Here we go: the first mountain stage of this year's Tour de France. For all 224 kilometres of today's ride, the roads will be uphill - save for the descent of the first of the two climbs, the Port d'Oliana, a 7.7km-mountain averaging 7.1 percent gradient. Afterwards, it will be a long drag up to the tiny Principality of Andorra and its ski station, the first of three mountain top finishes of this year's Tour.
The last time the Tour came to Arcalis, in 1997, Jan Ullrich broke away solo on the final stretch to the summit (10.6km at 7.1 percent) and lay the foundations for his later overall win. Today, the GC favourites should come out of their hiding places in the pack and put their climbing legs to the test. Spanish climbers will be especially motivated to score the victory in a bid for the polkadot - or the yellow jersey.
Vaughters' views
It’s a painful grind through the tough and hot Catalan countryside, finishing with the climb where Ullrich decimated the field in 1997.
Arcalis is not an overly steep climb, but the kilometers before its start and the heat will lend themselves to a selective day. Steepest at the bottom, look for an elite selection very quickly on Arcalis, and then attacks, chasing and hesitation a bit further up.
Sastre, Contador, Andy Schleck and Evans should all be in the mix. Sometimes Menchov suffers in the heat, so this could be a hard day for him.
All said and done, I have to say I think Contador is the favourite, once again.
-
'There aren't many hours outside of all the rehab to spend a lot of time enjoying life' – Jay Vine won't be targeting GC at Giro d'Italia after stop-start 2026 season
Australian with full focus on winning stage 10 time trial, says chasing overall result 'isn't something that I'll be doing at this race' -
'To come so close is a bit heartbreaking' - Breakaway nearly steals the show on stage 4 of La Vuelta Femenina
New KOM leader Allione says wearing jersey is something 'I will remember my whole life' -
Legendary duels, left-field business moves, and the role of La Gazzetta: How RCS turned the Giro d'Italia into a national treasure, and a billion Euro event
When the Corsa Rosa is on, it 'has the power to transform every day into a Sunday' for the Italian people, but how did a race launched to promote a newspaper become a global sporting event? -
As it happened: Breakaway hearts broken as the sprinters take stage 4 of La Vuelta Femenina
As the race heads toward the mountains, stage 4 brings the field a 115km race that begins in Monforte de Lemos
