Hill Climbs of the 2000 Tour de France

Little did Henri Desgrange know in 1903 that his promotional stunt would lead to one of the greatest sports events in the world.

The eccentric Desgrande was desperate to gain an edge in the French sports newspaper market for his paper, L'Auto (now L' Equipe), and came up with the idea to organize a national bicycle tour. Bicycles were extremely popular at the time, and the first Tour de France was an immediate success.

Looking to add excitement to the race, he included mountain passes in the 1905 route. Climbing was still a novel idea in bicycle racing; mountain roads were primitive dirt tracks, bicycles were heavy and had only one gear, and riders were afraid of bears on the high and wild roads. (To add mountain stages, Desgrande had to eliminate night racing!).

In 1910, Desgrande included the two major mountain ranges bordering France, the Alps and the Pyrenees. Desgrande knew that not all the riders would make it, so he introduced the broom wagon for those who dropped out mid-way through the stage.

The French Press was critical of Desgrande for including mountain passes that were thought to be too difficult and dubbed the route through the Pyrenees the "Circle of Death." Since then, the most difficult stage used in the Pyrenees, often climbing the famous Tourmalet and Aubisque "cols," or passes, has been called the Circle of Death.

Tragically, the 1995 Tour de France Circle of Death stage claimed a real victim; Fabio Casartelli died from head injuries suffered in a crash on the descent of Col de Portet d'Aspet in the Pyrenees. The peloton always pauses when it passes the memorial to Casartelli, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist.

Climbs are ranked according to length, steepness, overall difficulty and the position of the climb in the stage. The highest cols are referred to as "hors categorie," so hard they are above the rating scale. Since the Tour route changes every year, not all the famous cols are included in every race.

The King of the Mountains (KOM) award for best climber was added to the Tour in 1933, and the distinctive white and red polka dot jersey was introduced until 1975. Why the polka dot motif? Poulain Chocolates first sponsored the award, and wanted the jersey to look like its candy bar wrapper.

The 2000 Tour de France will feature five stages with hors categorie climbs. Defending champ Lance Armstrong will face one day high in the Pyrenees, one day in Provence (Mount Ventoux), and three days in the high Alps.

Climbs

Col du Aubisque, 29km (Stage 10) One of the standard Pyrenees cols in the Circle of Death, in 1991 the Col du Aubisque marked the start of Miguel Indurain's five consecutive Tour wins. Greg LeMond tried to repeat his attack from the year before on the preceding Col du Tourmalet, but cracked on the Aubisque, losing over seven minutes to Indurain, and was never again to wear the yellow jersey.

It was over the Aubisque in 1969 that a young Eddy Merckx soared to his greatest triumph. Wearing the yellow jersey as race leader, Merckx dropped all his rivals in a dominating climbing performance, riding solo for 130 kilometers to win the Circle of Death stage by an unheard of eight-minute lead.

As he thoroughly stomped his rivals in that Tour, one of them remarked that Merckx was like a "Cannibal," and the nickname stuck. It was entirely appropriate for a competitor who had no equal on high mountain climbs, or any race. (Merckx holds the record of eight mountain stage wins.)

Hautacam, 13.5km (Stage 10 mountaintop finish) The ski resort of Hautacam in the Pyrenees, with a climb at 8.5% grade, is host to the finish of stage 10 of the 2000 Tour, following the Col du Aubisque earlier in the stage. It will be the first major test for Lance Armstrong and the other Tour contenders.

In the 1996 stage that finished at the summit of Hautacam, Bjarne Riis stamped his authority on the race with a commanding performance, launching an attack on the steepest section of the road that dropped everyone, including the mighty Miguel Indurain. The stage signaled the end of Indurain's five-year Tour reign, and it was the first Tour win for a Danish rider.

Mount Ventoux, 21km (Stage 12 mountaintop finish) At 1909 meters high, Mount Ventoux isn't extraordinary compared to the Alps, but its 21 kilometers of endless switchbacks, paired with a sweltering hot temperatures and a barren lunar landscape make it a daunting climb. For the first time since 1972, a Tour stage will finish at the top of Ventoux, which is a solitary peak in the middle of flatlands; it will likely be a major battleground in the race.

In 1967 English rider Tom Simpson collapsed in the stifling heat on the slopes of Ventoux, and died several hours later, the only man to die riding uphill in the Tour. The probable cause was a combination of hot weather, alcohol and amphetamines use. Simpson's last words: "Put me back on my bike." A monument two kilometers from the summit marks the site of the tragedy.

Col de Telegraphe and Col de Galibier (Stage 15) Desgrange was so ecstatic about the inclusion of the mighty 2645-meter Col du Galibier in 1911 that he wrote in L'Auto, "Oh Laffrey! Oh Bayard! Oh Tourmalet! I don't hesitate to proclaim that compared to the Galibier you are but pale and vulgar babies. In front of this giant there is nothing more for you to do but take off your hats and bow from down below."

On stage 15, these two passes are only a warm-up for the massive Col de la Madeleine and Col du Courchevel, sure to be a make or break point in this year's Tour.

Col de la Madeleine, 19.3km and Col du Courchevel, 17.3km (Stage 15) The Madeleine and Courchevel climbs are typical Alps climbs: long and steady, with steep 8% grades. Marco Pantani won his second mountain stage in three days on theses cols in the 1997 Tour, but it wasn't enough to beat the unstoppable Jan Ulrich. If Pantani and Ulrich are both on form to match Armstrong, fireworks will fly on this stage.

Alpe d'Huez (Included in 1999 Tour) The relentless grind up 12.5km Alpe d'Huez features 21 numbered hairpins turns at an average gradient of 9%. Before 1952, no Tour stage had finished at the summit of a climb; Italian Fausto Coppi won the inaugural mountaintop finish on Alpe d'Huez, which was also was the first high altitude climb in the Tour.

American Andy Hampsten, famous for his Giro d'Italia win in 1988, topped off his career with a solo win at Alpe d'Huez in 1992.

Sestrieres (Included in 1999 Tour) Wearing the yellow jersey after a dominating time trial win the day before in the 1999 Tour, Lance Armstrong attacked his rivals on an icy wet day in the Alps and soloed to his first mountaintop stage victory, an indication that no one had the strength to beat him.