Col de la Madeleine
17.1 8.4 km, per cent
An hors categorie monster in the Alps, the Col de la Madeleine has been featured 25 times in the Tour since its introduction in 1969. The Madeleine played a role in the 1987 Tour with Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado. Roche was 25 seconds behind Delgado on the GC with four stages to go. Fearing Delgado’s climbing prowess, the Irish rider thought that if he got up and over the Madeleine alone, which he did, he’d be able to get enough of a lead to win the stage and the race. But Delgado caught Roche before the final climb of the stage, la Plagne. Roche trailed Delgado by 1:25 on la Plagne, but cut the Spaniard’s gains to four seconds at the line. Roche collapsed and needed oxygen, but he went on to win the Tour. Race organizers set the Col de la Madeleine before the 2020 edition’s Stage 17 summit finish on Col de la Loze, a new climb for the race.