Superbagnères showdown: Pogacar vs. LeMond, 39 years apart

The original stage in 1986 was defined by chaos and tension. Bernard Hinault, fresh off his fifth Tour title, had pledged support for Greg LeMond - but once the race hit the Pyrenees, he turned aggressor. On the road to Pau, Hinault attacked with teammate Jean-François Bernard and Pedro Delgado, gaining over four minutes on a silenced LeMond, bound by team orders. 

A day later, the real reckoning came. On this exact route as stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France, Hinault attacked again on the Tourmalet, soloed through Aspin and Peyresourde, and hit the base of Superbagnères alone. LeMond finally broke the script, chased him down, and delivered a crushing blow on the final climb. He gained 4'39", won the stage, and reclaimed control of his Tour.

Superbagnères doesn’t have the mythical aura of Alpe d’Huez or Mont Ventoux, but LeMond’s performance gave it weight. He climbed the 12.4 km at 7.5% in 38:46.

1989 marked the last time the Tour climbed to Superbagnères and it came in the midst of one of the greatest editions in history. Stage 10 packed 4,750 metres of climbing into 136 kilometres from Cauterets. LeMond, in yellow, had just five seconds over Laurent Fignon, and the two were locked in a race of inches. Up front, Robert Millar outsprinted Pedro Delgado to take the stage, while Fignon launched a late ambush from a chasing group. LeMond faltered, losing 12 seconds - and the maillot jaune.

Three years later, in 1989, Superbagnères was climbed significantly faster. Dutch duo Steven Rooks and Gert-Jan Theunisse set the benchmark with a searing 36:03 on the final ascent. Laurent Fignon followed at 36:25, Greg LeMond at 36:37, and both Robert Millar and Pedro Delgado stopped the clock at 36:56.

Now, more than 35 years later, the climb returned - and the gains of a new era were clear. Pogačar climbed up Superbagnères in 32.59, with Vingegaard behind in 33.03. More than 3 minutes faster than LeMond’s best, and far beyond the 1989 benchmarks of Rooks and Theunisse. 

The bikes are lighter, the training more exact, the performance shaped by science. But the essence hasn’t changed. Same climb. Same suffering. Same need to break the man beside you.

Asked after the stage about his awareness of Superbagnères’ historical significance, Pogačar replied: "No, I must admit I'm not such a good student of history of cycling. I'm not so much into it I must admit, maybe that’s bad on me, but I don't read a lot about history of cycling or I don't pay too much attention to these kinds of details. Today was for sure a bit different than back then, we rode super strong with the team and keeping in mind to keep in yellow and not to attack and be even more aggressive."