Tour de France 2019 – 5 Key Stages

Take a look at the five most important stages of this year’s Tour de France!

Stage 6 – Mulhouse – La Planche des Belles Filles (11.07.2019) 157 km 

The ascent of La Planche Belle FIlles seems to be a favourite of the race orginizers. Its inaguration edit was in 2012 (won by Chris Froome, meanwhile Bradley Wiggins gained the yellow jersey), but it was on program in 2014 (Vincenzo Nibali) and 2017 (Fabio Aru) too.

The climb (7 km long, average steepness 8,7%) is extended with one kilometer new gravel road (average slope 9,5%, top 20%), which is going to make the race more spectacular.

The stage will be the first real test for the GC-riders.

Stage 13  – Pau-Pau (19.07.2019) – individual time trial, 27 km

There will be only one individual time trial at the Tour de France in 2019, and this fact will incrase its importance.  A bit hilly course, and the main question is, what time differences will the GC-contenders have after this stage.

Stage 14 – Tarbes – Tourmalet (20.07.2019) 117 km

The Tourmalet (19 km,  7,4%) is one of the most iconic hills in  the history of Tour de France, introduced in 1910, (first conqueror Octave Lapize), but mostly a mid-race ascent. There were only 2 occasions, when the stage finished at the top of the climb (1974, and 2010). The chance of crossing the finish line at the top of this legendary hill will make the stage more exciting for the GC-riders too. And there is a special prize (Souvenir Jacques Goddet) for the winner of the stage.

Stage 19 – Saint-Jeanne-de Maurienne – Tiges (26.07.2019) 123 km 

Not exactly a hilltop finish, there is 1 km to go till the finish line after the last ascent  (Montée de Tignes). The day provides 4 another climbs, the most important of them is the HC category Col d’Iseran, the highest placed paved pass in the Alps. 13 km long with an average slope of 7,5%.  Due to the shortness of the stage, it means climbing that ascent takes more than 10% of the entire route that day.

This will be the second time, when the hill will be climbed from the southern (the harder) side. The rider passing first the top will be awarded by the Souvenir Henri Desgrange.

Before the road becomes flat on the last climb, there is a quite steep part, ideal for an attack by one of the GC-riders.

Stage 20 – Albertville-Val Thorens (27.07.2019)  131 km 

Since decades the final stage of the Tour de France is for the sprinters tradicionally, which makes the penultimate stage more important in the fight of the GC-riders. Ending at the top of Val Thorens, a 33 km long monster (with an average of 5,5% steepness) itt will be really tough. There are a category 1 (Cormet de Roselend, 20 km, 6%) and a category 2 (Cote de Longefoy, 6,6 km 6,5%) climbs before, but that last one can over-write  without mercy everything happened before.

 

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