Nantua Chambéry

An absolutely brutal day, with just one fewer HC- ranked climbs – three – than the rest of the Tour put together

When the 2017 Tour route was unveiled, the main criticism was that the big summit finishes had been missed. The Col d’Izoard apart, there was no Alpe d’Huez and no Ventoux. But the route planners may be on to something here. In recent years, the strongest teams have suffocated the race on the big summit finishes. These stages have become tactically unexciting. However, some of the best racing now is happening when there’s a climb at the start, even if the riders hate it. The start of this stage is a wonderful chance for a team willing to risk unpopularity to blow up the race – there’s a cattwo climb straight out of Nantua, no descent, then a third cat climb, and again, no descent for another five km. Be ready for the sight at the start of 190 or so riders on rollers, warming up for the fast start.

This is the hardest stage of the 2017 Tour. After that tough start, there are three HC climbs, the Biche, Grand Colombier and Mont du Chat, all averaging at least 9 per cent. The one obstacle to open racing is the long valley between the Grand Colombier and the Mont du Chat. Even if the favourites leave everything to the last climb, weaknesses will be exposed on the Mont du Chat, which is renowned for being one of the toughest mountains ever used in the Tour.

The scenery of the Jura is picture postcard perfect and beautifully forested, rather than epic in the same way as the high Alps, and the highest the peloton will go today is 1,504m on the Mont du Chat, which is well over a kilometre lower than the high point of the Tour on the Col du Galibier, but the combination of route, beauty and toughness means that if you are going to watch any single stage of the Tour, it should be this one.