Today's sprint stage with a second victory to Caleb Ewan, while GC contender Jakob Fuglsang abandoned the race after a crush. Tomorrow, the 17th stage is a hilly transition stage to Gap. 200 km in which the landscape changes, as the riders leave the Rhône river valley and heads towards the Alps.
The start goes at Pont du Gard for the first time in the history of the Tour, which lies between Nîmes and the old Papal territory Avignon. It is a Roman aqueduct, which was constructed to carry water to the French Rome, which the peloton started and finished at today, Nîmes.
Even though there aren't many points to take to the KOM classification, there is reason to believe that a stage win by a breakaway is likely. Because the finishing town is the well-known city with regards to the Tour; Gap. Latest finish was in 2015, where Ruben Plaza won in front of Peter Sagan and current retiree Jarlinson Pantano from a breakaway.
Rui Costa has won here too from a breakaway in 2013. Little did he know, that he was a soon-to-be WC winner. As with Ruben Plaza, it was a solo win in front of a group containing Klöden, and Riblon who won on the Alpe d'Huez a few days later. Trailing behind this pursuiting group, 2017 Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin finished 6th.
Alexandre Vinokourov, Thor Hushovd and Erik Zabel among others have won here.
As with the the later years' finish in Gap, it is a descent finish after riding a lesser category climb, e.g. Col de Manse. This year, however, it is 5,2 km long Col de la Sentinelle (cat 3) at an incline of 5,4%. It was crested by the riders roughly every second year in the 50's, but perhaps fell out of favor, because it was only visited by the Tour 3 times over a time span of 36 years. Since 1996, it has featured once per decade, latest in 2006.
Perhaps Sagan will go in the break as he did in 2015, if not for the stage win, maybe the points sprint then, which lies 62 kms after the start:
Profile:
General classification on before stage 17:
1. Julian ALAPHILIPPE (DQS)
2. Geraint THOMAS (INEOS) + 1'35''
3. Steven KRUIJSWIJK (Jumbo) + 1'47''
4. Thibaut PINOT (FDJ) + 1'50''
5. Egan BERNAL (INEOS) + 2'02''
6. Emanuel BUCHMANN (Bora) + 2'14''
7. Mikel LANDA (Movistar) + 4'54''
8. Alejandro VALVERDE (Movistar) + 5'00''
9. Rigoberto URAN (EF1) + 5'33''
10. Richie PORTE (Trek) + 6'30''
Green jersey competition:
1. Peter SAGAN (Bora) 309
2. Elia VIVIANI (DQS) 224
3. Sonny COLBRELLI (Merida) 203
4. Michael MATTHEWS (Sunweb) 201
5. Caleb EWAN (Lotto) 198
Polka-dot jersey competition:
1. Tim WELLENS (Lotto) 64
2. Thibaut PINOT (FDJ) 50
3. Thomas DE GENDT (Lotto) 37
4. Julian ALAPHILIPPE (DQS) 33
5. Giulio CICCONE (Trek) 30
Youth classification:
1. Egan BERNAL (INEOS)
2. David GAUDU (FDJ) + 12'29''
3. Enric MAS (DQS) + 33'16''
Weather at the finish line
The start goes at Pont du Gard for the first time in the history of the Tour, which lies between Nîmes and the old Papal territory Avignon. It is a Roman aqueduct, which was constructed to carry water to the French Rome, which the peloton started and finished at today, Nîmes.
Even though there aren't many points to take to the KOM classification, there is reason to believe that a stage win by a breakaway is likely. Because the finishing town is the well-known city with regards to the Tour; Gap. Latest finish was in 2015, where Ruben Plaza won in front of Peter Sagan and current retiree Jarlinson Pantano from a breakaway.
Rui Costa has won here too from a breakaway in 2013. Little did he know, that he was a soon-to-be WC winner. As with Ruben Plaza, it was a solo win in front of a group containing Klöden, and Riblon who won on the Alpe d'Huez a few days later. Trailing behind this pursuiting group, 2017 Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin finished 6th.
Alexandre Vinokourov, Thor Hushovd and Erik Zabel among others have won here.
As with the the later years' finish in Gap, it is a descent finish after riding a lesser category climb, e.g. Col de Manse. This year, however, it is 5,2 km long Col de la Sentinelle (cat 3) at an incline of 5,4%. It was crested by the riders roughly every second year in the 50's, but perhaps fell out of favor, because it was only visited by the Tour 3 times over a time span of 36 years. Since 1996, it has featured once per decade, latest in 2006.
Perhaps Sagan will go in the break as he did in 2015, if not for the stage win, maybe the points sprint then, which lies 62 kms after the start:
Profile:
General classification on before stage 17:
1. Julian ALAPHILIPPE (DQS)
2. Geraint THOMAS (INEOS) + 1'35''
3. Steven KRUIJSWIJK (Jumbo) + 1'47''
4. Thibaut PINOT (FDJ) + 1'50''
5. Egan BERNAL (INEOS) + 2'02''
6. Emanuel BUCHMANN (Bora) + 2'14''
7. Mikel LANDA (Movistar) + 4'54''
8. Alejandro VALVERDE (Movistar) + 5'00''
9. Rigoberto URAN (EF1) + 5'33''
10. Richie PORTE (Trek) + 6'30''
Green jersey competition:
1. Peter SAGAN (Bora) 309
2. Elia VIVIANI (DQS) 224
3. Sonny COLBRELLI (Merida) 203
4. Michael MATTHEWS (Sunweb) 201
5. Caleb EWAN (Lotto) 198
Polka-dot jersey competition:
1. Tim WELLENS (Lotto) 64
2. Thibaut PINOT (FDJ) 50
3. Thomas DE GENDT (Lotto) 37
4. Julian ALAPHILIPPE (DQS) 33
5. Giulio CICCONE (Trek) 30
Youth classification:
1. Egan BERNAL (INEOS)
2. David GAUDU (FDJ) + 12'29''
3. Enric MAS (DQS) + 33'16''
Weather at the finish line
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram