tour de france laruns 2022

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Tour de France 2022 stage 18 preview: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard set for decisive final mountain duel

The 2022 Tour de France is set for a dramatic final mountain duel between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in Stage 18, with the Col d’Aubisque, Col de Spandelles and summit finish at Hautacam offering the possibility of a dramatic late twist in the Pyrenees.

Vingegaard held on to his healthy lead in the general classification standings in Wednesday’s thrilling finish on Peyragudes, but will know that Pogacar will again throw everything he has in one final assault for the yellow jersey.

The Danish rider will also be aware, however, that if he reaches Hautacam with his advantage intact he will almost be certain of being crowned as the winner of the Tour de France under the Champs Elysees on Sunday.

Vingegaard has already passed one half of the Pyrenees challenge. Despite Pogacar winning stage 17 on the Peyragudes airstrip, the 25-year-old limited the damage to just four seconds and retains a lead of two minutes and 18 seconds in the standings.

Pogacar’s Team UAE were left with only four members standing on Tuesday after Rafal Majka became the latest to pull out of the race, but Mikkel Bjerg and Brandon McNulty set a ferocious pace throughout and will be required to summon the same energy for another big day.

Stage 18 features three brutal climbs, which kick in after the first 60km and following the intermediate sprint at Laruns. The hors catégorie Col d’Aubisque, the longest climb of this year’s Tour de France, will shatter any early breakout but the technical descent is also said to be just as challenging.

From there, the category one ascent of Col de Spandelles averages out at 8.3 per cent gradient, the steepest of the three and featuring a savage section halfway up, before Vingegaard and Pogacar are likely to lock horns once again on the Hautacam.

This will be Pogacar’s last chance to attack VIngegaard and attempt to close the gap to the yellow jersey. With two more stages to come, including the 40km time trail on Sunday, the Slovenian will have a chance if he makes it a tight fight. If Vingegaard can hold on once more, the yellow jersey will surely be his to keep.

Stage 18 profile

Stage 17 map, stage 18 start time.

The stage is scheduled to start at around 12:30pm BST with the expected finish at around 4:30pm BST.

How to watch on TV and online today

Tour de France coverage can be found this year on ITV4, Eurosport, Discovery+ and GCN+ (Global Cycling Network).

Live racing each day will be shown on ITV4 before highlights typically at 7pm each day. ITV’s website lists timings here .

Eurosport and GCN+ will show every minute of every stage. More on Eurosport’s coverage here and the GCN+ coverage here .

It is also being shown on Eurosport’s Discovery+ streaming service, with broadcast info here .

General Classification after Stage 17

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo Visma 67h 53min 54sec

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates +2min 18sec

3. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers +4:56

4. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkéa-Samsic +7:43

5. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ +7:57

6. Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM +9:21

7. Louis Meintjes (Rsa) Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux +9:24

8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Bora-Hansgrohe +9:56

9. Adam Yates (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers +14:33

10. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar +16:35

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
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Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard
• Scores/Schedules
• Wemby Watch
• Fantasy Basketball
• In-Season Tournament
• All-Star Game
• Power Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball
• 2024 Schedule
• Scores/Schedule
• Fantasy Football
• Free Agency
• Fantasy Hockey
• UFC Schedule
• How To Watch the 2024 Season
• Yahoo Sports AM
• Leaderboard
• PGA Championship
• Scottie Scheffler Arrest
• Masters Tournament
• Tournament Schedule
• French Open
• Australian Open
• Playoff and Bowl Games
• March Madness
• Caitlin Clark Scoring Record
• College Sports
• Fantasy Sports
• Sports Betting 101
• Bet Calculator
• Legalization Tracker
• Casino Games
• Paris Games Home
• Kentucky Derby
• Preakness Stakes
• Belmont Stakes
• Ball Don't Lie
• Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
• College Football Enquirer
• Baseball Bar-B-Cast
• Tyson-Paul fight postponed
• Judge smashes 2 more homers
• 18-game NFL season is coming
• Luka-Kyrie 'a beautiful combination'
• Gold medalist signs with Bills

Tour de France 2022 stage 18 preview: Route map and profile of 143km road to Hautacam

The 2022 Tour de France is set for a dramatic final mountain duel between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in Stage 18, with the Col d’Aubisque, Col de Spandelles and summit finish at Hautacam offering the possibility of a dramatic late twist in the Pyrenees.

