2020 Tour de France stage 2 preview

Stage 2: Nice Haute Pays - Nice 

Date: August 30, 2020 

Distance: 186km 

Stage start: 1 p.m. CEST

Stage type: Mountain

The Tour is only on its second day and already the riders will tackle two mountains and two more punchy climbs before the finish in Nice. These climbs will be familiar to anyone who is a fan of the early-season stage race, Paris-Nice, especially the scenic Col d’Eze that is an institution for the ‘Race to the Sun.’ 

Consider this is a bold statement from organisers ASO as the second day of racing features two category 1 mountains - the Col de la Colmiane at the 63.5km mark and Col de Turini at 99.5 kilometres on the route. Both were tackled in the 1973 Tour, while the Colmiane was on the route of the stage to Pra-Loup in 1975 where Eddy Merckx wore his last ever yellow jersey.

The Col d’Èze is a punchy haul out of the eastern end of Nice and the peloton will climb it in the last quarter of the stage, then loop back and ride up the first half of the climb before turning off at the bonus sprint at Col des Quatre Chemins with 9km to go. While the two big climbs will split the field, the real action will come with the punchy finale and bonus sprint, sure to offer an opportunity for a rider like Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep).