By Shane Stokes
It’s a climb laden with Tour de France history but one which hasn’t been used in almost 40 years. Now speculation is growing that the Tour de France could return to the iconic Puy de Dôme volcano in 2023, ending a long wait since the last finish there in 1988. The volcano may long be extinct but it has been the venue for many simmering battles in the race, most notably the shoulder to shoulder duel between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in 1964.
On that occasion the multiple Tour winner was days away from securing an unprecedented fifth victory in the race, but was fading. Poulidor had finished third overall two years earlier and was a fan favourite, being seen as a courageous and charismatic underdog who contrasted with the cool, calm and somewhat detached efficiency of his rival. They started what was the final mountain stage separated by just 56 seconds and raced up the final climb with climbing specialists Julio Jiménez and Federico Bahamontès for company.
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The two Spaniards attacked on the slopes and distanced the two Frenchmen, with Jiménez going on to take the stage win ahead of 1959 Tour winner Bahamontès. Behind, Anquetil and Poulidor battled side by side, trading pedal stroke for pedal stroke, with the latter unleashing several unsuccessful attacks.
Anquetil was a famed time trialist who was once described as a rider who could drop nobody, but whom nobody could drop. Poulidor did just that, though, unleashing one more surge close to the summit and finally breaking the older rider.
He hammered it home to the finish, then began a nervous countdown to see if he would take yellow.
Anquetil conceded ground but drew on pride and stubbornness to drag himself over the line. He finished well back and completely drained, but maintained a sliver of his overnight advantage.
When told he still had a buffer of 14 seconds, his reply revealed his sense of relief. “That’s 13 more than I need.”
He duly won the final time trial in Paris, beating Poulidor in Paris by 55 seconds.
It was, at that time, the smallest winning margin in Tour history.
Their Puy de Dôme clash can be watched here:
The climb has featured a total of 13 times since its debut in 1952 and its last outing in 1988. It was famously the scene for an incident in 1975 when a spectator struck Eddy Merckx, injuring his kidney. That assault compounded what was a very tough Tour for Merckx and he lost the race to Bernard Thévenet.
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Ireland’s Martin Earley finished a fine fourth atop the Puy de Dôme in 1986, with that stage seeing Bernard Hinault finally ride for Greg LeMond after the La Vie Claire teammates had clashed for much of the race.
Two years later, the race visited the volcano for the last time in recent history. It saw a showdown between race leader Pedro Delgado and rivals such as Gert-Jan Theunisse (PDM).
Earlier this year Christian Prudhomme visited the summit and appeared to confirm a return to the mythical mountain. “The dream becomes bigger today,” the Tour de France director told La Montagne in June, speaking about plans to bring the Tour to the climb.
“There’s a lot of emotion for us because it’s a dream that we’ve had in our heads for years.”
“This corresponds to our desire to give the mountains back to the champions, as we have shown in recent years by going to classified sites or sites that are difficult to access.”
One of the reasons why the climb was discontinued is because of lack of space at the summit for the huge Tour entourage, including TV crews and official vehicles. Things became more difficult in 2012 when a rail line going up the climb was constructed, further narrowing road access.
However Prudhomme knows the value of Tour legend and understands what a coup it would be for the race to once again play out on those slopes.
“There is a political will for the return to the Puy de Dôme,” Prudhomme told AFP. “It’s a real challenge.”
At the time it was thought that the race might return on July 12, 2024, marking the 60-year anniversary of the Anquetil-Poulidor battle.
However highly-regarded French website Velowire has suggested the Tour could return as early as next year. Each year it makes predictions about the Tour route, based in part on local knowledge and also hotel bookings made in advance by Tour organisers ASO.
Velowire’s Thomas Vergouwen points to a surge in hotel bookings in and around Clermont-Ferrand on 9 July next year as an indication that cycling’s biggest event might head back to the Puy de Dôme in 2023 rather than 2024.
Final confirmation of the date will come when the Tour’s route is unveiled in Paris on October 27th.
