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The Tour de France embarks on its make-or-break third week on Tuesday, July 22nd, as Stage 16 promises to deliver one of cycling's most dramatic spectacles. Cyclists come back from a well-earned rest day to face the daunting challenge of Mont Ventoux cycling's most feared giant in what may be a race-sealing experience in the 2025 Tour.

Mont Ventoux is no stranger to cyclists. The mythical "Giant of Provence" has witnessed epic battles, valiant comebacks, and razor-thin victories in the Tour de France over the years. It is the 19th time the Tour de France will call at this giant peak this year, and the 11th time a stage ends on its windy peak.

Stage from Montpellier to Mont Ventoux is 171.5 kilometers of hard work, but the final ascent will strain the pretenders' gap from the contenders. At a total of 2,950 meters of climbing and a brutal 15.7-kilometer grind at a mean gradient of 8.8%, Stage 16 is the toughest summit finish of the tour.

Image by: Bicycling

The stage begins in Montpellier, the vibrant Mediterranean port city that is the perfect launch pad for one of the sport's biggest tests. The riders will have a relatively flat lead-in through the picturesque Rhône Valley, past iconic Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its wines of international fame, to the mid-stage sprint point after 112.4 kilometers.

The road goes on through Aubignan before the ground really starts to slope up towards the foot of Mont Ventoux. This build-up provides cyclists with plenty of time to wonder what lies ahead: a merciless ascent that peaks at 1,910 meters above sea level, where oxygen is thin and legs feel leaden.

The technical challenge of this stage is as daunting as it's ever been. Along with the 15.7-kilometer climb with its vicious 8.8% average gradient, the riders will need to struggle through the exposed final 6 kilometers. This barren moonscape section offers no relief from the conditions, and meteorological reports are predicting headwinds that will make the final push all the more difficult.

• Total Distance: 171.5 kilometers

• Elevation Gain: 2,950 meters

• Highest Altitude: 1,910 meters

• Climb Distance: 15.7 kilometers

• Average Gradient: 8.8%

• Classification: Category 1 climb (30 points on offer)

These statistics surely show why Mont Ventoux commands so much respect from the professional peloton. The distance, the gradient, and the elevation all coming together make for a perfect storm that can shatter even the best riders' dreams.

Mont Ventoux's history in the Tour de France stretches over decades. Decades of legend. The most recent finish atop has been in 2021 when Wout van Aert edged away from his breakaway mates in a stunning attack. The same stage had him edge ahead of Tadej Pogačar on the climb. His advantage only to be undone on the tricky descent.

The history of the mountain has victory and tragedy. Chris Froome's legendary seated attack in yellow is etched into cycling lore, as is his infamous walk up the mountain after crashing in the crazy crowds. Both episodes emphasize Mont Ventoux's unique ability to create drama and alter race dynamics in a fashion relatively few mountains can.

Four years have passed since the Tour last visited this sacred ground, so the 2025 return is the more special for it. Riders who experienced the mountain's wrath in 2021 have those wounds, and newcomers have to go into the unknown element of cycling's most daunting summit.

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Weather will be a decisive factor in how the stage unfolds. A bright blue sky and temperature between 26-29°C in the valleys will become more bearable 18°C at the summit. With the predicted headwind in the final 6 kilometers, however, there is another factor in an already challenging finish.

The early intermediate sprint at Châteauneuf-du-Pape provides an early points classification opportunity, but the serious business starts once the road heads upwards. Pure climbers face the tricky tactical choice of participating in the early breakaway. Although the stage profile favors their ability, the presence of multiple general classification hopefuls who are capable of climbing at world-class levels makes chances for a successful breakaway unlikely.

Team dynamics will be crucial on the slopes of Mont Ventoux. Powerful climbers who have strong teammates attain big bonuses in the valleys and lower parts of the climbing sectors. Having the skills to dictate pace and position riders perfectly before the steepest parts can decide whether or not a challenger reaches the bottom with energy reserves remaining.

The nudity of the final kilometers excludes tactical camouflage. Cyclists, once beyond the tree-less upper slopes, are reduced to brute strength and willpower as the only notable currencies. Previous Mont Ventoux stages have shown that seemingly invincible leads can disappear quickly in thin air.

Mont Ventoux possesses a blend of elements that make it the perfect storm of hardness: significant length (15.7km), consistent steep climb (8.8% average gradient), and considerable elevation (1,910m finish height), plus exposed ground in the last kilometers. The lack of respite from sun and wind in the higher altitude places psychological strain on physical work.

Stage 16 is the most severe finale to the loftiest peak of the entire 2025 Tour de France. Other stages can be longer or higher in altitude, but none has a combination of gradient, length, and vulnerability on tap at Mont Ventoux.

Weather conditions may play a drastic role in racing at Mont Ventoux. The predicted headwind for the final 6 kilometers will require attacks to be more difficult and favor riders with higher sustained power output. Temperature fluctuations between valley start and top finish also require specific clothing and fluid strategies.

On form and past form, top favorites are Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. But break specialists like Kevin Vauquelin or climber specialists like Felix Gall may pull a rabbit out of the hat if the breaks are extremely favorable.

Stage 16 arrives at a dramatic point in the 2025 Tour de France. Two weeks of racing and the intervening recovery day later, riders face their biggest physical and mental test on the flanks of Mont Ventoux. The stage's position in the third week ensures tired legs will make every pedal stroke harder as gradients climb.

The fight between Pogačar and Vingegaard takes center stage in pre-stage news, and so it should. Their earlier battles on big climbs have delivered some of sport’s most iconic moments, and Mont Ventoux offers the ideal stage for another great battle. But the mountain's past makes one suspect that upsets are still likely when riders drive beyond their perceived.