After more than 30 years of blanks, the Puy de Dome dormant volcano will return to the Tour de France in 2023.

According to local newspaper La Montagne, the Tour de France will reach this iconic climb, part of the Massif Central mountain range, at the end of stage 9 next Sunday, July 9.

La Montagne also reported that the regional city of Clermont-Ferrand has been chosen to host the Tour de France Women's Avec Zwift, which will stage the Auvergne region in the Grande Pearl for the second Tour de France on July 23.

The 2023 Tour de France Femme will start on the same day that the men's race ends in Paris.

"We have made gender equality a key point of our sports policy," local mayor Olivier Bianchi told La Montagne newspaper.

The central Auvergne region and Clermont-Ferrand will be the long-term hosts of the 2023 Tour de France men's race, with a rest day after the Puy de Dome finish on July 10.

Also on Tuesday, July 11, there will be a stage from Vulcania, a volcanic "theme park" near Centre-les-Roches, to Issoire; stage 11 on Wednesday, July 12, will likely be from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulin further north.

The full route for the 2023 Tour de France and Tour de France Femme, which will start from Basque in Bilbao on July 1, will be announced in Paris on Thursday, October 27.

Cycling News will provide a full report on the 2023 Tour de France route announcement, with analysis and reaction from Paris.

The Puy de Dome was first used by Fausto Coppi in 1952 when he won on the summit, and was the site of Federico Martin Bahamontes' stunning time trial victory in the 1959 Tour de France.

The most famous moment of this dormant volcano among cycling fans is when the famous duel between Poulidor and Anquetil took place on its slopes in the 1964 race.

The stage starts in Poulidor's hometown of Saint-Leonard de Nobla in the Limoges region and heads east to the Puy de Dome.

Climbed 13 times to date, the 1,465-meter-high Puy de Dome is also where Eddy Merckx was beaten by spectators in 1975.

The climb has not been used in the Tour since 1988, when it was won by Danish rider and longtime sport director Johnny Welz. Over the years, no bicycle races have been held to the summit, as the narrow road to the top has been railroaded and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Although not very long, the 5.8 km climb spiraling around the central cone of the volcano is spectacular with a constant steep grade that averages about 12 percent.

La Montagne also states that the last 4 km of the climb will likely be closed to the public for environmental reasons.