When the most craziest TDF edition since years visits the place of the most crazies TDF stage of the recent decade. Mont Ventoux is coming, not one, but twice today.
We are only halfway through the race, but it already has his place in the history books for several different reasons. The qualitiy of the peloton the personality/racing style of the main protagoninsts, the unconventional route and some unfortunate events (keyword “opi-omi”) made this year’s Tour de France the most unpredictable race since several decades.
After 10 stages Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) leads the general classification, 2 minutes 1 sec ahead of Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroen) and more than five minutes ahead of Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-Nippo). But one of the most important questions of the entire race is, how UAE Team Emirates will be able to manage the situation, that his rider is the biggest favourite.
Last year was different. Pogacar was the underdog, the young talent who wasn’t taken seriously enough. What he achieved in last September, how he managed to stay close to Primoz Roglic (Jumbo -Visma) and then to beat him in the right moment, didn’t require a strong and compact team. But this year the tactic of the other teams bases on the fact, that he is the man to beat.
And this stage will play an important role in the final outcome of the race, for sure.
Taking a look at the most simple facts: it’s a 198,9 km long mountain stage with a total of 5 categorized climbs. The two hardest ascents come in the second half of the stage: a 22 km long road (category 1) with an average steepness of 5,1% and a 15,7 km long one (category HC) with 8,8%. The final climb provides also time bonuses before the riders have to ride a 22 km long downhill road to the finish line.
Definitelly not an easy stage. Definitelly one, that can provide big dramas, unexpected turns and other exiting stories,
But there is another factor we should’t forget: those two final ascents are the two sides of one of the most famous, most iconic Tour de France climbs ever:
the Mont Ventoux.
Why does it matters?
Another thing we talked about a lot already, that the members of this new golden generation don’t behaive like emotionless robots. They showing us their joy, their enthusiasm,. They don’t affraid to show when they suffer. and even fail.
Cycling is full of passion nowadays.
And when such a great peloton visits one of the most iconic places of the road cycling races, it must be extraordinary. To win a stage with climbing the Mont Ventoux twice, or at least to have a great results on this stage must be an extra motivation on this extraordinary day.
One thing is sure, and easy to predict, it won’t be a dull stage. Most likely it will be a big celebration of road cycling.