Despite being shorter than some mountain stages, this one might be the toughest pure climbing day (with four Cat 1 ascents), partly because of the timing: It’s sandwiched between a previous mountain stage and the final individual time trial. Riders plunge immediately into the crucible, climbing right out of the gate and continuing over five categorized passes before the fast, tricky descent to Le Grand Bornand. The final double whammy of the day -- a pair of Cat 1's up Col de Romme (which averages an Alpe d’Huez-like 8.9%) and the Col de la Combiere -- could end up being the most decisive stretch of the race.
Betting Line: Lots of subtext here. Some climbers will launch early attacks for the KOM competition, others will be going for a stage win, and GC hopefuls will be trying to pad time gaps for tomorrow’s TT. Armstrong won here in 2004*, but via a different route. Favorites: Insert gangly climber here. Sastre, the Schlecks, and Contador all have the legs to win here, but if there were ever a stage for a dark-horse GC rider (perhaps Liquigas’ Roman Kreuziger) to make a long-shot bid for overall victory, this would be it. Riders like Evans and Armstong will be more concerned with saving juice for the next day’s TT and then Mont Ventoux.
*Armstrong actually tried to give the stage to Floyd Landis (“Ride like you stole something,” he instructed)—but Jan Ullrich was having none of that.
Note: Stage route, exact start/finish, and sprints/climbs have been approximated from information provided by LeTour.com. Actual stage may vary slightly.
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Fly over the Tour de France's steep climbs, windy roads, and sprint finishes in this interactive Google Earth map.