TOMORROW'S STAGE
Stage 20 – Guillestre - Sant'Anna di Vinadio – 134km
This short stage across the Alps features a remarkable 4,100m rise and drop in as little as 134km, with a sequence of four climbs and three descents – with no flat stretches in between. The route climbs up Col de Vars (19km), Col de la Bonette (22km), Col de la Lombarde (20km) and the final 2.3km leading to the Sant’Anna Sanctuary. The road is wide and well-surfaced along all of the climbs (mostly above 2,000m), with many hairpins. The roadway only narrows along the technical descent from Col de la Lombarde, all the way up to the last 2.3km.
Final kms
The route climbs steadily over the last 2,300m, with gradients ranging from 9% to 11%. The road is quite narrow, with a few hairpins. The last few hundred metres of the route run among the Sanctuary’s buildings, with short uphill stretches and tight bends. The home straight (50m) is on a 6m wide asphalt road.
POINTS OF INTEREST
GUILLESTRE – km 0
Guillestre is the major centre of the valley.
STATION DE VARS (intermediate sprint) – km 14 and COL DE VARS (KOM) – km 19
The route runs past Sainte Marie de Vars, the area’s major centre, and leads to the intermediate sprint in Station de Vars. This ski area, along with Risoul, belongs to the wider Forêt Blanche ski resort. Next is a sharp ramp leading to the Col de Vars first-category climb, one of the iconic climbs of the Tour de France.
SAINT PAUL SUR UBAYE – km 27
In the Ubaye Valley in the department of Alpes-de-Haute Provence, the river’s right bank is sunlit and cultivated, while the left is shaded and mainly wooded. The route drops down into Saint Paul sur Ubaye, a small village dominated by the majestic Aiguille du Chambeyron (3,412m), the second highest mountain after Monviso.
JAUSIERS – km 41
The route runs past two picturesque mountain villages: Les Gleizolles and La Condamine Châtelard. Jausiers, next on the stage course, at the end of the descent from Col de Vars, is a lovely village with finely decorated architecture.
COL DE LA BONETTE (KOM) – km 63
Along the climb, the course only encounters the village of Lans and just before the summit, the route reaches the peak of Col de Restefond (2,680m).
SAINT-ETIENNE DE TINÉ – km 88
The route enters the department of Alpes Maritimes. Next along the descent are the abandoned stone barracks of Camp des Fourches, the tiny hamlet of Bousieyas (the highest in the entire department), and Saint-Etienne de Tiné, a village with distinctive architecture, bordering the Mercantour National Park.
ISOLA (intermediate sprint) – km 103 and COLLE DELLA LOMBARDA (KOM) – km 124
At the village of Isola – that once belonged to Italy until 1947 – the road kicks up again, with a 20km ascent to the first-category Colle della Lombarda summit. The route runs past the modern Isola 2000 ski area.
SANT’ANNA DI VINADIO (KOM) – km 134
A constant descending stretch, with gradients of 6-7%, takes the stage back to Italy, Piedmont (in the province of Cuneo), all the way to the intersection leading to Sant’Anna (1,824m). From here, the route rises again, heading for the finish in Sant’Anna di Vinadio (2,015m).
The Sanctuary of Sant’Anna di Vinadio is the highest-rising shrine in Europe. It is dedicated to saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary, whose feast is celebrated on 26th July.
Vinadio lies in the valley of the Stura di Demonte river, 900m above sea level. It was a major stronghold, as reflected in the fortifications and the moat surrounding the town, which Carlo Alberto had built. The fortress is now open to visitors and is the seat of cultural events.
Besmorello is home to a modern plant where S. Anna di Vinadio mineral water is bottled. Stefania Belmondo (1969), the medallist and title-holding specialist of cross-country skiing was born in Vinadio.