Tour de France set for first ascent of Col du Haag

A new Tour test

The Tour de France will introduce the Col du Haag on Saturday, giving riders a fresh mountain problem inside a 155.3km route. CNA describes the climb as brutal, and the race organisers believe it has the potential to become an iconic battleground in future editions.

That matters because new climbs change the usual rhythm of a Tour mountain stage. Established ascents come with a long tactical memory: teams know where the road bites, where positioning is decisive, and where riders can afford to wait. A debut climb reduces that shared certainty, which can make pacing, reconnaissance, and the timing of attacks more important than they might be on a familiar summit.

For riders already bracing for the Col du Haag, the key issue is not just surviving another hard climb. It is managing an ascent that does not yet have a Tour de France template. If the climb produces selective racing on its first appearance, organisers will have a strong case for bringing it back.

Full details are at the linked CNA source.