As race organisers love to tell us, this is a day when the race can't be won but can certainly be lost. The first long and hotly contested climb is sure to see some of the contenders struggling to cope with the change of pace, but gaps between them should be in seconds rather than minutes based on what happened here in 2003. Gilberto Simoni blew the race apart when the gradient kicked up 7km from the finish, but the Terminillo's ramps weren't tough enough for "Gibo" to build a significant advantage.
Procycling's favourite to win:
TOPICS
-
How to watch Tour de France 2026 – Live streams, TV information, official broadcasters
All the ways you can watch or stream the 2026 Tour de France, on TV, on your devices and more from wherever you are in the world, including free options -
Tour de France penalties, fines and yellow cards – Adam Yates fined for 'sticky bottle' on shortened stage 9 into Ussel
Tracking the rule infringements and penalties accrued on the road from Barcelona to Paris -
'That played in my favour in the end' – The harder it got, the more Mathieu van der Poel thrived in brutal Tour de France breakaway
Dutchman scorches to third Tour stage win in Ussel ahead of Johannessen and Pidcock after another blazing hot day of racing -
'The Tour is daunting, but we're in the fight' - Tour de France 'newbies' Caja Rural-Seguros RGA push hard to justify wildcard status
Spanish team is finding their feet in their Tour debut with multiple breaks and a day in the mountains jersey in the first week
