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Auvergne

Puy de Dôme

A dormant volcano whose final 4 km spiral around the cone at a relentless 12%. Closed to the Tour for 35 years after a rack railway was built, it returned in 2023 with no spectators allowed on the upper slopes.

Summit

1,415 m

Length

13.3 km

Average

7.7%

Maximum

13%

Category

Hors catégorie

First used

1952

Appearances

14 ascents

Fastest ever

The benchmark

Michael Woods, 2023

Reference ascent — timings vary with the exact start point, weather and race situation.

History

Famous moments

  1. 1964

    Anquetil and Poulidor ride shoulder to shoulder — the most famous photograph in French cycling.

  2. 1975

    A spectator punches Eddy Merckx in the kidneys.

  3. 2023

    Michael Woods wins in eerie silence on the closed summit road.

Ride it yourself

Notes for cyclists

  • The spiral road is normally closed to cyclists — the Tour is a rare exception.

Next

Another giant