5.6% and reaching 13.9% at its worst.

After a 32km descent, the next climb is the first from the infamous ‘circle of death’ chain of mountains to feature in this year’s Vuelta a España, the Col d’Aubisque (16.5km at 7.1%). The other is, of course, the Col du Tourmalet. This chain of mountains has earned its moniker owing to their difficulty and both climbs in stage 13 have been designated with hors catégorie status - with the Aubisque’s steepest 12% ramps falling between Cascade de Valentin and the Gourette ski resort.

The unclassified Col du Soulor (2.3km at 4.8%) precedes the descent to the foot of the category 1 Col de Spandelles (10.3km at 8.3%). The trials and tribulations of this climb not only lie in its many hairpins and its steepest gradients of 14.7%, but also in the technical descent that follows. It was here in last year’s Tour de France Tadej Pogačar fell victim to a crash, and whilst Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) was gentlemanly enough to wait until the Hautacam to put his rival to the sword, no such misgivings will stop him this time around.

Watch: Vingegaard & Van Aert Bury Pogačar On Hautacam!

Be of no doubt, stage 13 is the place for the Jumbo-Visma leader - apologies to Primož Roglič - to put his competition under immense pressure. With two mountains over 1,600m and the Col du Tourmalet taking its victims above the hallowed 2,000m threshold, the brutality of this stage suits Vingegaard to a tee. Given the short nature of the stage, it may be possible for Jumbo-Visma to control the first climb and prevent satellite riders from going up the road until the slopes of the Aubisque, thereby reducing the leverage of Vingegaard’s rivals later in the stage.

As for the Tourmalet itself, although the categorised climb stretches for 18.9km at 7.2% after Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the final 31km of the stage all rise uphill and average 5.1% - going to show the task at hand. The steepest pitches of 12.2% fall inside the final half of the climb and the last kilometre averages 9.3%. This is no stage for the faint of heart.

Climbs:

km 4.4 - Puerto de Portalet, 4.4km at 5.6% (cat 3)
km 48.6 - Col d’Aubisque, 16.5km at 7.1% (hors catégorie)
km 81.9 - Col de Spandelles, 10.3km at 8.3% (cat 1)
km 134.4 - Col du Tourmalet, 18.9km at 7.2% (hors catégorie)

We’ll be showing live and on-demand coverage of all 21 stages of this year’s Vuelta a España from Saturday, August 26 to Sunday, September 17, plus daily expert analysis on The Breakaway. Head over to GCN+ now to check the start times of each broadcast so that you don’t miss out on a moment of the action! As always, territory restrictions will apply.

To watch our GCN+ original film looking at the mythical Col du Tourmalet, click here!