24 hours after Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) stormed to victory on mountainous stage 6 of the Tour de France, 326 amateur riders tackled much of the same route, including the famed hors categorie Col du Tourmalet climb.

The 5 day Haute Route Pyrenees amateur gran fondo stage race started 4 July in Andorra and wraps-up 8 July in Pau after riding 555 kilometers with over 14,000 meters of vertical ascent.

After stage 4 on Thursday, the queen stage racing up Col du Tourmalet just like the pros, Spaniard Alex Aranburur (Team Schoggiweggli) held a scant 29 seconds lead over Dutchman Abel Van Der Windt. Both riders total general classification time was just over 12 hours. Austrian Herberts Pudans occupied third place overall, 17 minutes down on Aranburur.

Riding strong and sitting in 14th place overall, Luise Valentin (Team Schoggiweggli) of Switzerland was leading the women’s race with a total time of just over 13 hours. Michelle Krebs and Berta Bassols were in second and third place respectively.

The final Haute Route Pyrenees stage on Saturday 8 July will challenge riders once again to ascend massive grand tour climbs. The 106km route from Argelès-Gazost to Pau includes Col de Spandelles, which made its Tour de France debut in 2022. Next, is a classic pair of cols – Col du Soulor, closely followed by the legendary Col d’Aubisque.

With the top two riders in the men’s race separated by just seconds, overall victory is still up for grabs and will likely be decided on the final day on the climb before descending into Pau.

Photo Credit: Haute Route

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