Though the final climb, the category 4 Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy, will probably tempt a few riders to try a late-stage attack, the sprinters’ teams will have 20 kilometres to reel any attackers back in.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Starting from the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit, a former Formula 1 venue, the 179.1km route heads east, crossing the Loire near Decize, 45.8 kilometres in for the intermediate sprint. Next, two category 4 climbs carry the riders towards the former mining town of Montceau-les-Mines, and into the southern Morvan, a northerly extension of the Massif Central.
From there, the Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy and a sweeping descent through the Chalonnais vineyards set up the finish in Chalon-sur-Saône, where a bunch sprint is anticipated.
Look out for another surprise victory, perhaps even from Wærenskjold, stage 5 winner Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), stage 7 and stage 8 winner Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), stage 4 winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), and those who are still searching for that victory: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Permier Tech), Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling) and more.
And, of course, the opportunistic riders are not going to just hand the stage to the sprinters. So, also watch for the threat of a breakaway.
Although some of these riders might try again in Paris on stage 21, the addition of the Montmartre circuit will make it much more challenging.
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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