Although the climb up to Hautacam ski station has only featured four times in the Tour de France, each occasion has produced thrilling racing. It was here in ’94 that Miguel Indurain showed that there was more to the quiet Spaniard than just time-trialling.

Two years later Bjarne Riis made the remaining Tour contenders look like amateurs, eyeballing his competitors before delivering his final victory kick. In 2000 Lance Armstrong lead a ferocious charge up the mountain in pursuit of Javier Otxoa, catching and distancing a lead group containing Richard Virenque and Fernando Escartin. Unfortunately we’d find out in subsequent years that many of these performances were more than wind assisted.

Despite this, Hautacam is still an absolute gem that has to ridden. Although relatively short in comparison to the likes of the Col du Tourmalet at “just” 13.6km, it’s the continual undulation of its slopes that make getting into any meaningful rhythm tough. The final climb in this year’s Etape du Tour will certainly be a testing challenge, rarely dropping below an eight per cent gradient and pitching up to 13 per cent just 3km from the summit. These vital statistics make this a truly beautiful and rewarding ascent to add to your chalk board.

Length: 13.6km
Average gradient: 7.8 per cent
Maximum gradient: 13 per cent
Start elevation: 456m
End elevation: 1,520m
Elevation gain: 1,064m