Stage win = Tour win?
The Tour has climbed Plateau de Beille three times and on each occasion, the stage winner has gone on to claim the yellow jersey in Paris. Will today's winner follow Marco Pantani (1998), Lance Armstrong (2002) and Alberto Contador (2007)? They just might, thanks to the five categorised climbs that precede the final summit ascent. At almost 16km and with a gradient just below 8 per cent, the final climb is long and tough enough for the leaders to overhaul any breakaways and dispute the day's spoils between them. The podium contenders should become clear today.
Details –
Distance: 168.5 km
Highest point: 1,570m
Category: High mountains
Sean Yates says...
"This stage could be decisive one way or another. Assuming that Contador will ride, based on what we've seen at the Giro, his team won't be the strongest, so he'll be under major pressure on a day like today if Leopard go on the attack early."
Stage map
Stage profile
-
Neilson Powless, Larry Warbasse, Michael Matthews among men's field at Maryland Cycling Classic to challenge defending champion Mattias Skjelmose
Alison Jackson, Tiffany Cromwell, Lauren Stephens add star-power in debut of women's UCI one-day race in Baltimore -
September will mark the end of the road for Ceratizit Pro Cycling after failed sponsorship hunt
Women's WorldTour team confirmed to compete at Maryland Cycling Classic before wrapping up at end of season after a decade of racing -
'With the team we've got, it's well within our grasp' – UAE Team Emirates-XRG ready to step into Vuelta a España spotlight at team time trial
Emirati squad looking for victory on Wednesday with leaders João Almeida and Juan Ayuso sitting 10th and 11th on GC -
'The bad and the beauty of team time trials, everyone is nervous' – Ineos Grenadiers ready to embrace the stress in pursuit of back-to-back Vuelta a España stage wins
British squad confident of challenging stage 5 team race against the clock in Figueres, but admit they 'haven't got the best lineup' against UAE and Visma
