- Sep 20, 2017
- 11,953
- 22,595
- 28,180
The longest stage of the race. It’s the first time the Vuelta has visited the Alps, may well be the only time it will ever happen, and they’ve used it for… a stage for the more durable sprinters?
Map and profile
Start
The final stage host on Italian soil is Susa, where the road to Montgenèvre meets the one to Mont Cenis. On account of this strategic location, a town has existed here since pre-Roman times. At the time, Susa was the capital of a small kingdom. Only during the reign of Augustus, it was made part of the Empire, an event commemorated by the surviving triumphal arch. However, the region remained autonomous, with the name of its then-ruler Marcus Julius Cottius surviving as the name of the Roman province (Alpes Cottiae) that was established when Nero ended its special status, and then into the present day as the name for this part of the Alps (Cottian Alps/Alpe Cozie). Susa continued to serve as the capital when the province was created. In 312, Susa was sacked and burned by none other than Constantine the Great, who was on his way to Rome for the decisive Battle of the Milvian Bridge (the one where he supposedly had a vision sent by God). The arch was unaffected, but most of the town had to be rebuilt and most of the other Roman remains date to this time (the aqueduct was built as late as 375, just a century before the Western Roman Empire was formally extinguished).
This era would have been difficult for Susa, with the passes used less and less by traders and more and more by invading armies, but the need to defend these routes meant it survived. From the 10th century onwards, the town started to recover, courtesy of slowly redeveloping trade, pilgrims, and the establishment of an abbey in the 11th century. During this century, Susa came under Savoyard influence, although the upper part of the valley was French until 1713. Thus, Susa was very close to the border, and this meant that the area was rather militarised. Under Napoleon, a proper road over Mont Cenis (most of which remains in use) was constructed, which greatly bolstered trade. In more recent decades, the town has suffered economically from deindustrialization and demilitarization, and now serves in part as a commuter hub for Turin. However, it does remain the central town of the valley in all respects and its location and Roman remains attract a decent number of tourists.
(own picture)
The route
Now admittedly Susa and Voiron are pretty far apart and the latter isn’t particularly close to any big climbs, but even so… it’s hard to think of a less inspiring trek across the Alps. It’s going to be pretty painful to see the peloton pass the start of Finestre, Izoard, Granon, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez, Croix-de-Fer, Chamrousse and Porte on a stage where the hardest climb is Montgenèvre. That being said, this stage does have one thing going for it: the first KOM, Puerto Exilles, starts after less than five kilometres. A proper battle to make it into the break is not guaranteed this early in the race, but if we do get one it’s going to be a difficult start to the day for a lot of sprinters.
Exilles is simply part of the valley road up towards Montgenèvre, and even though there are 19 kilometres between its summit and the official start of the pass, the riders climb almost 300 metres in that time. Virtually all of those come in the section after Oulx, and as that’s where the Cyclingcols profile starts, I can show the full picture here.
The summit is marked by an obelisk that was erected as part of Napoleon’s self-propaganda campaign, which should tell you that we’ve crossed the border and entered France. The descent is a bit more technical than what you’d expect from such an important Alpine crossing, but nothing too difficult. It ends in Briançon, dominated by its citadel that should be a familiar sight given how often bike races go here. Of course the area is famous for its legendary passes, but it’s also home to the most boring 2000 metre-plus climb in the Alps: Col du Lautaret from the easiest side. And sadly, that’s where we are headed (minus the first 1.5k of the profile below). It’s rather depressing that it, together with Montgenèvre, becomes the first KOM used by all three Grand Tours.
The descent is long and littered with tunnels, but entirely untechnical. It culminates in the Oisans valley, which for once won’t be the place where long-range GC attacks wither and die courtesy of the fact that there won’t be any. The road continues to drop down towards the urban area of Grenoble. The route avoids the city proper, which results in one last uncategorised climb, up to Col de Comboire. Although its gradients are pretty solid, it’s hard to imagine any sprinters who have made it over the first three climbs getting dropped here.
The remainder of the stage is spent heading through the flat Isère valley, with the nearby scenery (and climbs) of the Chartreuse and Vercors being relegated to helicopter footage at most. However, the finish in Voiron is located a little away from the valley, and thus the road begins to rise ever so slightly with 7.2 kilometres to go. It’s a false flat for the most part, but the final 600 metres are a little steeper. There have been more than 3000 metres of elevation before this, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Viviani at the past at this race. In other words, it might actually matter that this finish favours the tougher sprinters.
Aside from the elevation gain, the final kilometres are also notable for a rather high amount of road furniture. Some of these roads were used in the 2019 Dauphiné stage that finished here (won by Wout van Aert), but the finish line itself is higher up than on that stage.
Finish
The sole finish location in France is, at first glance, as random as what we’ve already seen in Italy. Voiron is a manufacturing town of about 20000 inhabitants, which developed out of a medieval village that grew hemp. At the time, Voiron and the surrounding region was repeatedly the site of struggles between Savoy and the then-independent Dauphiné. Voiron itself was consistently held by the former until France annexed the Dauphiné in 1355, at which time the borders with Savoy were redrawn in such a way that it, too, was now to be subject to the French crown.
Gradually, both the cultivation of hemp and the associated production of textiles grew in scope, and as such the village developed into a town. In the 19th century, the economic focus shifted towards silk and paper. In the early 20th century, the ski manufacturer Rossignol (who sponsored, amongst others, the mighty Alfredo Tomba) was founded here. Another development was the opening of Grenoble airport 20 kilometres west of the town, which explains why we’re finishing here. More recent times have seen a decline in manufacturing and subsequently a greater dependence on commuter traffic to nearby Grenoble.
