As the 2018 Tour de France heads towards the end of its second week, the race moves from the Alps to the Massif Central for what is predicted to be a weekend for breakaways. So far, the main breakaway of the day has only succeeded in winning one stage, with Julian Alaphilippe's efforts into Le Grand-Bornand on stage 10. But the coming two stages should be a prime opportunity for the escapees to take the honours.
First up on Saturday is a lumpy stage 14 from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Mende, which features rolling terrain followed by four classified climbs at no higher than second category. The final ascent in Mende – the Côte de la Croix Neuve – may only be deemed to be a category 2 climb, but it's no joke: while only three kilometres in length, it averages a whisker over 10 per cent in gradient. The top of the climb comes 1.5km from the finish, allowing the weaker climbers to get back on, or the stronger time triallists to potentially take a few seconds.
Team Sky directeur sportif Nicolas Portal expects any escapees to be successful, but it won’t be a day off for the general classification riders.
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"It will be the breakaway that goes for the stage win, but behind them it will be a fight for the GC," Portal told Cyclingnews. "On the short uphill in Mende, someone is going to try. Sometimes, if you can get 10 seconds on this climb, it's better than nothing. So, for us, it's going to be a case of being very focused on trying not to lose any time, and maybe gaining time."
The Mende finale last appeared at the 2015 Tour de France with Steve Cummings surprising a duelling Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet. Cummings had been dropped by the two flyweight climbers, but his power worked to his advantage as he tracked them down over the top of the ascent. Back in the main pack, Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana came over the top together, but Froome was able to add another second to his lead over the Colombian with a faster sprint.
Given his finishing move on top of Alpe d'Huez, Froome's Sky teammate Geraint Thomas could potentially pull out a couple of seconds on the line with his superior sprint. Perhaps third-placed Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) will utilise his time trialling skills to eke out a few of his own as the finish flattens out. As Portal says, 10 seconds is better than nothing at all.
A new climb
Tactics
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/massif-central-a-chance-for-breakaways-but-no-time-off-for-the-gc-preview
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