Backpackers or sprinters? Two days before the arrival of the 110e edition of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées, in Paris, the 19e stage promises a good battle between those who want to escape and those who hope for a massive arrival. Although a little rugged, the 173 kilometer route between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny, in the Jura, has only two difficulties listed in the climber’s classification.
“The stage winds between the many lakes of the Jura, without trying to venture onto the peaks of the department”, bluntly admits Christian Prudhomme, the director of the event. The peloton will first climb the Bois de Lionge hill (1.9 km at 5.7%, 4e category) before the Ivory Coast (2.3 km at 5.9%, 3e category), the summit of which is placed 26 kilometers from the finish.
“It’s not the Côte d’Ivory that will prevent sprinters from taking advantage of a gigantic launching track: a little over eight kilometers of final straight line”, adds Christian Prudhomme. The preparation for the massive sprint should be all the more nervous as the teams still empty-handed will no longer have many opportunities to win their first bouquet. Top speed on the road to Dole should be impressive.