Vingegaard held on to his healthy lead in the general classification standings in Wednesday’s thrilling finish on Peyragudes, but will know that Pogacar will again throw everything he has in one final assault for the yellow jersey.

The Danish rider will also be aware, however, that if he reaches Hautacam with his advantage intact he will almost be certain of being crowned as the winner of the Tour de France under the Champs Elysees on Sunday.

Vingegaard has already passed one half of the Pyrenees challenge. Despite Pogacar winning stage 17 on the Peyragudes airstrip, the 25-year-old limited the damage to just four seconds and retains a lead of two minutes and 18 seconds in the standings.

Pogacar’s Team UAE were left with only four members standing on Tuesday after Rafal Majka became the latest to pull out of the race, but Mikkel Bjerg and Brandon McNulty set a ferocious pace throughout and will be required to summon the same energy for another big day.

Stage 18 features three brutal climbs, which kick in after the first 60km and following the intermediate sprint at Laruns. The hors catégorie Col d’Aubisque, the longest climb of this year’s Tour de France, will shatter any early breakout but the technical descent is also said to be just as challenging.

From there, the category one ascent of Col de Spandelles averages out at 8.3 per cent gradient, the steepest of the three and featuring a savage section halfway up, before Vingegaard and Pogacar are likely to lock horns once again on the Hautacam.

This will be Pogacar’s last chance to attack VIngegaard and attempt to close the gap to the yellow jersey. With two more stages to come, including the 40km time trail on Sunday, the Slovenian will have a chance if he makes it a tight fight. If Vingegaard can hold on once more, the yellow jersey will surely be his to keep.

Stage 18 profile

Stage 17 map, stage 18 start time.

The stage is scheduled to start at around 12:30pm BST with the expected finish at around 4:30pm BST.

How to watch on TV and online today

Tour de France coverage can be found this year on ITV4, Eurosport, Discovery+ and GCN+ (Global Cycling Network).

Live racing each day will be shown on ITV4 before highlights typically at 7pm each day. ITV’s website lists timings here .

Eurosport and GCN+ will show every minute of every stage. More on Eurosport’s coverage here and the GCN+ coverage here .

It is also being shown on Eurosport’s Discovery+ streaming service, with broadcast info here .

General Classification after Stage 17

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo Visma 67h 53min 54sec

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates +2min 18sec

3. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers +4:56

4. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkéa-Samsic +7:43

5. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ +7:57

6. Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM +9:21

7. Louis Meintjes (Rsa) Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux +9:24

8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Bora-Hansgrohe +9:56

9. Adam Yates (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers +14:33

10. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar +16:35

A bit of information ...

The programme of the grand start of the tour de france 2022.

• Tuesday 28 June 2022 : opening of the permanence and the press center at the Bella Center in Copenhagen
• Friday 1st of July 2022 : 1st stage - Copenhague > Copenhague
• Saturday 2 July 2022 : 2nd stage - Roskilde > Nyborg
• Sunday 3 July 2022 : 3rd stage - Vejle > Sønderborg
• Monday 4 July 2022 : rest day (officielly it's a transfer day, but the transfer will in fact already take place the night before, towards Lille)

The Tour de France 2022 race route on Open Street Maps

CONTINUE READING AFTER THIS ADVERTISEMENT

1/ Friday 1st of July - Copenhague 🇩🇰 > Copenhague 🇩🇰 - individual time trial - 13.2 km

• start : the start will take place on the Nørre Farimagsgade in Copenhagen
• finish : Hans Christian Andersens Boulevard in Copenhagen at the end of a straight line of 600 m / width 6 m
• main cities : Copenhagen

2/ Saturday 2 July 2022 - Roskilde 🇩🇰 > Nyborg 🇩🇰 - 202,2 km

• start : the start will take place on the Sankt Clara Vej in Roskilde (12.15PM), with the official start ceremony (since this is the first stage in line of the Tour de France 2022 ) on Stændertorvet immediately afterwards (12.29PM) followed by the kilometer zero on the Østre Ringvej (O2) , after 5.5 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte d'Asnæs Indelukke (4th category) at km 62 - 1.1 km @ 5.4% - Côte d'Høve Stræde (4th category) at km 72,5 - 800 m @ 6% - Côte de Kårup Strandbakke (4th category) at km 84 - 1.3 km @ 5.8%
• intermediate sprint : Elmegade in Kalundborg at km 126.9
• finish : Storebæltsvej in Nyborg at the end of a straight line of 800 m of which 300 m visible / width 6.5 m
• visited departments : XXX du km 0 au km 198
• main cities : Roskilde, Holbæk, Kalundborg, Korsør and Nyborg

