Stage 14: Clermont-Ferrand - Lyon
Date: September 12, 2020
Distance: 194km
Article continues belowStage start: 1:05 p.m. CEST
Stage type: Mountain
A Saturday stage that is complicated on the front end with tough climbs and leads to a very punchy finish. There are three categorised climbs in the first 93 kilometres, then the final two come with just 12.5km to go. The finale will put off the sprinters so expect a break to win.
During the early years of the first millenium, wars raged across the part of France that lay between Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon. Sitting on the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, Lyon was an important city for the Romans and a cosmopolitan centre for trade and commerce. The journey from rough highlands to the plains is reflected in the parcours of stage 14 of the 2020 Tour. The first half of the stage is mountainous, and if the sprinters didn’t look too closely at the finale, they might think it was worth trying to crest the category 2 Col du Béal, rising to 1,390m, to contest the finish.
Lyon is a classic waypoint on the Tour de France route, having appeared in the very first race in 1903. In order to get to Lyon in 2020, riders will have to save power for two punchy climbs just before the finish, both category 4 scrambles. These could prove to be battlegrounds for a rebellious uprising.
-
Tour of the Gila: Grace Arlandson and Adam Lewis claim first UCI wins from breakaway on stage 3
Stage runner-up Lauren Stephens still solidly in the women’s race lead as Walter Vargas retains men’s top spot -
Taper less, ride more? Why pro cyclists are training harder than science often suggests
Reducing your training load ahead of a race or event is widely considered a tried-and-tested training technique across endurance sports, but do the studies align with the demands of road cycling? Cyclingnews and JOIN assess the art of tapering -
The Traka 360: Mads Würtz Schmidt completes the double with dominant victory, as Rosa Klöser wins with impressive 90km solo on challenging Girona gravel
Drechou and Beers complete men's podium, Dubau-Prévot and Scheurs second and third in women's -
'Personally, I’m also here to make progress as a stage racer' – Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Visma-Lease a Bike focussed on stage wins at La Vuelta Femenina
Frenchwoman joins Marianne Vos and Sarah Van Dam on Dutch squad for Spanish Grand Tour
