Tour favourites set for first Tourmalet test

Tourmalet raises the first real question

The Tour de France favourites are set for their first major high-altitude examination on Thursday, with the race heading over the Col du Tourmalet in the final stage of its Pyrenees segment.

That matters because a high-altitude test changes the race from positioning and control into a more direct measurement of climbing condition. On terrain like this, the favourites have less room to hide. Teams can still manage the pace and protect their leaders, but the climb itself tends to narrow the race to those who can sustain the effort when the road and altitude start doing the selection.

The timing is important as well. Coming at the end of the Pyrenees segment, the Tourmalet offers an early reference point for which contenders are carrying the form needed to shape the race, and which may be forced into a more defensive posture afterward. It is not just a stage obstacle - it is the first meaningful stress test of the hierarchy among the riders expected to matter most.

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