Swiss roll to second mountain finish
By Daniel Simms
Crucial stage for overall
The general classification leader could change again today as the Tour reaches the Swiss mountains. The second of the three mountain top finishes of this year's Grande Boucle in Verbier is another chapter on the road to the overall victory.
For starters, the GC favourites will warm up their legs on the Col des Mosses (13.8 km at 4 percent) before tackling the final climb up to the ski resort (8.8 km at 7.1 percent) after a pretty long journey of 207 kilometres.
Verbier welcomes the Tour for the first time, but has plenty of experience as a stage finish in the Tour de Suisse. The final ascent will reveal some of the tactics of the overall contenders, who should use the opportunity to gain some seconds - or minutes - on their rivals before the ultimate challenge on the Mont Ventoux.
See full-size map and profile.
Vaughters' views
This stage which comes right before the rest day should be interesting, and the focus will come back to the GC battle. After two weeks of intense racing, Verbier will provide a not overly hard climb, but positioning into the bottom of this climb will be crucial. It’s a gradual grade on an ever-narrowing road.
I think this stage will be contested by a group of 15 to 20 riders, so someone with a bit of a sprint left at the end of a climb will take the day. Frank Schleck, if his knee is okay, or Kim Kirchen would be my picks.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Giro d'Italia possible for Chris Froome before Tour de France
Israel Start-Up Nation manager Carlström not ruling out two Grand Tours for Briton -
Marcel Kittel: Tom Dumoulin is staying true to himself
Former teammate offers a message of support -
Santos Festival of Cycling: Welsford takes stage 4 while Durbridge holds firm on GC
The Australian criterium champion beats Groves in the sprint for victory at the final stage of the men's race -
Gibbons eyes more opportunities to win at UAE Team Emirates
South African targeting smaller races with new team, as well as Classics support slot
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
Thank you for signing up to Cycling News. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.