Tour de France 2020 | Stage 18 (Méribel - La Roche-sur-Foron, 175 km)

[Devil's Elbow]

D-Day. This would have been even better as Stage 20, but it's still the most sawtoothed profile of the race... and, in my opinion, the queen stage.

Map

Profile

Timetable
Neutralised start: 12:05
Start: 12:30
Intermediate sprint: 12:51/12:52/12:53
Cormet de Roselend: 13:59/14:04/14:12
Côte de la route des Villes: 14:28/14:34/14:44
Col des Saisies: 15:14/15:24/15:38
Col des Aravis: 15:54/16:06/16:22
Montée du plateau des Glières: 16:31/16:46/17:05
Finish: 17:12/17:28/17:50

Climbs
The intermediate sprint comes extremely early into the stage and so the start should be furious. The spike on the profile is obviously BS, but there's still some climbing just after the flag drops.

The first climb of the day is the Cormet de Roselend. Even if this is it's slightly easier side, it's still a solid climb, the breakaway will probably be formed here. There's no real flat from here onwards.

The riders will take a short detour towards the end of it's descent, to climb the Côte de la Route des Villes, the first 3.1k of the profile below.

It's immediately followed by the Col des Saisies. How this is a cat. 2 and the next is a cat. 1 is beyond me...

...because Aravis is twice as easy.

The wall that is the climb to Glières will make or break the day. It should be the last chance for anyone who's not Roglic to take time, let's hope this - and the stage - is raced accordingly...

There's still one uncategorised climb remaining, the Col des Fleuries. The ascent and descent are very similar, consistently at 4-5%.

The descent continues into the final kilometer before the road heads slightly uphill to the finish.

General classification after Stage 17

1. Primoz Roglic (slo)
2. Tadej Pogacar (slo) + 0.57
3. Miguel Ángel López + 1.26
4. Richie Porte + 3.05
5. Adam Yates + 3.14
6. Rigoberto Uran + 3.24
7. Mikel Landa + 3.27
8. Enric Mas + 4.18
9. Tom Dumoulin + 7.23
10. Alejandro Valverde + 9.31

Points classification after Stage 17

1. Sam Bennett 278
2. Peter Sagan 231
3. Matteo Trentin 218
4. Bryan Coquard 171
5. Caleb Ewan 158

Mountains classification after Stage 17

1. Tadej Pogacar 66
2. Primoz Roglic 63
3. Miguel Ángel López 51
4. Benoît Cosnefroy 36
5. Pierre Rolland 36

Young riders classification after Stage 17

1. Tadej Pogacar
2. Enric Mas + 3.21
3. Valentin Madouas + 1.24.17
4. Daniel Felipe Martinez + 1.48.51
5. Lennard Kämna + 1.52.47

 

[Eclipse]

I hope for:

• One of the 4-10 boys gambles on a podium shot and goes long
• Superman goes ballistic
• Pog drops Rog

I know what I'm expecting to happen though...

We can only hope for racing to live up to its potential so fingers crossed

 

[ice&fire]

KOM categories given to Saisies and Aravis are beyond comprehension

 

[roundabout]

have they paved the gravel at the top of Glieres? wouldn't want punctures to be decisive

edit: time schedule says non

 

[gregrowlerson]

Potentially an epic stage. I feel like a lot relies on Astana. Is Lopez satisfied with third, or does he dream of climbing even higher?

I am not sure which other team can or would want to make a strong pace.

 

[ice&fire]

Potentially an epic stage. I feel like a lot relies on Astana. Is Lopez satisfied with third, or does he dream of climbing even higher?

I am not sure which other team can or would want to make a strong pace.

