Tour de France Tour de France 2023, stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne - Poligny, 172.8k

[Devil's Elbow]

The penultimate opportunity for the sprinters or, more probably, the final one for the baroudeurs.

Profile

Map

The route
A mid-length, rolling day through the valleys and foothills of the Jura. After starting from Moirans-en-Montagne, a small town that also hosted a start in 2016 (for a stage to Bern won by Peter Sagan), the riders start by looping around the Vouglans reservoir before doubling back on themselves. This section also contains a categorised climb, Côte du Bois de Lionge.

From here, it's a direct route north as far as Salins-les-Bains, which is located right before the final KOM. On the outskirts of Champagnole, where Kragh won the equivalent stage three years ago, there is an intermediate sprint in Ney.

There are some hard hills near Salins - not just Tonton's beloved Mont Poupet, the main climb of this region and this year's finish of the Tour du Jura (victory for Kévin Vauquelin), but also Côte de Thésy where Vingegaard destroyed everyone in the Dauphiné last month - but ASO has decided against using any of these. Instead, the rather indirect route into Poligny loops over the easier Côte d'Ivory, the penultimate climb of the aforementioned Dauphiné stage, which is admittedly longer than the categorised section.

Following a reasonably straightforward descent, the final 20 kilometres are outside the Jura and therefore flattish.

Final kilometres
The final straight is 9 kilometres long! Therefore, not much to talk about here.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Finally, a safe finish! Probably a breakaway, though, so it doesn‘t matter.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Finally, a safe finish! Probably a breakaway, though, so it doesn‘t matter.

This finish would have been a bowling alley if this was early in the race...

 

[RedheadDane]

Well, today was supposedly an obvious sprint-day, and ended up being for the break.
So I guess tomorrow will be an obvious break-day, and end up being a sprint.

 

[saunaking]

Finally, a safe finish! Probably a breakaway, though, so it doesn‘t matter.

Phillipsen not starting????????

 

[Izzyeviel]

its the safest finish of the tour, so obviously there's going to be a mass pile up caused by the sprinters.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Good stage, but as Danish analyst Lars Bak said (who btw is GREAT), this stage would be even better with 30-40 km more. These stages always delivers in the 3rd week.

 

[Samamba]

Finally, a safe finish! Probably a breakaway, though, so it doesn‘t matter.

A kilometers long straight isn't safe at all, or atleast not when everyone is fresh. It's a common misconception that turns in the leadin to a sprint are a bad thing, they are not.

Anyways, breakaway tomorrow guaranteed. Will be a big battle to get in it.

 

[ManicJack]

Pedersen from the break.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Promising parcours, perhaps a bit short, but the riders will delivery. Would like to see luts getting a win here, which incidentially may inspire the boys on Astana to drop all the q stuff and go back to simply being a pro team again.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Good stage, but as Danish analyst Lars Bak said (who btw is GREAT), this stage would be even better with 30-40 km more. These stages always delivers in the 3rd week.

It's 2023, there would likely be a rider protest if the stage was 40km longer.

 

[Keram]

Sagan to jump in break and finally do something at this Tour. I almost forgot how nice is root for him as fellow countryman. One last time Peter please. You can do it!

 

[tobydawq]

Sagan to jump in break and finally do something at this Tour. I almost forgot how nice is root for him as fellow countryman. One last time Peter please. You can do it!

It won't happen. Unfortunately. He is probably the weakest rider of the race.

 

[RobertCrawley]

The teams with sprinters will not let the break win again. In a bunch sprint, no team but Alpecin has a poisson pilote like MVDP, and no other team has a sprinter to match the aggression of Jasper Disaster Philipsen. If it was a drag race, I'd go with Dylan Groenewegen, but it's not a drag race.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Awaiting the hot tip from @The Barb to put the house that I don't own on said breakaway rider.

 

[Keram]

It won't happen. Unfortunately. He is probably the weakest rider of the race.

Quite harsh statement. He is weak though. If it is not Sagan he definitely would not make team for Tour with this shape. Last year he at least had some top 5 results this year he is not able to contest a sprint because is to hard for him to make good position. At the start of Tour he was telling slovak media he dont want to risk in sprints.

 

[Tonton]

There are some hard hills near Salins - not just Tonton's beloved Mont Poupet, the main climb of this region and this year's finish of the Tour du Jura (victory for Kévin Vauquelin), but also Côte de Thésy where Vingegaard destroyed everyone in the Dauphiné last month - but ASO has decided against using any of these.

Thanks for the mention, and yes, that was my home. So I'll complain again: Jura stages using Roman and early medieval roads, the path of least resistance, is an insult to us. Big waste of an opportunity to make it a monument-style stage where the second tier riders get at each other's throat...shape the 5th to 10th narrative.

I hope that a break makes it. Seeing Wout get his win, some older riders stepping up, that's always nice. EBH? Sagan? How about Trentin?

 

[zlev11]

finally the stage has come where Fred Wright will finish 6th in a 7 rider group

 

[gregrowlerson]

Vingegaard to lead out Laporte, but to accidentally win after his earpiece falls out.

 

[movingtarget]

After yesterday, the break should take this one and quite a few teams are yet to win a stage.

 

[LaurentJalabert]

I think many Danes have good chances to win this stage. It could be Pedersen(obvious), Skjelmose(showing good form), Cort (really need to prove himself this tour), Asgreen (Again?) or Kragh (a bit wildcard).

Who do you guys think?

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

I think many Danes have good chances to win this stage. It could be Pedersen(obvious), Skjelmose(showing good form), Cort (really need to prove himself this tour), Asgreen (Again?) or Kragh (a bit wildcard).

Who do you guys think?

I think why would you waste Skelmose on a flat stage when he could be of better use the day after?

Even though I'd like to see a break win I think it's going to to be the inevitable MvdP-Philippsen victory.

 

[LaurentJalabert]

I think why would you waste Skelmose on a flat stage when he could be of better use the day after?

Even though I'd like to see a break win I think it's going to to be the inevitable MvdP-Philippsen victory.

Im 90% sure that it not will be a sprint for Phillipsen. If they couldnt catch them today - no chance they will catch them this time on a harder stage, with more tired legs and probaly more people going for it. But we will see who is right. Skjelmose is maybe not good enough to win the day after compared to the people he probaly will challenge on this stage, i think it suits him fine - this rute is not totally flat and his a good sprinter after “a hard race” - like Asgreen. So it could be him or one of the otters.

 

[yaco]

The teams with sprinters will not let the break win again. In a bunch sprint, no team but Alpecin has a poisson pilote like MVDP, and no other team has a sprinter to match the aggression of Jasper Disaster Philipsen. If it was a drag race, I'd go with Dylan Groenewegen, but it's not a drag race.

Groenewegen could not hold Mezgec's wheel in the final of stage 18 - I suspect jayco will try for the break with Mezgec being their key rider.

 

[T-Nielsen]

If DSM works for a sprint again they should lose their licens.