 Since 1998, the ascent from Les Cabannes to the plateau has regularly been used as the final ascent of a stage in the Tour de France.On the first four such occasions, the stage winner at Plateau de Beille also emerged as the winner of the general classification of that Tour.The Plateau de Beille is bounded by two tributaries of the Ariège Valley, these being the to the west, and the Labail stream to the east.