The penultimate stage of the Tour de France is undoubtedly the queen stage. Once again, the finish is on Alpe d’Huez, but the route leading up to it looks completely different. In total, the riders must overcome 5,600 meters of climbing.

The stage starts on this Saturday in Bourg d’Oisans. This town lies at the foot of both Alpe d’Huez and the Col de la Croix de Fer (24 kilometers at 5.2%). The riders tackle the Croix de Fer first, reaching an altitude of over 2,000 meters after just 34 kilometers of racing.

After the summit of the Croix de Fer, the riders descend toward Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, signaling the upcoming combination of Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier. The Télégraphe (11.9 kilometers at 7.1%) may seem like a minor obstacle compared to the other climbs in this stage, but it will greatly increase fatigue among the riders.

Especially since there is no descent after this climb—it almost immediately continues into the Col du Galibier (17.7 kilometers at 6.9%). At 2,642 meters, this is instantly the highest point of the Tour. After the Galibier, there are still 61 kilometers remaining in the stage.

Following a long descent comes the Col de Sarenne (12.8 kilometers at 7.3%), where the decisive moments on Saturday are likely to occur. On this climb, gradients frequently exceed ten percent, guaranteeing significant gaps between the GC contenders.

Once over the Sarenne, nearly 15 kilometers remain to the finish at Alpe d’Huez. After the Sarenne, Alpe d’Huez does not need to be fully climbed, but after a short descent, there is still a small climb to the finish (3.7 kilometers at 6.2%).

The Col de Sarenne has appeared in the Tour de France only once before. On that occasion, Frenchman Christophe Riblon won ahead of Tejay van Garderen and Moreno Moser.