3/ Sunday 3 July 2022 - Vejle 🇩🇰 > Sønderborg 🇩🇰 - 182 km

• start : the start will take place on the Strandgade in Vejle followed by the kilometer zero on Jellingvej , after 4.1 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Koldingvej (4th category) at km 27.3 - 1.1 km @ 3.4% - Côte de Hejlsminde Strand (4th category) at km 82.8 - 800 m @ 5.5% - Côte de Genner Strand (4th category) at km 123.3 - 1,7 km @ 3.4%
• intermediate sprint : Allervej in Christiansveld at km 90.5
• finish : Augustenborg Landevej in Sønderborg at the end of a straight line of 750 m / width 7 m
• main cities : Vejle, Kolding, Christiansveld, Haderslev, Aabenraa and Sønderborg

T/ Monday 4 July 2022 - transfer towards Lille

4/ tuesday 5 july 2022 - dunkerque > calais - 171.5 km.

• start : the start will take place on the Place du Centenaire in Dunkirk followed by the kilometer zero on the D79 , after 6.9 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Cassel (4th category) at km 30.7 - 1.7 km @ 4.2% - Côte de Remilly-Wirquin (4th category) at km 71.8 - 1.1 km @ 6.8% - Côte de Nielles-lès-Bléquin (4th category) at km 97.2 - 1.1 km @ 7.7% - Côte de Harlettes (4th category) at km 102.7 - 1.3 km @ 6% - Côte du Ventus (4th category) at km 123.6 - 1.1 km @ 4.8% - Côte du Cap Blanc Nez (4th category) at km 160.7 - 900 m @ 7.5%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue Bernard Chochoy in Lumbres at km 63,2
• finish : Avenue Pierre de Coubertin in Calais at the end of a straight line of 500 m / width 7 m
• visited departments : Nord (59) from km 0 till km 40, Pas-de-Calais (62) from km 48.4 till km 171.5
• main cities : Dunkerque, Saint-Omer and Calais

5/ Wednesday 6 July 2022 - Lille > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut - 157 km

• start : the start will take place in the Rue Georges Lefebvre at the foot of the Grand Palais in Lille followed by the kilometer zero on the M660 / avenue de Flandre in Wasquehal , after 13.4 km of neutralised road
• cobble stones sections : here are the cobble stones sections and their classification (** = quite easy, *** = difficult, **** = very difficult) - 11/ Fressain to Villers-au-Tertre *** at km 79.7 - 1400 m - 10/ Eswars to Paillencourt ** at km 100.6 - 1,600 m - 9/ Wasnes-au-Bac to Marcq-en-Ostrevent *** at km 106.5 - 1,400 m - 8/ Emerchicourt to Monchecourt *** at km 110.9 - 1,600 m - 7/ Auberchicourt to Emerchicourt *** at km 114.1 - 1,300 m - 6/ Abscon ** at km 119.6 - 1,500 m - 5/ Erre to Wandignies-Hamage **** at km 126.7 - 2,800 m - 4/ Warlaing to Brillon *** at km 133.4 - 2,400 m - 3/ Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes to Sars-et-Rosières **** at km 136.9 - 2,400 m - 2/ Bousignies to Millonfosse *** at km 143.4 - 1,400 m - 1/ Hasnon to Wallers *** at km 150.3 - 1,600 m
• intermediate sprint : D917 in Mérignies at km 37.2
• finish : Avenue Michel Rondet (D313) in Arenberg at the end of a straight line of 850 m / width 5.5 m
• visited departments : Nord (59) from km 0 till km 157
• main cities : Lille, Templeuve-en-Pévèle and Arenberg