He's 1:39 ahead of Porte. That may still be a short buffer for the ITT to keep his podium place

 

[SafeBet]

Marc Hirschi likes this stage.
Astana might try to put a couple riders in the break but I suspect Jumbo will chase them down. I don't think any other rider in the top10 dares to go from far which is a shame given the profile.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

(I put this in the wrong thread)

Time limits tomorrow could be a serious issue. Tired legs, big climbs start early and go on throughout the stage. And there‘s a steep uncategorised climb just before an intermediate. Anyone who gets dropped there had better hope that the peloton sits up completely and that there isn’t still a fight for the break going on in the 10km before the first cat 1.

at least the big lumps (and honorary big lump Caleb) will know it’s the last rough day before Paris

 

[roundabout]

(I put this in the wrong thread)

Time limits tomorrow could be a serious issue. Tired legs, big climbs start early and go on throughout the stage. And there‘s a steep uncategorised climb just before an intermediate. Anyone who gets dropped there had better hope that the peloton sits up completely and that there isn’t still a fight for the break going on in the 10km before the first cat 1.

at least the big lumps (and honorary big lump Caleb) will know it’s the last rough day before Paris

the steep uncategorised climb is 99.999% a tunnel which ASO did not bother removing from the profile

 

[IndianCyclist]

Breakaway for the win.
Jumbo to control MAL & Pogachar.
Pogachar might be on the backfoot after today's exertion
No change in top 3

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

the steep uncategorised climb is 99.999% a tunnel which ASO did not bother removing from the profile

lol seriously? A phantom murito?

 

[roundabout]

lol seriously? A phantom murito?

that's usually what happens when google maps is used to make a profile - any tunnels would show up like that

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

that's usually what happens when google maps is used to make a profile - any tunnels would show up like that

that is an amazing example of just not bothering. I suppose the ASO never imagined that teams would be fighting furiously for intermediate sprints on stage 18.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

that is amazingly example of just not bothering. I suppose the ASO never imagined that teams would be fighting furiously for intermediate sprints on stage 18.

I mean, it also feels like they accidentally mixed up the categories of Saisies and Aravis when they first drew the profile and never bothered to change it.

 

[Forever The Best]

Saisies 2C and Aravis 1C
Anyways, the best designed stage of the Tour imo, hopefully it delivers.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Yates on the podium tomorrow.

 

[yaco]

This will be a breakaway day - Could be minor skirmishing among GC contenders.

 

[Escarabajo]

Dangerous stage for the breakaway. More dangerous for the sprinters as many have said.

Maybe somebody risk it from far but there are a lot of tired legs and I don't see it. climb to Glières is already far enough and if somebody wants to try something like Lopez, Landa, Uran or Porte they better put riders up the road early.

 

[Northerner]

Not a GC day according to Adam Yates' profile for the BBC.

 

[Anderis]

Tejay Van Garderen for the win.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Not a GC day according to Adam Yates' profile for the BBC.

that strikes me as pretty weird. It’s the last chance for riders who are better climbers than TTers to gain rather than lose time.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

I'd like to see Kwiatkowski win from a breakaway. He deserves it.

 

[Rts123]

Marc Hirschi likes this stage.
Astana might try to put a couple riders in the break but I suspect Jumbo will chase them down. I don't think any other rider in the top10 dares to go from far which is a shame given the profile.

Will he go for it?

Hooe he does

Is that your opinion or what hes said? Backed him at 200/1 for kom
Got a chance if wins stage

 

[Red Rick]

I could've seen this stage being breakaway by 20 minutes if todays stage and tomorrow were reversed.

But they aren't and it should be a good one.

I can't find any reason why Dumoulin shouldn't attack Col de Saisies.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Very tricky stage and difficult to control. A lot of climbs and Glieres is a monster. It's likely that a breakaway will succeed tomorrow but I have a gut feeling that an interesting GC action may take place as well. The cumulative fatigue is big: I think at least one GC contender will crack tomorrow and I don't rule out some dramatic long-range attack on Glieres. The terrain is great: after this climb there is no flat but a descent, another uncategorized climb (Fleuries) and another descent to the finish line. Plus great views of majestic Mont Blanc massif (I trekked there a lot).