Clermont-ferrand > Lyon
194km Saturday, 12 September Start 12:20 Finish 16:57
Even the easier stages are starting to look a little more complicated as the Tour reaches its third weekend.
■ Terrain
This one begins by passing through the Livradois Forez Natural Park and finishes with a lumpy 15km circuit around Lyon.
The first significant test is the Col du Béal, topping out at 1,390 metres. The riders probably won’t be disappointed that the climb will be tackled from one of its easier sides via Le Brugeron. From there it’s a bumpy ride to the finish circuit.
■ Gameplan
Events look likely to unfold in the same way they did on a similar stage into Lyon in 2013 that was won by Matteo Trentin, then racing in Omega Pharma-quick Step colours. The Italian was part of an 18-man break that began to split coming into Lyon and splintered further on the Duchère, only for most of the group to reform coming into the finish, where Trentin’s sprint gave him the winning edge.
The majority in the peloton will have tomorrow’s big stage to the Grand Colombier in the back of their mind. Energy saving will be the watchword and most will be happy to let the breakaways decide the day’s spoils between them.
■ Players
A few of the riders who featured when the Tour raced into Lyon seven years ago could well produce repeat performances here, Including B&B Hotels’s Arthur Vichot and CCC’S Simon Geschke.
■ Tour Fact
The 1991 Tour started in Lyon, French prologue specialist Thierry Marie winning the opening 5.4km test.