Stage 15: Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Date: July 16, 2023
Distance: 179km
Stage type: Mountain
It's time for high stakes racing at the highest peak in Europe. The weekend in the Alps for the Tour de France concludes Sunday with stage 15 from Les Gets to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. It presents another chapter for the herculean GC battle between race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and main rival Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who sparred on Saturday with attacks and counter-attacks that added one more tick of the clock to the Dane's lead, now at 10 seconds.
The 179km ride through the Haute-Savoie begins at the ski resort of Les Portes du Soleil, where the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were held. It is a first time for the Tour to begin at the mountain resort, this year a springboard in the opening 80km that brings the peloton to the Col de la Forclaz, 7.2km at 7.3%.
"This particularly undulating route through Haute-Savoie will take the riders over the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin, then to the Croix Fry and the Aravis passes. The most impactful blows will probably be delivered on the final climb to Le Bettex in the Amerands climb, where some sections touch 17% gradient," said Race Director Christian Prudhomme.
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The Col de la Croix Fry is 11.3km at 7% and heads to the uncategorised Col des Aravis. Then the Côte des Amerands wall (an average of 11%) sets up the launching pad for the final climb of Saint-Gervais, which plays host to the Tour for a fourth time.
Vingegaard and Pogačar are expected to line up behind their teams to the mountaintop finish at Saint-Gervais using the 7km climb and its highest 10% ramps to take time on the GC tally before the rest day.
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