Stage 15 of the 2024 Tour de France sees the riders taken on a summit finish atop the storied climb of Plateau de Beille. An ascent with a history with the Tour de France, former Maillot Jaune winner Alberto Contador predicts today will be the ultimately decisive day in the general classification.
Contador himself has fond memories of the climb at Plateau de Beille, as the iconic figure in Spanish cycling reflects in conversation with Marca ahead of stage 15 of this edition of cycling's most famous race. "Plateau de Beille is special. It was my first stage win in the Tour de France, wearing the white jersey," Contador recalls. "I remember perfectly that I said that with this I could go home, but in my head I knew that I could fight for the yellow jersey. It's a climb that brings back good memories for me."
Over it's storied history with the Tour de France, the Plateau de Beille actually has a reputation for deciding the Maillot Jaune winner. More often than not the man who wins atop this mythical climb in the man who rolls in Paris, or in this year's case Nice, with the Yellow Jersey on their shoulders.
"It's a long mountain pass, it's a tough mountain pass, I think it's a mountain pass where you can't rush. Generally there are always tough mountain passes before you get to it and that's what sometimes makes the difference. For me the ideal moment to make a difference is about five minutes before the summit. I think it's the ideal moment to break the race," Contador analyses of the challenging climb to the stage 15 finish line. "Whoever wins at Plateau de Beille wins the Tour de France," the 41-year-old, two time Tour winner concludes.
Will it be Tadej Pogacar? Will it be Jonas Vingegaard? Or can the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Carlos Rodriguez pull up a surprise?
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