Stage 17 profile
Few days in this year's race are as horrific as stage 17, which is made up of two first-category climbs and an hors-category effort. Potentially the most punishing day in the saddle.

Your Tour experiences:
I am in France during the tour and my family and I are going to witness the climb of Col de Joux Plane, I can't wait! Any hints on what time I should get there to have the best opportunity to see my heros, tis a shame Basso and Vinikorov arn't there.
Matt, Heywood, Lancashire

We are folloving the tour every night on SBStv both my wife and I love touring around France and are sick of freeways so we are interested in folowing the tour in our car on our next tripto France.We would very much like to know the road nos and details so we can explore some of those lovelyplaces without having to rush on and of freeways. Hope you can recomend where we could obtain that information. Kind regards Thomas Globan
thomas globan, melbourne australia

I rode the first 3 climbs of this stage during the 2002 Etape. Colombier is long and not too barbaric until the final km, where it rears up, just as you're really feeling the pain. I remember seeing legions of casualties lying at the side of the road within sight of the summit. Agonising. To descend that then off to the Joux Plane is nothing more than a sick joke on behalf of the organisers. It'll be a fascinating stage and will surely tell us the winner.
Andy, bournemouth

In 1997, the year Ullrich won, I watched the stage that finished in Morzine. I watched the race over the Joux Plane near the summit and it was ace. Great atmoshpere, loads of people there. Waited a good few hours for them to arrive but well worth the wait to see riders like Pantani, Ullrich, Virenque, etc. Rode a few climbs in the region too, the Joux Plane, Madeleine, Colombiere all very tough - specially the Joux Plane.
Greg Carrington, Horwich, Lancs, UK

I have recently spent a week cycling in the Haute Savoie region and my last day included the run from Cluses to Morzine and the fearsome Col de Joux Plane. I knew of its reputation and list of winners (and losers) but you cannot really be prepared for the world of pain that the hill throws at you. Its relentless, but the views of the surrounding countryside are awesome. I doubt the riders will be stopping to look at Mt Blanc from the top as they will still need 100% concentration and commitment for the ultra fast descent into Morzine. I think this is the stage that the Maillot Jaune will either be made or broken on....
Darren Carter, Bedfordshire, UK

Joux Plane was the near undoing of Lance at the hands of Roberto Heras and US Postal by a quite mad Il Pirata who spent the early part of the stage on a suicide attack. Lance was isolated by Joux Plane and in trying to match Heras accelarations, Lance "blew" and found himself caught then dropped by Virenque and Ulrich. It might well be the straw that breaks the back of the Maillot Jaune again in what should prove to be a fearsome stage of desperate attacks from a host of nearly rans!
Andre Morton, Bklyn NY

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