All the stage information you need, including why it matters, which riders to watch.
STAGE PREVIEW
Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire/Les Sybelles, 138km; Friday, July 24
Tour organisers have realized that shorter, harder mountain stages produce more dynamic racing because riders are more willing to gamble with longer-range attacks. Stage 19 is only 138km, but it contains four categorised climbs including the hors categorie Col de la Croix de Fer. The ascending starts right from the gun with the Category 1 Col de Chaussy and finishes with the kick-in-the-teeth 18km climb of La Toussuire. Expect fireworks.
Why It Matters
With only two stages left before the Tour’s final stage, Nairo Quintana and his Movistar teammates need to go on the attack as early and as often as they can if the Colombian is to have any hope of wearing yellow in Paris. It’s also a big day for Ag2r La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet, who’s tied for the lead in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. If Bardet wants to be wearing the polka dot jersey in Paris Sunday, he’ll need to score more points tomorrow. With double points available to the stage winners of Stages 19 and 20, this competition is far from over.
Who to Watch
The finish at La Toussuire is long and moderately steep, but the steepest bits are at the bottom. That, and the relatively constant gradient, are good news for Chris Froome, who thrives when he’s able to climb with a metronome-like cadence. When Movistar attacks, look for Froome to simply “ride to the watts” to bring back his rivals. And if he’s feeling good, he might launch his own signature high-cadence, short-duration move in a bid to clinch his second Tour victory.
Click on the map to enlarge.
via Bicycling » Tour de France http://ift.tt/1KoofRN
No comments:
Post a Comment