6/ Thursday 7 July 2022 - Binche 🇧🇪 > Longwy - 219,9 km

• start : the start will take place on the Avenue Wanderpepen in Binche (BE) followed by the kilometer zero on the N55 , after 4.9 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte des Mazures (3rd category) at km 87.2 - 2 km @ 7.6% - Côte de Montigny-sur-Chiers (4th category) at km 205 - 1.7 km @ 4.4% - Côte de Pulventeux (3rd category) at km 214.6 - 800 m à 12.3% - Côte des Religieuses (4th category) at km 219.9 - 1.6 km @ 5.8%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue du Général de Gaulle in Carignan at km 145.9
• finish : Côte des Religieuses in Longwy after a 1.6 km long climb @ 5.8%
• visited departments : Hainaut (Belgium) from km 0 till km 32.6 and from km 50.7 till km 67.8, Namur (Belgium) from km 35.8 till km 36.9 and at km 69.2, Ardennes (08) from km 69.4 till km 159.9, Meuse (55) from km 162.2 till km 183.6, Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) from km 184.7 till km 219.9
• main cities : Binche (BE), Charleville-Mézières, Sedan, Longuyon et Longwy

7/ Friday 8 July 2022 - Tomblaine > La Super Planche des Belles Filles - 176.3 km

• start : the start will take place in the Rue Jean Moulin in Tomblaine followed by the kilometer zero on the D79 , after 6.9 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Col de Grosse Pierre (3rd category) at km 107.7 - 3.1 km @ 6.4% - Col des Croix (3rd category) at km 136,1 - 3.2 km @ 6.3% - La super Planche des Belles Filles (1st category) at km 176.3 - 7 km @ 8.7%
• intermediate sprint : Rue du 152 Régiment in Gérardmer at km 101.2
• finish : D16E at La super Planche des Belles Filles after a climb of 7 km @ 8.7%, at the end of a straight line of visibility of 100 m / width 5.5 m
• visited departments : Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) from km 0 till km 45.9, Vosges (88) from km 47.4 till km 136,1, Haute-Saône (70) from km 139.9 till km 176.3
• main cities : Tomblaine, Lunéville, Gérardmer, La Bresse, Cornimont and Plancher-les-Mines

8/ Saturday 9 July 2022 - Dole > Lausanne 🇨🇭 - 186,3 km

• start : the start will take place from the Esplanade du Champ de Fêtes in Dole followed by the kilometer zero on the D405 , after 7.5 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte du Maréchet (4th category) at km 75.6 - 2 km @ 5.7% - Côte des Rousses (3rd category) at km 107.6 - 6.7 km @ 5% - Col de Pétra Félix (4th category) at km 139.1 - 2.4 km @ 1.5%
• intermediate sprint : Rue Pasteur in Montrond at km 46.9
• finish : Côte du Stade Olympique / Route des Plaines-du-Loup in Lausanne after a 4.8 km climb @ 4.6%, at the end of a straight line of 600 m (of which 300 m visible) / width 6.5 m
• visited departments : Jura (39) from km 0 till km 107.6, Canton de Vaud (Switzerland) from km 113.6 till km 186.3
• main cities : Dole, Arbois, Champagnole, Les Rousses and Lausanne (Switzerland)

9/ Sunday 10 July 2022 - Aigle 🇨🇭 > Châtel Les Portes-du-Soleil - 192.9 km

• start : the start will take place from the Avenue Chevron in Aigle (Switzerland) followed by the kilometer zero on the Route du Léman (route 21) in Vionnaz, after 7.5 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Bellevue (4th category) at km 37.1 - 4.3 km @ 4% - Col des Mosses (2nd category) at km 108.5 - 13.3 km @ 4.1% - Col de la Croix (1st category) at km 131.8 - 8.1 km @ 7.6% - Pas de Morgins (1st category) at km 183.1 - 15.4 km @ 6.1%
• intermediate sprint : Grand Rue in Semsales at km 56.5
• finish : D228A / route de Pré-la-Joux in Châtel (Pré-la-Joux) at the end of a straight line of 170 m in line of view / width 6 m
• visited departments : Canton du Valais (Switzerland) from km 0 till km 3.5 and from km 160 till km 183.1, Canton de Vaud (Switzerland) from km 4 till km 49.9 and from km 86.5 till km 159.5, Canton de Fribourg (Switzerland) from km 50 till km 86.1, Haute-Savoie (74) from km 185 till km 192.9
• main cities : Aigle (Switzerland), Montreux, La Tour-de-Peilz, Vevey, Bulle, Aigle, Monthey and Châtel

R1/ Monday 11 July 2022 - rest day in Morzine

10/ tuesday 12 july 2022 - morzine les portes-du-soleil > megève - 148,1 km.

