Tour de France 2015: Stage 13 Preview

This is a classic ‘transition’ stage. The definition is sometimes stretched to describe any hilly stage that is neither mountainous nor flat, but the true definition is of a stage which lies between France’s two main mountain ranges, the Pyrenees and the Alps.

There are four transition stages this year – here, Mende, Valence and Gap. Mende and Gap have significant climbs near the finishes, which will impose a more logical shape on the race, and could even turn into GC days, but this and Valence are unpredictable, rolling, lumpy days where breaks, once gone, may never be seen again.

The route rolls gently through the first half of the stage, then gets noticeably hilly thereafter. It’s the first half-chance for a sprint since Fougères, one week previously, although it’s more the kind of terrain on which Peter Sagan has turned the green jersey competition into a one-man show in the last three Tours. Sagan spends the flat days coming third or fourth behind the pure sprinters, conceding a few points here and there. Then he gets them all back and more when he wins stages like this, while other sprinters are nowhere.

“Out of the Pyrenean frying-pan and into the Tarn fire. We basically did the same route back in 84 and my overriding memory of that day was of legs hurting and my feet burning. It's warm in the mountains but at least you cool down on the descents. Going inland from Toulouse it just gets hot, then hotter and as Rodez approaches stiflingly uncomfortable. Perfect stage for a breakaway and until one gets away no-one will be happy, though with the last 60km being of the up and down, in and out, melted tar variety it's hard to say if it's better to be in the front or hiding at the back.”