The 2024 Tour de France promises to be a unique edition, starting with its Grand Depart in Florence and Emilia-Romagna, just across the border in Italy. After many years, the race will culminate not in Paris but in Nice for its finale. Scheduled from June 29th to July 21st, let's delve into a preview of the upcoming stage.
Into the Massif Central, the race is now heading south towards the Pyrenees. The beginning of the 211-kilometer stage is flat but the finale is rather hilly with four categorized climbs. The GC riders could have an interesting battle, but most likely we will have a breakaway contest for the triumph.
It is a transition day, well suited to a breakaway however with a flat start that certainly won't make it easy. 211 kilometers on the bike will make it a long one, with a difficult finale where the climbers and classics riders will come to the front. If the GC men find an opening, the fight could easily explode in such terrain.
The Massif Central presents treacherous roads and a different challenge to that of the high mountains, which some may want to take advantage of. The final 50 kilometers of the stage has four difficult ascents. The first of which is the Col de Neronne which is 3.9 kilometers long at 8.6%, it ends with 42.5 kilometers to go, and there is no descent before tackling the next one.
This is the Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol which is 5.3 kilometers long at 7.8%, summiting with 31 kilometers to go. But this is a very dangerous ascent as the gradients go all the way up to 16% close to the summit and the riders immediately go into a technical and steep descent directly into the base of the next climb. It's a prime location for an explosive attack.
After the descent there is the Col de Pertus which is 4.5 kilometer long at 8.2%, and in it's summit is a bonified sprint with only 14.5 kilometers to go. The peloton can completely explode on this ascent if it hasn't already, as 8 seconds at the top are not to be ignored.
After a small ascent comes the last climb of the day, the easiest of the four but not an easy one by any means - adding the fact that fatigue will be high at this point. The Col de Font de Cère is 3.4 kilometers long at 5.6% and ends with only 3 kilometers to go. It's almost a summit finish. Only a tiny descent follows and then a slight uphill sprint to the line in Le Lioran.
The Weather
Prediction Tour de France 2024 stage 11:
***
**
*
Pick:
Place comments
0 Comments
You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.
Show all comments