Stage 18 - Thursday, July 21: Albi - Mende, 189 km
By Cycling News published
This stage is made for an escape artist in the style of Laurent Jalabert - or whoever takes his...
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.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
after your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Cyclingnews. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'All light and laughter' - Remembering Moriah Wilson
Cycling community pays touching tribute to gravel racing star -
Tour de France start unlikely for Thomas De Gendt
Lotto Soudal rider to seek more Giro d'Italia stages -
Clock is ticking for Ewan to take a Giro d'Italia stage win
Lotto Soudal rider hoping to score before exiting the race this week -
Joe Dombrowski's Giro diary - It's the peloton that decides
American takes advantage of breakaway opportunities