Longest Tour de France Stage Features Historic Climb and Tricky Finale

The 13th stage of the Tour de France presents the longest route of this year's race, stretching 205.8 kilometers towards the Vosges mountains. This penultimate stage before Paris is poised to be a decisive battle, culminating with the ascent of the legendary Ballon d'Alsace, a climb steeped in Tour history as the first true mountain pass featured in 1905.

While the initial 150 kilometers are relatively flat, the decisive part of the stage begins thereafter. Riders will face the Col des Croix before tackling the main challenge: an 8.7-kilometer climb up Ballon d'Alsace with an average gradient of 6.9 percent. Though not extremely steep, its length and consistent rhythm will test the riders' endurance.

The summit of Ballon d'Alsace lies approximately 30 kilometers from the finish line in Belfort. A long, technical descent follows, leading into a mostly downhill section towards the finish. However, a final 800-meter climb with an 8 percent gradient just five kilometers from the line could prove decisive, especially if a small breakaway group is still ahead. Belfort hosts a Tour de France finish for the first time since 1978.