Male Team 14 - 17 Jun
Route d'Occitanie
731 Kilometers 4 Stages
Alejandro Valverde will be one of the biggest amusements in the first edition with its current name -the 42nd in the history of the race- of an event which had been long called La Route du Sud.
“From the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean sea” is the motto of La Route d’Occitanie, which has taken advantage from the recent transformation (2016) of the administrative region scheme in France to use the name of a historical region with a distinct character, combining mountains and coastline, which is also visible in its route.
Four stages, with no time trials, make the parcours. The two opening ones (Thursday 14th, Friday 15th) are quite flat: 168km to start things off, from Cap Découverte to a circuit finish in Carmaux, and a more rolling 173km on day two, towards Masseube.
As it’s custom in this race, stage three through the Pyrenees (Saturday 16th) will be decisive: 198km with the cols of Lers (Cat-1), Souloumbrie (Cat-2), Chioula (Cat-2), Montségur (Cat-2) and a finish up Les Monts d’Olmes (Cat-1). To wrap the race up (Sunday 17th), a route harder than in previous editions: 193km to Cazouls-lès-Béziers with three rated ascents, some slopes in the finale and the demanding Pic de Nore (Cat-1) halfway through the day’s course.