• start : the start will take place from the Route du Plan in Morzine followed by the kilometer zero on the D902 , after 5.4 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Chevenoz (4th category) at km 24.1 - 2.2 km à 2.9% - Col de Jambaz (3rd category) at km 69.2 - 6.7 km @ 3.8% - Côte de Châtillon-sur-Cluses (4th category) at km 97.3 - 4.5 km @ 3.9% - Montée de l'altiport de Megève (2nd category) at km 145.9 - 19.2 km @ 4.1%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue de Saint-Martin in Passy-Marlioz at km 123.8
• finish : Altiport de Megève in Megève , at the end of a straight line of 580 m / width 7 m
• visited departments : Haute-Savoie (74) from km 0 till km 148.1
• main cities : Morzine, Thonon-les-Bains, Cluses and Megève

11/ Wednesday 13 July 2022 - Albertville > Col du Granon Serre Chevalier - 151,7 km

• start : the start will take place at the Parc Olympique Henry Dujol in Albertville followed by the kilometer zero on the D925 , after 8.8 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Lacets de Montvernier (2nd category) at km 49.9 - 3.4 km @ 8.2% - Col du Télégraphe (1st category) at km 83.8 - 11.9 km @ 7.1% - Col du Galibier (hors category) at km 106.7 - 17.7 km @ 6.9% - Col du Granon Serre Chevalier (outside category) at km 151.7 - 11.3 km @ 9.2%
• intermediate sprint : Grande Rue in Aiguebelle at km 16.5
• finish : D234 on the Col du Granon , after a 11.3 km climb @ 9.2% and at the end of a straight line of 100 m / width 5 m
• visited departments : Savoie (73) from km 0 till km 106.7, Hautes-Alpes (05) from km 107.6 till km 151.7
• main cities : Albertville, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne

12/ Thursday 14 July 2022 - Briançon > Alpe d'Huez - 165.1 km

• start : the start will take place in the Avenue Jean Moulin in Briançon followed by the kilometer zero on the D1091 , after 4.6 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Col du Galibier (outside category) at km 33.2 - 23 km @ 5.1% - Col de la Croix de Fer (outside category) at km 110.6 - 29 km @ 5.2% - Alpe d'Huez (outside category) at km 165.1 - 13.8 km @ 8.1%
• intermediate sprint : D1091/Route de Grenoble in Le Monêtier-les-Bains at km 11.8
• finish : Avenue du Rif Nel at Alpe d'Huez , after a 13.8 km climb @ 8.1% and at the end of a straight line of 220 m in sight / width 6 m
• visited departments : Hautes-Alpes (05) from km 0 till km 33.2, Savoie (73) from km 37.1 till km 165.1
• main cities : Briançon, Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Le Bourg d'Oisans and Alpe d'Huez

13/ Friday 15 July 2022 - Le Bourg d'Oisans > Saint-Etienne - 192.6 km

• start : the start will take place in the Avenue de la Gare / Avenue de la République in Le Bourg d'Oisans followed by the kilometer zero on the D1091 , after 6.7 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Brié (3rd category) at km 30.4 - 2.4 km @ 6.9% - Col de Parménie (2nd category) at km 79.2 - 5.1 km @ 6.6% - Côte de Saint-Romain-en-Gal (3rd category) at km 148.6 - 6.6 km @ 4.5%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue Hector Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André at km 101.6
• finish : Rue Claude Verney-Carron in Saint-Etienne , at the end of a straight line of 800 m (of which 350 m in sight)
• visited departments : Isère (38) from km 0 till km 136, Rhône (69) from km 140.7 till km 160.8 and from km 164.2 till km 164.6, Loire (42) at km 163.5 and from km 165.3 till km 192.6
• main cities : Bourg d'Oisans, Grenoble, Vienne, Rive-de-Gier, Saint-Chamond and Saint-Etienne

