Cycling: The Tour de France 2020 remains varied. Between two mountain stages we are presented with a classic outlier section. Or does Bora – hansgrohe have other plans?
Breakaway victory in Lyon?
Tomorrow the convoy of the Tour de France will reach Lyon, France's third largest city. Although five mountain classifications have to be mastered along the way, it will not be a day for the class riders. And of course the potential outliers know that too. Immediately after takeoff from Clermont-Ferrand, there will therefore be a bitter battle over who will be part of the breakaway. We will see a colorful mix. Because the 194,0 kilometer long 14th stage is not tailored to any specific type of driver. Hill-solid sprinters, such as Matteo Trentin (CCC) or Peter Sagan (Bora – hansgrohe) can survive the waves just before the finish. puncheur, like Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) or Marc Hirschi (Sunweb) will want to use these for attacks. So tomorrow's stage will remain exciting until the finish line, even if the favorites for overall victory will keep their feet still.
Highlights of Stage 14 of the 2020 Tour de France
- 13:05 Neutral start in Clermont-Ferrand
- 13:20 Sharp start in Clermont-Ferrand
- 162,0 km before the finish: mountain classification cat. 4, Côte du château d'Aulteribe (1,0 km at 8,4%)
- 156,0 km to go: intermediate sprint in Courpière
- 125,5 km before the finish: mountain classification category 2, Col du Béal (10,2 km at 5,6%)
- 101,0 km before the finish: mountain classification category 3, Côte de Courreau (4,0 km at 5,7%)
- 9,5 km from the finish: mountain classification category 4, Côte de la Duchère (1,4 km at 5,6%)
- 4,5 km before the finish: mountain classification cat. 4, Côte de la Croix-Rousse (1,4 km at 4,8%)
- Arrival in Lyon after 194,0 kilometers
Velomotion prognosis: The perfect stage for CCC
Even if everything looks like a win for the breakaways, one team in particular could throw that thought on its head. Bora – hansgrohe has already shown that they want to put in a lot of effort for the green jersey. Do you see a chance tomorrow Peter Sagan to lead over the mountains and hills and then the sprint in Lyon - without the participation of Sam Bennett (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – to win, the breakaways suddenly have bad cards. Either way we see the Italian Matteo Trentin (CCC) as candidates for success. Also teammate greg van avermaet (CCC) is this stage profile. Both can go into the group as well as win from a decimated peloton. Jasper stuyven (Trek – Segafredo) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (NTT) should also be keen to jump into the breakaway tomorrow.
☆☆☆ Matteo Trentino
* * Greg van Avermaet, Peter Sagan
* Jasper Stuyven, Wout van Aert, Edvald Boasson Hagen