Spectators banned from steep final climb of stage 13 of the Tour de France

Spectators hoping to watch stage 13 of the Tour de France on the steep slopes of the Mur de Péguère have been left disappointed after race organisers barred fans from the final climb.

Fans will not be allowed onto the narrow final three kilometres of the climb, which includes sections of up to 18 per cent and is extremely narrow in places, as organisers look to avoid a repeat of the scenes on Mont Ventoux in 2016 which saw riders and motorbikes unable to get through the thick crowds and Chris Froome having to run when his bike was broken.

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However spectators on the Mur de Péguère will be allowed to watch the riders on the shallower gradients of the first six kilometres of the climb. This section of the climb is on a wider road that continues up to the Col de Port, before the course turns left up a narrow road for the final few kilometres of the first category climb.

The Mur de Péguère has been climbed once before in the Tour de France, with neither passage occurring without incident

In 1973 the riders climbed it from the opposite direction, but protested at having to descend down the road which the riders will climb on Friday, meaning that the route had to be amended.

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The climb was last used in 2012, when it was again at the centre of controversy when more than 30 riders, including defending champion Cadel Evans, suffered punctures after tacks were put in the road near the summit.