Cazères-sur-garonne Loudenvielle
141km Saturday, 5 September Start 12:35 Finish 16:14
The end of the first week brings the first hardcore mountain stages, although Christian Prudhomme and Thierry Gouvenou have opted to keep the battle for the yellow jersey simmering by deciding against a summit finish for either of the two Pyrenean stages. Both are relatively short, this first one beginning at Cazères sur Garonne on the plain to the north of the mountain chain.
■ Terrain
The first third of the stage takes the riders through Aspet to reach Pont de l’oule, where a T-junction branches left onto the tougher side of the Portet d’aspet pass or right onto the easier flank of the Col de Menté. It’s still a decent test, especially once past the short descent early on, averaging eight per cent for 7km, the road dropping more sharply from the col into the Garonne valley, passing the plaque marking the spot where Luis Ocaña crashed out of the 1971 Tour when in yellow.
Next up is the far more challenging Port de Balès, which averages close to eight per cent for a dozen kilometres. It’s beautifully wild, the hardest sections coming in its middle third, where there are long stretches in double figures gradient-wise. The descent away from the col is fast and well-known to most riders, but there’s a notable difference to previous stages over this pass, the route turning right near the bottom rather than continuing into Luchon. That will take the riders onto the Peyresourde, which rises quite consistently at eight per cent. The descent into the finish in Loudenvielle is very fast, a downhill where fortune should favour the brave.
■ Gameplan
Both of the Pyrenean stages look like fertile ground for breakaway specialists. But this stage is an intriguing test for the GC riders. Normally, they’d be happy to track the yellow jersey and his team, keeping an eye out for an opportunity but not expecting to get one; the main aim to not lose any time. Last year, though, Julian Alaphilippe shook up this strategy, seeing almost every stage as an opportunity to gain time. Will others follow the Frenchman’s example – riders, for instance, who are on the periphery of the GC contest but could end up right at the heart of it if a bold tactical plan pays off?
■ Players
Before last year, Julian Alaphilippe had been a player on this type of stage, but from within the breakaway group, where the pace up the final climbs was a little less fierce, enabling him to stay in touch with better climbers, as he did when winning the stages into le Grand Bornand and Luchon in 2018. He had insisted that this was the only way he could win in the high mountains but last year he repeatedly showed he could contend with the best on some of the biggest climbs, inspired by the yellow jersey and the exuberance of French fans. As noted, this route seems to have been put together with the Deceuninck star expressly in mind. If he’s already in or close to the yellow jersey, he should relish this weekend, both stages presenting him with the chance to highlight his almost unparalleled skill and daring on descents.
■ Tour Fact
The Port de Balès is best remembered for ‘chaingate’, the moment in the 2010 Tour when Andy Schleck attacked, only for his chain to come unshipped, giving rival Alberto Contador the chance to counter and gain valuable time.