FIVE KEY STAGES
STAG E 6 July 11 // Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles
An early general classification skirmish, Stage 6 ends on a Vosges mountain climb that has been a summit finish before in the Tour, but in 2019 the riders will clamber up an extra kilometre of 9.5 per cent. Three other climbs before La Planche des Belles Filles will make the end of the day more arduous.
S TAG E 13 July 19 // Pau to Pau
The team chrono on Stage 2 will already have harmed the GC chances of some contenders, likely Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot. But this individual time trial will cause a big shift in the standings. After Paris and Bordeaux, Pau is the third most-visited city in Tour de France history.
S TAG E 14 July 20 // Tarbes to Col de Tourmalet
The Tourmalet is one of the mythical ascents of the Tour de France, and the local belief that the name means “bad trip” attests to its difficulty. It has only been used twice as a Tour de France summit finish, with Andy Schleck winning in 2010 at the end of a bold, longrange attack. Coming the day after the individual time trial, Stage 14 will see GC men who just got buried in the chrono making moves.
S TAG E 18 July 25 // Embrun to Valloire
Stage 18 might not end with a summit finish like the final two days in the Alps, but any 207-km stage with the one-two punch of the Col d’izoard and Col du Galibier in the latter half will be sure to elicit attacks. The 18-km descent from Galibier will tempt some daredevil to make up time or buffer his gap.
S TAG E 20 July 27 // Albertville to Val Thorens
This final GC day ends with a very long but mildly graded climb: 33.4 km of 5.5 per cent. Val Thorens was last seen in the Tour in 1994. The stage’s short distance of 131 km and its two other climbs – including the 20-km long Cormet de Roselend – ensure that the penultimate stage will be an explosive one.