“You put cobbles in and he’s up there; you make it harder and he’s there; you make it easier and he attacks from further out”: Prudhomme on Pogačar and the 2027 Tour route

The presentation of the route of the Tour de France 2027 has reopened the debate on how to achieve a more competitive race against the dominance of Tadej Pogačar. With 71 kilometers of individual time trial, a differently distributed mountain stage, and the most demanding stages concentrated in the last week, the route seems to offer new opportunities to his rivals. However, Christian Prudhomme, the race director, has denied that the organization has deliberately sought to disadvantage the Slovenian.

Prudhomme acknowledges that Pogačar complicates the design of the Tour

During his statements to the media regarding the presentation of the 2027 route, Prudhomme was asked about the possibility that ASO had designed a Tour more favorable to riders like Remco Evenepoel or Paul Seixas, with the aim of avoiding another exhibition by Pogačar.

"We never design a route in favor of or against a specific rider. We can prepare routes for a certain type of cyclist, but not for a particular rider", assured the director of the event.

Prudhomme did acknowledge, however, that the extraordinary versatility of the five-time Tour winner poses a challenge for those designing the route. Pogačar not only excels in the major climbs but also stands out in the classics, descents, and medium mountain stages.

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"The difficulty is that Tadej Pogačar is very strong regardless of the terrain. In the climbs, of course, but not only there. His descent from the Tourmalet last year was absolutely phenomenal. You put cobblestones and he's in front, you make the route tougher and he's still there, you make it a bit easier and he attacks from further out", he explained.

The memory of the 2026 Tour is still very present in the organization. In that edition, Pogačar attacked solo on the Tourmalet during the sixth stage, gaining more than two minutes on his rivals and maintaining the yellow jersey until Paris. A demonstration of superiority that left the general classification practically decided when there were still more than two weeks of competition left.

More time trial to keep the race open

One of the main novelties of the official route of the Tour de France 2027 is the return of long time trials. The race will have two individual time trial days, one of 38 kilometers in the seventh stage and another of 33 kilometers in the sixteenth, totaling 71 kilometers.

"The 71 kilometers of time trial will be the highest total since the 2012 edition," confirmed Prudhomme.

The decision introduces a factor that could alter the development of the general classification. Specialists like Evenepoel will have more ground to gain differences, while climbers who lose time will be forced to adopt a more offensive strategy in the mountains.

"Riders who need to recover lost differences against the specialists in this discipline will be even more determined to attack. They will do so in the high mountains, which is an essential element of any grand tour," explained the director.

The organization has also opted to reduce the prominence of high mountains during the first part of the race and increase the presence of broken stages, where team control can be more complicated.

The Pyrenees will concentrate the decisive stages

The 2027 Tour will accumulate 53,450 meters of positive elevation gain, with six high mountain stages and three summit finishes, located at Grand Colombier, Les Saisies, and Col du Portet.

The queen stage will come on day 18, between Pau and Col du Portet, with 174 kilometers and 5,400 meters of elevation gain. The route will include ascents to Soulor, Tourmalet, and Hourquette d'Ancizan before facing the final climb to Col du Portet.

It will be one of the decisive moments of a race that will also reserve another tough Pyrenean day for the following day.

With this distribution of difficulties, ASO seeks to ensure that the differences obtained in the time trials can be compensated with attacks in the mountains and that the general classification remains open until the last days.

But Prudhomme's own words reflect the main uncertainty of the Tour de France 2027. Although the route may seemingly benefit riders like Evenepoel or Seixas, Pogačar has shown that he is capable of winning on practically any terrain. And finding a route that reduces his superiority while still offering a balanced Tour has become one of the greatest challenges for the organization.