14/ Saturday 16 July 2022 - Saint-Etienne > Mende - 192.5 km

• start : the start will take place in the Rue Paul et Pierre Guichard in Saint-Etienne followed by the kilometer zero on the M3.2 in Roche-la-Molière , after 9.2 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Saint-Just-Malmont (3rd category) at km 14.2 - 7.7 km @ 3.9% - Côte de Châtaignier (3rd category) at km 39.1 - 2.6 km @ 7.3% - Côte de Grandrieu (3rd category) at km 135.3 - 6.3 km @ 4.1% - Côte de la Fage (3rd category) at km 162.1 - 4.2 km @ 6%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue du 8 mai 1945 in Yssingeaux at km 50.7
• finish : Piste de l'aérodrome de Mende-Brenoux in Mende , at the end of a straight line of 470 m / width 7 m
• visited departments : Loire (42) from km 0 till km 5.4, Haute-Loire (43) from km 13.1 till km 120.1, Lozère (48) from km 120.3 till km 192.5
• main cities : Saint-Etienne, Yssingeaux, Le Puy-en-Velay and Mende

15/ Sunday 17 July 2022 - Rodez > Carcassonne - 202.5 km

• start : the start will take place from the Boulevard Gambetta in Rodez followed by the kilometer zero on the D888 , after 4.7 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte d'Ambialet (3rd category) at km 68.9 - 4.4 km @ 4.6% - Côte des Cammazes (3rd category) at km 154.6 - 5.1 km @ 4.1%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue de la Plage in Saint Ferréol at km 147
• finish : Boulevard Marcou in Carcassonne , at the end of a straight line of 200 m in sight / width 6 m
• visited departments : Aveyron (12) from km 0 till km 45.5, Tarn (81) from km 47.8 till km 139.1, Haute-Garonne (31) from km 147.1 till km 155.8, Aude (11) from km 163.8 till km 202.5
• main cities : Rodez, Réalmont, Puylaurens, Revel and Carcassonne

R2/ Monday 18 July 2022 - rest day in Carcassonne

16/ tuesday 19 july 2022 - carcassonne > foix - 178.5 km.

• start : the start will take place from the Place du Général de Gaulle in Carcassonne followed by the kilometer zero on the D104 , after 5.4 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de Saint-Hilaire (4th category) at km 13.7 - 1.5 km @ 6.6% - Col de l'Espinas (3rd category) at km 36.6 - 5.3 km @ 5% - Port de Lers (1st category) at km 125.1 - 11.4 km @ 7% - Mur de Péguère (1st category) at km 151.3 - 9.3 km @ 7.9%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue Général de Gaulle in Lavelanet at km 67.8
• finish : Allée de Villote in Foix , at the end of a straight line of 180 m / width 5.5 m
• visited departments : Aude (11) from km 0 till km 51.8 and at km 54.1, Ariège (09) from km 52.7 till km 53.2 and from km 58.7 till km 178.5
• main cities : Carcassonne, Limoux, Lavelanet, Tarascon-sur-Ariège and Foix

17/ Wednesday 20 July 2022 - Saint-Gaudens > Peyragudes - 129,7 km

• start : the start will take place in the Rue des Compagnons du Tour de France in Saint-Gaudens followed by the kilometer zero on the D8 , after 3.5 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Col d'Aspin (1st category) at km 65.7 - 12 km @ 6.5% - La Hourquette d'Ancizan (2nd category) at km 81.6 - 8.2 km @ 5.1% - Col de Val Louron-Azet (1st category) at km 109.5 - 10.7 km @ 6.8% - Peyragudes (1st category) at km 129.7 - 8 km @ 7.8%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue de l'Eglise in La Barthe-de-Neste at km 32.9
• finish : Piste de l'altiport de Peyresourde-Balestas in Peyragudes , after an 8 km climb @ 7.8% and at the end of a straight line of 400 m (of which 100 m in sight) / width 6.5 m
• visited departments : Haute-Garonne (31) from km 0 till km 13.7, Hautes-Pyrénées (65) from km 16.6 till km 129.7
• main cities : Saint-Gaudens, La Barthe-de-Neste, Arreau and Saint-Lary-Soulan

18/ Thursday 21 July 2022 - Lourdes > Hautacam - 143.2 km

• start : the start will take place from the Place Monseigneur Laurence in Lourdes followed by the kilometer zero on the D921B , after 3.1 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Col d'Aubisque (outside category) at km 76.7 - 16.4 km @ 7.1% - Col de Spandelles (1st category) at km 110 - 10.3 km @ 8.3% - Hautacam (outside category) at km 143.2 - 13.6 km @ 7.8%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue de la Gare in Laruns at km 58.5
• finish : D100 at Hautacam , after a 13.6 km climb @ 7.8% and at the end of a straight line of 100 m in sight / width 5.5 m
• visited departments : Hautes-Pyrénées (65) from km 0 till km 20.3 and from km 86.3 till km 143.2, Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) from km 21.5 till km 83.2
• main cities : Lourdes, Laruns and Argeles-Gazost

