After today's hilly stage to Gap, the war for the eternal glory commences yet again. The next three stages will provide opportunities for a general classification competitor to land a decisive blow to his rivals. The first battle of three is the 18th stage to Vallorie.
Three big climbs, all of which summits lie over 2000 meters above sea level, must be overcome by the peloton. They will surely pose a greatest challenge to them: Col de Vars, Col d'Izoard and Col du Galibier.
The stage starts in Embrun, which has hosted the Tour 5 times before tomorrow - all of them as the start of the stage, and only 1 visit before the turn of the century. In 2008 the riders started here and rode to Alpe d'Huez, a stage which Carlos Sastre won, all but securing his first and only victory in a Grand Tour. In 2013 Chris Froome won a hilly time trial and in 2015 Edvald Boasson-Hagen won from a breakaway.
As the riders head out of Embrun, the cat 4. Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées (3,9 km at 5,2%) provides a good opportunity for those, who want to try their luck in a breakaway, since this climb starts just 10 km after the start. This climb probably takes its name from the fascinating rock formations, Les Demoiselles Coiffées
Demoiselles Coiffées
After the short descent from the climb, the incline is mostly constant for the next 40-45 kms - a false flat, where it goes slightly uphill constantly, while the peloton passes the intermediate sprint 45 km into the stage...
After riding through Barcelonette and Jausiers, the peloton will approach the cat 1 climb of Col de Vars approx. 75 kms into the stage. Steep and irregular...
...the average gradient of 7,5% only tells part of the story - a third of this 9 km climb has an incline of above 10%, after the riders could catch their breath at a 500 meter flat stretch in the middle of the climb. A climb with a rich history, especially because of its almost annual participation in the Tour in the 50's, recognizable names like Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet, Charly Gaul and Joot Zoetemelk among others can claim the honor of having reached the summit of Vars first in a given Tour edition. Latest visit was in the Izoard stage in 2017. The very same Col d'Izoard awaits after a 20 km descent and another 20 kms riding in the valley. 14 kilometers at 7,3% just as when it was the last MTF in 2017.
Long and steep, especially steep in the latter half of the climb, it is destined to sap a lot of strength and fortitude out of the riders - as it did the 25 times it has been included in the Tour in different eras and riders whether Gino Bartali in the 50's or Lucien Van Impe in the 70's.
Descending from the summit of Izoard to Briançon, it goes uphill again rather slightly, before whatever there is left of the peloton will be scattered on the 23 km long ascent to the summit of the Galibier, before a long descent to the finish in Valloire...
Latest visit to Galibier was in 2017 and was the climb, in which Primoz Roglic made himself known to a wider audience, when he dropped Alberto Contador there and descended down to the finish in Serre-Chevalier. That is nothing compared to the only time Galibier hosted a finish line, in 2011. That was when Andy Schleck went on a legendary long-range attack on the Col d'Izoard and was at one point 4 minutes in front of the favorites brother Fränk, Evans, Basso, maillot jaune Voeckler, Contador, Cunego and Samuel Sanchez. No one wanted to take responsibility and rein him in, until Evans decided that he didn't want to lose another Tour. Even though Evans' tempo halved the gap, which was 2'15'' when he crossed the line, and later won the race, Andy wrote himself in the history books..
...meanwhile Voeckler managed to get himself another day in yellow, suffering like never before…
...all of which ended with him cracking in the next stage, the also iconic stage to Alpe d'Huez. Will we see Alaphilippe repeat history and manage to hold on to yellow and then crack en route to Tignes? Or will he defy what looks like destiny and exceed expectations to the joy of France? Tomorrow will not decide everything, but ight show us who has the extraordinary spark required to win the Tour, and who is missing that special something…
General classification on before stage 18:
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) + 13'31''
3. Enric MAS (DQS) + 42'00''
Weather..
..at Col de Vars
...at Col d'Izoard
...at Col du Galibier
...at the finish line in Valloire
Three big climbs, all of which summits lie over 2000 meters above sea level, must be overcome by the peloton. They will surely pose a greatest challenge to them: Col de Vars, Col d'Izoard and Col du Galibier.
The stage starts in Embrun, which has hosted the Tour 5 times before tomorrow - all of them as the start of the stage, and only 1 visit before the turn of the century. In 2008 the riders started here and rode to Alpe d'Huez, a stage which Carlos Sastre won, all but securing his first and only victory in a Grand Tour. In 2013 Chris Froome won a hilly time trial and in 2015 Edvald Boasson-Hagen won from a breakaway.
As the riders head out of Embrun, the cat 4. Côte des Demoiselles Coiffées (3,9 km at 5,2%) provides a good opportunity for those, who want to try their luck in a breakaway, since this climb starts just 10 km after the start. This climb probably takes its name from the fascinating rock formations, Les Demoiselles Coiffées
Demoiselles Coiffées
After the short descent from the climb, the incline is mostly constant for the next 40-45 kms - a false flat, where it goes slightly uphill constantly, while the peloton passes the intermediate sprint 45 km into the stage...
After riding through Barcelonette and Jausiers, the peloton will approach the cat 1 climb of Col de Vars approx. 75 kms into the stage. Steep and irregular...
...the average gradient of 7,5% only tells part of the story - a third of this 9 km climb has an incline of above 10%, after the riders could catch their breath at a 500 meter flat stretch in the middle of the climb. A climb with a rich history, especially because of its almost annual participation in the Tour in the 50's, recognizable names like Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet, Charly Gaul and Joot Zoetemelk among others can claim the honor of having reached the summit of Vars first in a given Tour edition. Latest visit was in the Izoard stage in 2017. The very same Col d'Izoard awaits after a 20 km descent and another 20 kms riding in the valley. 14 kilometers at 7,3% just as when it was the last MTF in 2017.
Long and steep, especially steep in the latter half of the climb, it is destined to sap a lot of strength and fortitude out of the riders - as it did the 25 times it has been included in the Tour in different eras and riders whether Gino Bartali in the 50's or Lucien Van Impe in the 70's.
Descending from the summit of Izoard to Briançon, it goes uphill again rather slightly, before whatever there is left of the peloton will be scattered on the 23 km long ascent to the summit of the Galibier, before a long descent to the finish in Valloire...
Latest visit to Galibier was in 2017 and was the climb, in which Primoz Roglic made himself known to a wider audience, when he dropped Alberto Contador there and descended down to the finish in Serre-Chevalier. That is nothing compared to the only time Galibier hosted a finish line, in 2011. That was when Andy Schleck went on a legendary long-range attack on the Col d'Izoard and was at one point 4 minutes in front of the favorites brother Fränk, Evans, Basso, maillot jaune Voeckler, Contador, Cunego and Samuel Sanchez. No one wanted to take responsibility and rein him in, until Evans decided that he didn't want to lose another Tour. Even though Evans' tempo halved the gap, which was 2'15'' when he crossed the line, and later won the race, Andy wrote himself in the history books..
...meanwhile Voeckler managed to get himself another day in yellow, suffering like never before…
...all of which ended with him cracking in the next stage, the also iconic stage to Alpe d'Huez. Will we see Alaphilippe repeat history and manage to hold on to yellow and then crack en route to Tignes? Or will he defy what looks like destiny and exceed expectations to the joy of France? Tomorrow will not decide everything, but ight show us who has the extraordinary spark required to win the Tour, and who is missing that special something…
General classification on before stage 18:
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) + 13'31''
3. Enric MAS (DQS) + 42'00''
Weather..
..at Col de Vars
...at Col d'Izoard
...at Col du Galibier
...at the finish line in Valloire
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