Cycling: Three mountains of the highest category await us on tomorrow's stage of the Tour of France. Now the classification drivers can't wait any longer. In our Tour de France preview of stage XNUMX, we look at the day's favorites.
Tour de France preview: 3 x top category on stage #12
Alpe d'Huez is the finish line for the 30th time in the history of the Tour de France. Although the mountain has a special reputation, the stage winner rarely stands on the podium in Paris wearing the yellow jersey. Nevertheless, all the strong climbers will naturally want to add their names to the list of winners tomorrow. Before tackling the final climb, the 175,5 kilometers from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to the ski resort of Alpe d'Huez present a few more obstacles. The Col de la Madeleine and the Col de la Croix de Fer are also categorized as hors catégorie climbs. Due to the long descents and the subsequent relatively flat sections, attacks by the favorites before the climb to Alpe d'Huez are rather unlikely, according to our Tour de France preview. However, the riders who were dropped on today's eleventh stage – such as Rafal Majka (Bora-hansgrohe) – could attempt an early breakaway.
The mountain classifications of the 12th stage of the Tour de France 2018
- 122,0km to go: Col de la Madeleine (highest category / 25,3 km at 6,2%)
- 92,5km to go: Montvernier Laces (2rd category / 3,4 km at 8,2%)
- 54,5km to go: Iron Cross Pass (highest category / 29,0 km at 5,2%)
- Mountain arrival/finish: Alpe d'Huez (highest category / 13,8 km at 8,1%)
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Velomotion forecast: Sky determines events with Thomas & Froome
Given Team Sky's dominance, every Tour de France mountain preview seems to point to a bet on Chris Froome or Geraint Thomas . However, it's important to remember that tomorrow is only the twelfth of 21 stages. The Tour de France is still long and holds many challenges. The victory on Alpe d'Huez is so prestigious, though, that hardly any rider will back down. It's quite possible that Team Sky will therefore be serious again tomorrow, and this time Chris Froome will be in the lead. Unlike, for example, Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), this climb suits him. The steep section before the three-kilometer mark, in particular, won't work to the Dutchman's advantage. Daniel Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), on the other hand, should actually be happy with the steep gradients. Either way, the stage win will only go to Team Sky. If they want to catch the breakaway riders, Froome and Thomas are their best chances of winning.
***Chris Froome
** Romain Bardet, Daniel Martin
* Geraint Thomas, Nairo Quintana, Tom Dumoulin