19/ Friday 22 July 2022 - Castelnau-Magnoac > Cahors - 188.3 km

• start : the start will take place in the Rue de la Tour in Castelnau-Magnoac followed by the kilometer zero on the D929 , after 2.3 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte de la Cité médiévale de Lauzerte (4th category) at km 135.7 - 2 km @ 6.2% - Côte de Saint-Daunès (4th category) at km 152.6 - 1.6 km @ 6.3%
• intermediate sprint : Avenue des Pyrénées in Auch at km 38.4
• finish : Boulevard Léon Gambetta in Cahors , at the end of a straight line of 900 m (of which 300 m in sight) / width 6 m
• visited departments : Hautes-Pyrénées (65) from km 0 till km 2.3, Gers (32) from km 3.6 at km 78.9, Tarn-et-Garonne (82) from km 83.5 till km 142, Lot (46) from km 147.2 till km 188.3
• main cities : Auch, Valence and Cahors

20/ Saturday 23 July 2022 - Lacapelle-Marival > Rocamadour - individual time trial - 40.7 km

• start : the start ramp will be in the Rue Merlival in Lacapelle-Marival
• intermediate timing points : - Aynac at km 10.6 - Gramat at km 22.1 - Couzou at km 32.6
• finish : D673 in Rocamadour , at the end of a straight line of 130 m / width 5.5 m
• visited departments : Lot (46) from km 0 till km 40.7
• main cities : Gramat and Rocamadour

21/ Sunday 24 July 2022 - Paris La Défense Arena > Paris Champs-Elysées - 115.6 km

• start : the start will take place from inside the Paris La Défense Arena followed by the kilometer zero on the Route des Fusillés de la Résistance (D5) in Puteaux , after 4.3 km of neutralised road
• climbs : - Côte du Pavé des Gardes (4th category) at km 43.3 - 1.3 km @ 6.5%
• intermediate sprint : Haut des Champs-Elysées in Paris at the 3rd crossing, at km 75.5
• finish : Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris , at the end of a final straight line of 700 m and after 8 laps on a 6.8 km circuit / width 6 m
• visited departments : Hauts-de-Seine from km 0 till km 10 and from km 41.6 till km 46.7, Yvelines (78) from km 13.5 till km 39.6, Paris from km 49.6 till km 115.6
• main cities : La Défense, Garches, Bois d'Arcy, Saint-Cyr-l'Ecole, Versailles, Issy-les-Moulineaux and Paris

The Tour de France 2022 race route in Google Earth

Thomas, your link: "Téléchargez le parcours de toutes les étapes du Tour de France 2022 dans Google Earth" points to your older 2021 file, not to a new 2022 file. Thanks.

Oops @Huntbox, my bad! I corrected that now, so you should find the 2022 file when clicking on it again :).

Thank you again for this wonderful service and the hard work that went into it. I cannot imagine a TdF without it.

Thanks, Thomas, for fixing the link. I look forward to getting the Google Earth files every year.

Bonjour Thomas Merci de nous partager votre amour du vélo.On est bien content de découvrir les commentaires et analyses de vos publications

You have a very interesting site but I cant find the link for the kmz file of the tour 2022 route

Hi, the KML link is not working ? Where can i download ?

Hello @Dan #6 and @erik #7, The link to the KMZ file is at the end of the article (both in text and on the image with the full map) and it *is* working correctly. As indicated, if it doesn't work, you should copy it and paste it in the address bar in a new tab or window in your browser and press enter. You should open it with a fully compatible KMZ reading app.

link to kmz did not work in Chrome. But Firefox did well... Thx Thomas.

Bonjour ,le lien ne fonctionne pas ,il donne ceci http://short.thover.com/?ID=807

Bonjour , Très bonne page ,ne manque que le Tour de France féminin pour Google Earth

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Tour de France 2020 Route stage 9: Pau - Laruns

Pau and La Grande Boucle belong to each other like a dog to its boss. It is the most visited location in Tour de France history. In 106 editions the town hosted La Grande Boucle 72 times. Pau adds one more visit to its tally in 2020. Last year, Julian Alaphilippe stormed to victory in the town in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

This time the riders click into their pedals in Pau for a virtually flat opening of 50 kilometres. Then the Col de La Hourcère appears, which is a tough test. The ascent is 11.1 kilometres long and slopes at 8.8%. A short descent leads onto the next climb, the Col de Soudet. Peaking out at the highest point of the day (1,540 metres), the ascent is 3.8 kilometres at 8.5%.

