This stage is made for an escape artist in the style of Laurent Jalabert - or whoever takes his place in this year's peloton - who was able to push hard enough on the climbs to get away. The finish is atop Cote de la Croix-Neuve, a brutally steep climb of 10.1% for 3.1km after climbing the Cote de Chabrits, a cat 3 short climb of 1.7km with a tough 7.1% gradient. Michael Boogerd and Alexandre Vinokourov could both be in the mix for a win on this stage within the Massif Central - look for some shuffles on GC as riders tire after 10 days of climbing, and the final selection is made before the race against the clock.
TOPICS
-
Paul Seixas chases down World Champion Brandon McNulty at Tour de France Saitama Criterium to close out 2026 season with a win
French superstar goes solo in final lap of exhibition event to delight fans in Japan on Sunday -
Reports suggest XDS may withdraw sponsorship of the XDS-Astana team before the scheduled 2029 date
The Chinese bike manufacturer joined the team in 2025 -
Michael Vanthourenhout back on rollers after crashing out of Superprestige Merksplas
Belgian dropped to sixth overall and ‘can now forget the classification’ - video -
‘I’m excited to be part of that story’ - Florian Sénéchal joins Unibet Rose Rockets
Friend Philippe Gilbert encouraged the move to the French-registered team
