TdF '21 Discussion Thread Stage 14 Jul10 SPOILER ALERT
This is a 110-mile hilly course. It is pretty saw-tooth. There are five spots for climber points along the way. Sprinter points are about a third of the way in. The points races are still healthy, so the pace may again be high. It is exhausting to me just watching!
The climbs are not bad, but two are pretty steep. Montsegur at 8.7% for 2.5 miles, and then Galinagues at 9% for 2 miles.
There may be enough terrain to allow a genuine breakaway to escape, and not be worth the effort to chase down. GC hopefuls will check each other. This stage could present opportunity to throw down some effort to rise in the GC positions. While the top spot might be unassailable, bar something unusual, there is some game to be in the top ten, including third and second. It has been a long time since Valverde is regularly in the top ten of any GT he has been in; he has been creeping up a bit, and could do so on this stage. Some guys are in the top 15 due to their role as domestique, and thy fade in the rankings as their role is used.
The run-in to the finish is curvy but is pretty gentle.
This is a 110-mile hilly course. It is pretty saw-tooth. There are five spots for climber points along the way. Sprinter points are about a third of the way in. The points races are still healthy, so the pace may again be high. It is exhausting to me just watching!
The climbs are not bad, but two are pretty steep. Montsegur at 8.7% for 2.5 miles, and then Galinagues at 9% for 2 miles.
There may be enough terrain to allow a genuine breakaway to escape, and not be worth the effort to chase down. GC hopefuls will check each other. This stage could present opportunity to throw down some effort to rise in the GC positions. While the top spot might be unassailable, bar something unusual, there is some game to be in the top ten, including third and second. It has been a long time since Valverde is regularly in the top ten of any GT he has been in; he has been creeping up a bit, and could do so on this stage. Some guys are in the top 15 due to their role as domestique, and thy fade in the rankings as their role is used.
The run-in to the finish is curvy but is pretty gentle.
