Malemort > Ussel 148km

Due to the extreme heat, the opening 38km of the race has been removed, leaving 147.8km. I assume the intermediate sprint point will remain where it is, which will now only be about 7km into the stage. The rest of the route remains the same.

This could well be the best stage of the whole race. Everyone knows it’s going to be a breakaway stage, but if last year showed you anything, you’ll know that the GC riders can also get involved in stages like this. If you lost time on the Tourmalet, this is a chance to get back in the mix for the top 10, I’m looking at you, Tobias Halland Johannessen. This year, Uno-X have been great at getting their man into a break, I think they’ll try again. Everything points to a big breakaway, one that could take quite a long time to form. Remember what I’ve written before, the longer it takes for the break to form, the stronger the rider who ends up getting into the move. The Massif Central always delivers great stages, this will be no different.