Following two long transfer stages south to central Limoges, the Tour de France heads into the mountains on Wednesday for stage 5 to the Massif Central ski resort of Le Lioran. After days days of flat roads, leadouts, power sprinting and a close overall classification, the 216km will shake up the Tour de France and allow the overall contenders to rise to the top.
Race organiser ASO has looked to innovate the race route in recent years and an early visit to the Massif Central allows them to include an extra range of mountains before the Pyrenees and Alps. The first mountain stage traditionally coincides with the second week of the race but the overall contenders will have to be ready and show their form significantly earlier this year. Some have tweaked their final preparation accordingly but the Massif Central could expose which team leaders will not go on to fight for overall victory.
The Massif Central sits in France’s heartland but is a barren, sparsely populated part of the hexagon. The first Tour de France was held in 1903 but the race did not visit the Massif Central until 1950 and not properly until a year later, with a stage finish in Clermont-Ferrand. The Tour has not been above 1500m altitude this early in the race since 1979, which was arguably the toughest-ever start to the race because of three Pyrenean stages in the opening four days.
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The stage from Limoges to Le Lioran arguably sits between a hilly stage and a medium mountain day but it will hurt.
The first half is on easier rolling roads between the Creuse and Correze departments. Things get serious and hiller after 133km of racing at Pont-de Saint-Project as the stage enters the Massif Central. It is a region of extinct volcano and Puy lava domes and craters. The twisting roads between host the quartet of climbs of the stage.
What the riders think:
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