Category: Previews

Roanne > Belleville-en-Beaujolais 169km Time for another bonkers breakaway stage. Tuesday’s stage was crazy, will this day follow a similar path?  Weather  Another sunny day with temperatures between 20-25 degrees.  Start  The opening 40km of the stage includes three climbs: 3.9km at 3.4%, 4.2km at 5.6% (Cat 3) and 4km at 5.3% (Cat 3). I’m...

Clermont-Ferrand > Moulins 180km This is the only sprint stage in the second week, I don’t think the break stands a chance.  Weather  Cloudy, but it should be dry. There’s a cross/tailwind for the final 65km, but the strength of the wind will only be 15km/h. Will anyone try to cause some chaos? Finale  The...

Vulcania > Issoire 167km It’s a classic Tour de France breakaway stage. The break should take some time to form, once it does, it will go all the way to the end. With 3151m of climbing, it should be a day for the classics riders in the bunch. Weather  Very hot and there’s a chance...

Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat > Puy de Dôme 182km So far, we’ve had Pogačar on the deck after taking an uppercut from Vingegaard, then Vingegaard hit the deck after Pogačar connected with a big right. The Tour de France is starting to resemble Rocky, with Jonas playing the part of Apollo Creed and Tadej as Rocky Balboa, but...

Libourne > Limoges 201km The Tour de France returns to Limoges for the first time since 2016. That day, Marcel Kittel won a grind of an uphill sprint, beating Bryan Coquard by a bawhair. This finish isn’t the same, but it’s also uphill, one for the strong sprinters.  Weather Another warm day with temperatures up...

Mont-de-Marsan > Bordeaux 170km After two days of carnage, everyone gets the chance to have a little rest as it should be a relatively straightforward sprint stage. There’s a bit of wind around, which means it won’t be without stress, but this should end in another big sprint. Weather Very warm, temperatures will hit 36...

Tarbes > Cauterets-Cambasque 145km Well then, I didn’t see that coming. UAE allowed a huge break to get away, which was bound to include a threat on GC, that rider was Jai Hindley. That forced UAE into chasing all day, burning through their domestiques. On the steep section of the final climb, Jumbo-Visma came to...

Pau > Laruns 163km The fifth stage marks the start of the battle for yellow. We have a day with two big climbs, Col de Soudet and Col de Marie Blanque, before descending to Laruns for the finish, which is where Marc Hirschi had his heart broken by Tadej Pogačar back in 2020. The distance...

Dax > Nogaro 182km The fourth stage is another opportunity for the sprinters. It’s a day with just one categorised climb and only 1659m of climbing, perfect for the big lads of the bunch. Don’t expect much to happen, I doubt anyone will be keen on going in the breakaway. Weather Things are getting a...

Amorebieta-Etxano > Bayonne 193km The first of the big sprint opportunities. This is usually a nervous day in the bunch, but as we already have gaps on GC, I hope we’re in for a calm day without crashes. A small break will roll off the front, probably only two or three men, and the peloton...