A real what? A real race of suffering, is my guess that Prudhomme was saying before being cut off. Because that is what 3 HC climbs, bad weather and a descent finish in aforementioned bad weather means.Even in the Alps and the Pyrenees, climbs with average gradients of close to 10% on their entire length are pretty rare. There will be three on this Jura stage with a total ascending elevation of 4600 metres. The riders will first discover the climb up the Col de la Biche, followed by the unprecedented and fearsome side of the Grand Colombier, known as the Directissime (gradients up to 22%), and will finish the battle off with the Mont du Chat, not on the Tour map since 1974. It'll be a real...
The stage starts in the small town of Nantua, and then it goes straight up to the cat. 2 climb Côte des Neyrolles (3,2 km á 7,2%). It does still go uphill until cat. 3 Col de Bérentin (4.1 km á 6.1%). The riders will ride on a plateau, before the route goes downhill until the town Barrage de Genissant, where Côte de Franclens (2.4 km á 6%) is to be climbed. From there it is downhill again until Col de la Biche and Grand Colombier, where Thomas Voeckler was the first rider reach the top in its Tour debut in stage 10 in 2012 (Voeckler went on to win the stage) follows eachother in quick succesion:
After the descent of Grand Colombier, the riders rides through a valley until the little cat. 4 bump Côte de Jongieux (3,9 km á 4,2%), before the fearsome Mont du Chat...
...which featured in the Tour in 1974, where Raymond Poulidor dropped Eddy Merkcx and in latest in the Dauphine in this year, where Fuglsang won the stage after beating Froome and Porte in the sprint after the descent.
Tour promotion video of Mont du Chat in 1974:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVJBiGBwnUI
The flying Angel Fabio Aru the first over Mont du Chat in 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk-_Inq6QrY
Will the angel fly tomorrow, or will Froome coup them all and end the race in his favor? Or will Romain Bardet show off his amazing descending skills? Tomorrow we will find out.
Weather forecast (in French)
General classification top 10 after stage 7:
1. Christopher FROOME
2. Geraint THOMAS + 12''
3. Fabio ARU + 14''
4. Daniel MARTIN + 25''
5. Richie PORTE + 39''
6. Simon YATES + 43''
7. Romain BARDET + 47''
8. Alberto CONTADOR + 52''
9. Nairo QUINTANA + 54''
10. Rafal MAJKA + 1'01''
Polka dot King of the Mountain jersey top 5
1. Lilian CALMEJANE 11
2. Fabio ARU 10
3. Dan MARTIN 8
4. Robert GESINK 8
5. Warren BARGUIL 7