Cycling: After the second rest day, the Tour de France continues with a wavy section. We bet on a victory for Julian Alaphilippe.
The day's win goes to a breakaway
Last chance for the escapees? Before there are two hard climbs on Wednesday and Thursday, an individual time trial on Saturday and probably two mass sprints on Friday and Sunday, the escapees can once again hope for victory on Tuesday. The 169,0 km section from El Pas de la Casa to Saint-Gaudens is made for a successful escape of a large group. But the stage winner must be able to climb well, maybe even be an explosive puncher. Because the last two climbs in particular are short and steep.
The key moments of the 16st stage
- Sharp start in Pas de la Casa at 13:30
- Category 2 mountains: Col de Port (11,4 km a 5,1%) 115,0 km / 54,0 km
- Sprint classification in Vic D'Oust 84,3 km / 84,7 km
- Category 1 climb: Col de la Core (13,1 km a 6,6%) 67,9 km / 101,1 km
- Category 2 mountains: Col de Portet-d'Aspet (5,4 km a 7,1%) 32,5 km / 136,5 km
- Mountain classification 4th category: Côte d'Aspret-Sarrat (0,8 km a 8,4%) 7,0 km / 162,0 km
- Arrival in Saint-Gaudens between 17:21 and 17:46
Velomotion Prognosis: Alaphilippe vs Valverde
Tomorrow's stage is perfect for an exciting duel between Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde. The Frenchman and the Spaniard are both very good over the mountains. The shorter and steeper they are, the better for them. With their explosive acceleration, they can outperform the competition - and this is exactly how they have often achieved prestigious victories. This could also be the case tomorrow when the Côte d'Aspret-Sarrat is ridden up the decisive attack. Wout van Aert should also be a hot candidate. If he has chosen a section for a breakaway attempt, it will be tomorrow's.
☆☆☆ Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick Step)
☆☆ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Wout van Aert (Jumbo – Visma)
☆ Dylan Teuns (Bahrain - Victorious), Sergio Higuita (EF - Nippo), Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation)