Tour de France Tour de France 2022: Stage 8 (Dole – Lausanne, 186.3k)

[Devil's Elbow]

The Tour continues to be allergic to staying in France in the first week by heading to Lausanne for the second puncheur finish in three days. Having said that, there’s a decent bit of climbing to be had mid-stage as the race crosses the Jura, this could also be a breakaway day.

Profile

Map

Route description
The stage starts from Dole, birthplace of Louis Pasteur and capital of the Franche-Comté prior to French annexation. The section to Champagnole is identical to the last Tour stage that started from Dole, in 2017 to Station des Rousses, and consists of a flat initial 30 kilometres to Arbois, the climb to Belvédère du Fer à Cheval that keeps being uncategorised for some reason…

…and a rolling plateau on which the intermediate sprint in Montrond is located.

After Champagnole, the riders embark on a long, multi-stepped drag, only a short part of which officially forms the first KOM of the day.

From there, they make their way to Col de la Savine, the final 4.8k of the profile below.

An easy descent into Morez gives way to the hardest climb of the day, Côte des Rousses.

A long, flat plateau takes the riders into Switzerland. To reach the descent into the Swiss plateau, a short climb to Côte de Pétra Felix is required. The gradient on the official profile is wrong, it’s the final 4.2k of the profile below with the KOM at Pétra Felix rather than the col.

The long descent gradually flattens out and eventually the peloton will find itself on the shores of Lake Geneva. Upon reaching Lausanne, the riders turn left at the castle of Ouchy onto the HTF, Côte du Stade olympique.

The irregularity of the climb makes it a hard one to call, the final 450 metres being false flat means there are quite a few ways this one could go.

Final kilometres

Lausanne is of course best known as the home of the IOC, and indeed we finish outside the Olympic stadium (which hasn’t actually been an Olympic venue). It is also the smallest city in the world to have a metro system.

The centre of Lausanne is characterised by three bridges spanning the valley of the now-covered Flon. The Tour will pass over this one, the early 20th-century Pont Chauderon.

 

[Red Rick]

Massive potential for Jumbo giving me a brain aneurysm.

But it really should just be a breakaway stage.

 

[Big Doopie]

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOG!!!

 

[skippo12]

Ineos and Jumbo should go for a breakaway win to prevent Pog from collecting even more bonus seconds.

 

[Netserk]

Alpecin will chase this for Philipsen. BikeExhange will help.

 

[Bonimenier]

Alpecin will chase this for Philipsen. BikeExhange will help.

It might be a reasonable big breakaway. I would think it would be better for Philipsen and Matthews to try to get in it.

 

[SafeBet]

Would UAE be ok with Pidcock in the break?

 

[Big Doopie]

Would UAE be ok with Pidcock in the break?

no. i doubt it.

he is an unknown in this type of race, but has pedigree. so they would be wary.

 

[yaco]

I doubt that UAE want to give up the yellow jersey.

 

[Potomac]

I predict break wins and no movement in GC

 

[Amazinmets87]

I predict break wins and no movement in GC

Even if the break is caught, I can't imagine any movement in GC other than bonus seconds, considering the gradients.

 

[search]

Massive potential for Jumbo giving me a brain aneurysm.

But it really should just be a breakaway stage.

for whatever reason it's a 50pt stage, so I guess van Aert will want this - but yeah, probably from the break

 

[Andre]

Wout or Philipsen for the win.

 

[search]

The irregularity of the climb makes it a hard one to call, the final 450 metres being false flat means there are quite a few ways this one could go.

it looks a lot harder on the official profile (9,5% average for the penultimate km, compared to 8% on yours). Any idea which one is correct?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

A healthy Roglič would win this stage.

 

[titan31]

This looks like a stage for a breakaway unless WVA goes in it

 

[KZD]

A healthy Roglič would win this stage.

Half of your comments are like this, crashes are part of this sport so what ifs are not exactly the best way to think about cycling. although I think Roglič would have won today, tomorrow this is a finish better suited to people like Alaphilippe or Van der Poel.

Teuns to take this from the break.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

it looks a lot harder on the official profile (9,5% average for the penultimate km, compared to 8% on yours). Any idea which one is correct?

The gradient on the official profile doesn't line up with the elevation data it shows. The start of the penultimate kilometre is at 497 metres. The end of it is at 604 - (3.4*800/100) = 576.8 metres, that's an average gradient of 8% and not 9.5%. Of course the gradient of the final 800 metres could also be wrong but it's clear there's an error in the official profile.

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Everyone wants to go in the break, it will become one of those long challenges. Geschke looks as if he wants the KOM jersey, Moustache has to cover him. Some B&B riders have to show themselves also. And then there's 18 other teams.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Half of your comments are like this, crashes are part of this sport so what ifs are not exactly the best way to think about cycling. although I think Roglič would have won today tomorrow this is a finish better suited to people like Alaphilippe or Van der Poel.

Teuns to take this from the break.

Yeah, these comments aren‘t serious

 

[sir fly]

No Billy around to honor the headquarters...
Wonder who'll corrupt the biddings.
No reason to give a free pass to UAE anymore.

 

[Ludwigzgz]

Yeah, these comments aren‘t serious

So if we all send messages like: Roglic. Bettiol. Erviti. Bjerg... this doesn't add anything interesting to the reader, at least this doesn't add anything interesting to me.
You could send messages that add something interesting to this cycling forum, something worth reading. You can write Roglic, but with an argument that justifies why it is worth reading.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Yeah, these comments aren‘t serious

Then state they aren’t serious. Just upsetting really.

 

[Andre]

So if we all send messages like: Roglic. Bettiol. Erviti. Bjerg... this doesn't add anything interesting to the reader, at least this doesn't add anything interesting to me.
You could send messages that add something interesting to this cycling forum, something worth reading. You can write Roglic, but with an argument that justifies why it is worth reading.

ok...Wout or Philipsen for the win. Because Wout is in tremendous form and the uphill kick at the finish suits him, and he's probably angry at the blunder of stage 6, and anger can motivate a person. Philipsen because I think he's the strongest sprinter on the field and he has been improving as a stage racer for a while now. I'm not sure he'll go out on the break but if it all comes down to the wire at the end he has a great chance to win it. Plus he wants to make up for being so happy at arriving second in stage 4th. He won't celebrate at the finish cause he already did on that stage.

 

[Zoef-Lightning]

Would UAE be ok with Pidcock in the break?

Then INEOS must finally race smart by sending Pidcock or Martinez in front.

But INEOS again won't do it, just ride with Emirates behind the leading group. In doing so, INEOS is making the same mistake as the opponents of the former SKY (later INEOS) made. Certainly not attacking the leader's team, and sometimes even helping in the pursuit. I never understood that in the past. I suppose that they (INEOS) only aspire to a third or fourth place in the ranking, and therefore do not want to take any risks.