This one’s for mountain goats and armchair cyclists alike. To celebrate the return of the Tour de France, we’ve launched a new limited-edition blend – Hors Catégorie – inspired by the race’s toughest climbs and boldest riders.

Like the cols it’s named after, our new, limited edition beans don’t hold back: a punchy start, a vibrant, juicy body, and a clean finish with just the right hit of acidity.

The beans are sustainably sourced from Papua New Guinea, Colombia, and El Salvador – roasted with care and crafted to fuel early starts and long rides by the gurus at Winchester Coffee Roasters

Now, with coffee in hand, let’s dig into the climbs that inspired it.

Hors Catégorie – the ultimate climbing challenge

When a hors catégorie mountain looms on the Tour de France route, something changes. The cameras linger a little longer. Riders switch into survival mode. And you—at home, holding a coffee or nursing a beer—sit up a little straighter. The Tour isn’t always won on the HC beasts - but for all but the very strongest, it’s lost. There’s simply no hiding on a hors catégorie climb.

What does Hors Catégorie mean?

The phrase translates directly as "beyond categorisation." Originally, the Tour classified climbs from Category 4 (the easiest) to Category 1 (the hardest). But some mountains simply didn’t fit. Too steep, too long, too cruel. These became hors catégorie.The modern formula is clinical: length multiplied by gradient squared gives a score. Over a certain threshold? It’s HC. But numbers only tell part of the story. HC climbs are where reputations are made—and sometimes unmade.

The Citroën 2CV origin myth

There’s a legend that Tour organisers used a Citroën 2CV to rank the mountains. If it could trundle up in fourth gear, the climb was Category 4. Third gear? Cat 3. First gear? Cat 1. But when the poor little car had to reverse—because even first gear wasn’t low enough—the climb was deemed hors catégorie.

Charming, but probably fiction…. Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour’s current route designer, has dismissed it as ‘bar talk’. Still, the story endures because it captures the essence: HC is where both men and machines meet their limit.

The early giants of the road

Long before categories were formalised, the Tour was already fascinated with the brutal struggle of the biggest mountains. In 1910, the race crossed the Col du Tourmalet for the first time. Octave Lapize, frozen and furious, called the organisers "assassins" as he battled snow, gravel, and gradients in single-digit gears. He still won the stage.

By 1931, the Tour had reached the Galibier—2,642 metres of rarefied air and relentless ascent. The Alps and Pyrenees became the Tour’s crucible. Hors Catégorie may have only entered the official lexicon in 1979, but these climbs had already seared their names into cycling folklore.

The hardest HC climbs in cycling

Though the Tour de France made HC famous, its most brutal siblings sometimes live elsewhere. The Giro and Vuelta each have their own versions of pain:

• The Alto de l’Angliru in Asturias is short but savage. Its final ramps, the Cueña les Cabres, touch 23.6%. Even the pros hate it.
• Monte Zoncolan in Italy has a reputation as the steepest wall in Europe. Over 10 km, the gradient rarely dips below double digits.
• Mortirolo, another Giro monster, is where Pantani danced away from rivals in '94. It’s shorter than some but brutally punchy.

And back in France, old favourites remain undefeated. The Col de la Loze (with its purpose-built bike path) combines searing length and perhaps the toughest final few kilometres of them all. If the Tour is still in play by the time it reaches its slopes this year it will surely prove decisive. Le Mont Ventoux, wind-scoured and barren, remains the most mythic of all. And the Tourmalet - in Tour legend home to bears and assassins - remains the icon of the Pyrenees.

The 2025 Tour de France: HC highlights

This year’s route isn’t shy about suffering. It includes four HC climbs, each chosen with precision:

• Stage 12: Hautacam – a return to the Pyrenean climb where Vingegaard dropped Pogacar in 2022.
• Stage 14: Col du Tourmalet – no Tour feels complete without it. This time, it’s the hors d'oeuvres of a classic monster day out through the Pyrenees. 
• Stage 16: Mont Ventoux – Wout hauled his flatlanders frame to victory over a double ascent in 2021; now it’s back to haunt the peloton.
• Stage 18: Col de la Loze – the highest summit of the race and possibly its most decisive.

Each one offers different tests: altitude, gradient, heat, exposure. Each will shape the GC battle in its own cruel way.

What makes an HC climb feared?

It’s not just numbers. It’s feel. Riders talk about rhythm—or the lack of it. Loze is infamous for its broken gradients. Ventoux exposes you to wind, sun and silence. The Tourmalet just keeps going, long after your legs tell you they’re done.

There’s also history. Mont Ventoux still echoes with the tragedy of Tom Simpson in 1967. A simple roadside memorial now marks the spot, and every rider passes it with a flicker of respect.

HC flashpoints: moments that defined the Tour

In 1986, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond rode arm-in-arm up Alpe d’Huez feigning unity but dripping with tactical tension. Arm in arm, and stabbing each other in the back - and every fan watching knew it.

In 2020, Primož Roglič narrowly held off Tadej Pogacar on the Col de la Loze—only to lose the yellow jersey days later. That climb didn’t break him, but it cracked the aura.

And in 2000, Armstrong famously told the press he "gifted" a stage win to Marco Pantani on Ventoux. Pantani didn’t appreciate the patronisation, and never forgave him.

Riders to watch in 2025

Let’s start with the obvious. Tadej Pogacar is the most complete rider of his generation. He can attack on 12% gradients and descend like he’s late for dinner. If he feels good, he makes everyone else look like they’re riding a different race.

Jonas Vingegaard, assuming full recovery from his spring crash, is the only man who’s shown he can match Pogacar blow for blow in the high mountains. His poker face may not sell headlines, but his legs do the talking.

Carlos Rodríguez could be this year’s breakout. Smooth, steady, and unfazed by altitude, he climbs with the kind of efficiency that wins Grand Tours.

Remco Evenepoel, on the other hand, is still something of a question mark. He’s not a pure climber in the HC mould. More diesel than dynamite, he prefers steady tempo to sudden attacks. 

Finally, there’s Lenny Martinez, France’s great hope for the future. He might not be a GC threat just yet, but in the polka dot jersey hunt? Watch this space.

The final word

Whether it’s Lapize on the Tourmalet, Simpson on Ventoux, or Pogacar dancing on La Loze, HC climbs are where the Tour’s legends are born.

So when the peloton swings onto the first HC slopes of the Tour this July, watch the body language. Watch the faces. There’s nowhere to hide.