Preview - Tour de France 2022 stage 13

The riders leave the Alps at the Tour de France, to the satisfaction of many, and heads directly into the Massif Central on the 13th stage. The stage is 193 kilometers long, a long day on the bike with a few climbs the peloton ride over, on a day that is however likely to finish in a bunch sprint.

This is a day where the sprinter teams will look to control the race, however the breakaway also has serious chances of succeeding if the right group goes up the road.

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The start will see a long descent, soon after followed by a 1.9Km climb at 8.1%. This can be an issue for the sprinter teams, who have here a spot where the breakaway hunters can attack and move off from the peloton and establish a strong breakaway. It’s very much a transition day, with a 5.2Km climb at 7.1% summiting with 114 kilometers to go that can also be an obstacle for an organized chase. There will be some more hilltops, however the most important is likely with 43.5Km to go, an hour away from the finish, where the riders will ride up the Côte de Saint-Romain-en-Gal (7.4Km at 4.7%).

A descent will then follow another gentle rise, with a peak having 1.5Km at 4.9% finishing with only 8.5 kilometers to go. This is a stage where the sprinters who struggle uphill will have little chances, however a bunch sprint is the expected scenario in Saint-Étienne between those who don’t. The finale is relatively technical, albeit with a slight uphill tilt which will mean the sprinters will have a relatively clear run to the line.

CyclingUpToDate prediction:

**** Wout van Aert

*** Jasper Philipsen, Fabio Jakobsen

** Mads Pedersen, Peter Sagan, Dylan Groenewegen

* Caleb Ewan, Danny van Poppel, Alexander Kristoff, Alberto Dainese