Hautacam

Hautacam is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées region. In road bicycle racing, the ascent to Hautacam is known as a tough climb, which is used occasionally in the Tour de France.Cycle racingDetails of climbStarting from Argelès-Gazost, the climb is 17.3km long. Over this distance, the climb gains 1170m in altitude to the top of the climb at 1635m, at an average gradient of 6.8%. The stage finishes of the Tour de France in 2008 and 2014 were at an altitude of 1520m and in previous races were at 1560m. The climb used by the Tour de France starts at Ayros-Arbouix, from where there is 13.6km to the finish, climbing 1164m, at an average gradient of 7.8%.Tour de FranceHautacam first held a Tour de France stage in 1994, won by Luc Leblanc. Since then, it has been used a further four times, including the final mountain stage of the 2014 race.Tour de France stage finishesIt was on the climb to Hautacam that Lance Armstrong set up his victory in the 2000 Tour de France, until being disqualified for doping. In appalling weather, the race arrived at the first mountain stage, with Javier Otxoa the only survivor from an early break. On the final climb, Armstrong went off alone into the wind and rain leaving his challengers struggling, pushing Jan Ullrich into second place by four minutes. Once Armstrong had taken the Maillot Jaune, he was never seriously challenged until the end of the race.