Poligny > Mont Poupet 166km
Tour du Jura is the second event in a three-race series over in France. It’s a relatively new race, this is just the 6th edition, and this year the organisers have decided to give it a new route. The race is a tough one with over 2800m of climbing and four demanding climbs, including a hilltop finish.
Weather
Filthy! There’s going to be a lot of rain around, and it’s going to feel cold.
The Climbs
The proper climbing kicks off with Côte de Thésy.
Next up is Côte de Chaux Champagny.
The penultimate climb is Côte de Mesnay, the crest comes with just over 20km to go.
This is the final climb of the day, and it’s a beauty. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen this climb and it looks a great way to finish off the race. Just inside the final kilometre there’s a 500m section at 13%.
Tactics
This is a harder race than today, there’s more of a chance it splits before the final climb. After winning Classic Grand Besançon Doubs, Cofidis arrive as the team to beat. Not only did Lafay look amazing, but they also had Martin and Herrada in the top 10, they are going to be a hard team to beat on this terrain.
As this is a little series of three races, the vast majority of teams remain the same, there’s only a handful of changes, but one of them is significant. Arkéa bring Kévin Vauquelin into their team, which increases their chances of landing a big result. Just like today, I would expect the tempo of the race to be dictated by Groupama – FDJ and Cofidis, but now Arkéa can also get involved. As all these teams have multiple cards to play, the final three climbs are dangerous moments for those on weaker teams, the right group could disappear up the road never to be seen again.
This is going to be a hard race; the weather will make it even worse. I think we’ll see a strong group escape in the final 50km and fight out the win.
Contenders
Cofidis – they can look to Lafay, Martin and Herrada, it worked very well for them today. Lafay looks in great form, but I don’t know how he goes in tough weather conditions. Most of Herrada’s wins have come in good conditions, but they can rely on Martin, a rider who comes from Paris. With three strong options, the team will be hoping for another win, getting multiple riders in the front group will be very important.
FDJ – Martinez was hugely impressive today, he threw punch after punch at Lafay, but couldn’t break him. Being young, he might struggle more than some experienced riders in the poor weather conditions, and being so small won’t help. Pinot’s 5th place was encouraging today, and he doesn’t mind a tough day in the saddle. The team will hope to go one better than today and walk away with the win.
AG2R – they’ll again look towards O’Connor, but also have Berthet as an option. O’Connor is a bad weather specialist, but he finished a disappointing 11th today. I’m hoping he’s better with having the race in his legs. Berthet was the big surprise today; he’s clearly going well and having a second option is good for the team.
Kévin Vauquelin – one rider I’m always excited to watch. He’s still just 21 but has already posted some very impressive results. He hails from the north-west of France, he won’t mind the bad weather. Arkéa had both Costiou and Gesbert in the top 10 today, adding Vauquelin into the mix makes them a force to be reckoned with.
Stef Cras – he’s one of the riders who didn’t ride today, which might be good or bad. His season hasn’t been great, but he’s still a strong rider. The weather conditions could help him challenge for the top 5.
Prediction Time
Bad weather and a tough race, it’s going to be a selective day.
I’ll take a win for Kévin Vauquelin.
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