(picture by Jean-Paul Corlin at Wikimedia Commons)
Map and profile
Start
The final stage host on Italian soil is Susa, where the road to Montgenèvre meets the one to Mont Cenis. On account of this strategic location, a town has existed here since pre-Roman times. At the time, Susa was the capital of a small kingdom. Only during the reign of Augustus, it was made part of the Empire, an event commemorated by the surviving triumphal arch. However, the region remained autonomous, with the name of its then-ruler Marcus Julius Cottius surviving as the name of the Roman province (Alpes Cottiae) that was established when Nero ended its special status, and then into the present day as the name for this part of the Alps (Cottian Alps/Alpe Cozie). Susa continued to serve as the capital when the province was created. In 312, Susa was sacked and burned by none other than Constantine the Great, who was on his way to Rome for the decisive Battle of the Milvian Bridge (the one where he supposedly had a vision sent by God). The arch was unaffected, but most of the town had to be rebuilt and most of the other Roman remains date to this time (the aqueduct was built as late as 375, just a century before the Western Roman Empire was formally extinguished).
This era would have been difficult for Susa, with the passes used less and less by traders and more and more by invading armies, but the need to defend these routes meant it survived. From the 10th century onwards, the town started to recover, courtesy of slowly redeveloping trade, pilgrims, and the establishment of an abbey in the 11th century. During this century, Susa came under Savoyard influence, although the upper part of the valley was French until 1713. Thus, Susa was very close to the border, and this meant that the area was rather militarised. Under Napoleon, a proper road over Mont Cenis (most of which remains in use) was constructed, which greatly bolstered trade. In more recent decades, the town has suffered economically from deindustrialization and demilitarization, and now serves in part as a commuter hub for Turin. However, it does remain the central town of the valley in all respects and its location and Roman remains attract a decent number of tourists.
(own picture)
The route
Now admittedly Susa and Voiron are pretty far apart and the latter isn’t particularly close to any big climbs, but even so… it’s hard to think of a less inspiring trek across the Alps. It’s going to be pretty painful to see the peloton pass the start of Finestre, Izoard, Granon, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez, Croix-de-Fer, Chamrousse and Porte on a stage where the hardest climb is Montgenèvre. That being said, this stage does have one thing going for it: the first KOM, Puerto Exilles, starts after less than five kilometres. A proper battle to make it into the break is not guaranteed this early in the race, but if we do get one it’s going to be a difficult start to the day for a lot of sprinters.
Exilles is simply part of the valley road up towards Montgenèvre, and even though there are 19 kilometres between its summit and the official start of the pass, the riders climb almost 300 metres in that time. Virtually all of those come in the section after Oulx, and as that’s where the Cyclingcols profile starts, I can show the full picture here.
The summit is marked by an obelisk that was erected as part of Napoleon’s self-propaganda campaign, which should tell you that we’ve crossed the border and entered France. The descent is a bit more technical than what you’d expect from such an important Alpine crossing, but nothing too difficult. It ends in Briançon, dominated by its citadel that should be a familiar sight given how often bike races go here. Of course the area is famous for its legendary passes, but it’s also home to the most boring 2000 metre-plus climb in the Alps: Col du Lautaret from the easiest side. And sadly, that’s where we are headed (minus the first 1.5k of the profile below). It’s rather depressing that it, together with Montgenèvre, becomes the first KOM used by all three Grand Tours.
The descent is long and littered with tunnels, but entirely untechnical. It culminates in the Oisans valley, which for once won’t be the place where long-range GC attacks wither and die courtesy of the fact that there won’t be any. The road continues to drop down towards the urban area of Grenoble. The route avoids the city proper, which results in one last uncategorised climb, up to Col de Comboire. Although its gradients are pretty solid, it’s hard to imagine any sprinters who have made it over the first three climbs getting dropped here.
The remainder of the stage is spent heading through the flat Isère valley, with the nearby scenery (and climbs) of the Chartreuse and Vercors being relegated to helicopter footage at most. However, the finish in Voiron is located a little away from the valley, and thus the road begins to rise ever so slightly with 7.2 kilometres to go. It’s a false flat for the most part, but the final 600 metres are a little steeper. There have been more than 3000 metres of elevation before this, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Viviani at the past at this race. In other words, it might actually matter that this finish favours the tougher sprinters.
Aside from the elevation gain, the final kilometres are also notable for a rather high amount of road furniture. Some of these roads were used in the 2019 Dauphiné stage that finished here (won by Wout van Aert), but the finish line itself is higher up than on that stage.
Finish
The sole finish location in France is, at first glance, as random as what we’ve already seen in Italy. Voiron is a manufacturing town of about 20000 inhabitants, which developed out of a medieval village that grew hemp. At the time, Voiron and the surrounding region was repeatedly the site of struggles between Savoy and the then-independent Dauphiné. Voiron itself was consistently held by the former until France annexed the Dauphiné in 1355, at which time the borders with Savoy were redrawn in such a way that it, too, was now to be subject to the French crown.
Gradually, both the cultivation of hemp and the associated production of textiles grew in scope, and as such the village developed into a town. In the 19th century, the economic focus shifted towards silk and paper. In the early 20th century, the ski manufacturer Rossignol (who sponsored, amongst others, the mighty Alfredo Tomba) was founded here. Another development was the opening of Grenoble airport 20 kilometres west of the town, which explains why we’re finishing here. More recent times have seen a decline in manufacturing and subsequently a greater dependence on commuter traffic to nearby Grenoble.
(picture by Jean-Paul Corlin at Wikimedia Commons)
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