A descent of roughly 20 kilometres takes the riders back into the valley before they tackle a hilly zone leading up to the last climb. The Col de Marie Blanque is 7.7 kilometres long and the average gradients sits at 8.6%. So that’s yet another steep climb, although the first part is doable. Consequently, the second part is even harder with gradients hovering around 12%. The first three riders over the Marie Blanque gain time bonuses of 8, 5 and 2 seconds.

A downhill of 12 kilometres flies down into Bilhères-en-Ossau. The riders storm through the village to tackle the last 6 kilometres, a section that runs slightly uphill.

Two editions ago the Tour also featured a finish in Laruns. The riders came from the other side. After attacking in the downhill of the Aubisque, Primoz Roglic outgunned a group with Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome and Tom Dumoulin. The Slovenian took the spoils.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Furthermore, as mentioned, the first three pilots over the Col de Marie Blanque are awarded 8, 5 and 2 seconds.

Another interesting read: results 9th stage 2020 Tour de France.

Tour de France 2020 stage 9: routes, profiles, more

Click on the images to zoom

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Tour de France Standings 2022

Tour de France Stage 5 Preview

A stage in the Pyrenees that promises plenty of action with a fight to get in the breakaway and the steep upper slopes of the Marie Blanque towards the end.

No go to Nogaro : having raised the prospect of protests stopping the race a couple of days ago, the riders conspired not to attack instead. It all made perfect sense through, a stage reserved for the sprinters, many teams have house sprinters, plus the added factor that teams don’t owe their invitation to the race organisers anyway so even if they don’t supply the “animation” they’ll be invited next year. But it wasn’t a day when nobody attacked, Benoît Cosnefroy and Anthony Delaplace had a go to the relief of the TV directors and commentators and enough for Cosnefroy to get the day’s consolatory combativity prize, not much for a rider who can be world class on his day.

The inevitable sprint came and another sprint win by Jasper Philipsen, again towed into place by Mathieu van der Poel although phrasing it like this makes it sound like the Belgian was in a Sedan chair, he had to sprint just to hold his colleague’s wheel before launching again and these two efforts had their price as he faded with Caleb Ewan closing in. Van der Poel was impressive for his lead out, less so for elbow barging Biniam Girmay aside and he was relegated for this.

A big publicity coup for Alpecin in France, their sales must be set to soar right? Only it’s not available in France except online outlets, the usual retailers of shampoo like supermarkets and pharmacies don’t stock it.

The Route : starting in Pau 162km there’s 3600m of vertical gain on the menu. It’s a copycat stage, almost identical to 2020’s Stage 9 except that time the main difference was the Soudet was climbed via another road.

There’s a dash south-west to the intermediate sprint after 40km, it could be that the breakaway doesn’t go until after if the sprinters’ teams want to have a go at this although Philipsen already has twice the points haul of Ewan in second.

There are several ways to the Col de Soudet and the nearby La Pierre Saint Martin ski area, this is from the west and an irregular road but with no surprises, lots of long sections.

The descent is fast and without any nasty surprises and there’s the intermediate sprint of the day. The Col d’Ichère is a nice even ride on the way up, the descent down is rougher and here there’s less than 10km to the final climb, a last chance to eat and drink.

The Marie-Blanque is an unusual climb, 7.7km at 8.6% but with three kilometres at 12-13%, look closely and you can probably see marks on the left of the road where surprised cyclos click-clack their way up in cleated shoes. It’s not just amateurs, Bernard Thevenet had won the Tour in 1977 but climbed off his bike on these slopes in 1978 and Bradley Wiggins once said “this is just the mountain I don’t cope with very easily, it seems to defy analysis” . The steep section is for the most part a long straight ramp, there’s no hairpin to exploit, no flat section to recover for a moment. There’s the 8-5-2 seconds time bonus at the top and a flat plateau section across the top before a fast descent with some tight bends.

The Finish : once off the mountain pass there’s a right turn and the riders head up the valley, there’s a slight gradient of 1-2% in places but otherwise it’s flat.

The Contenders : a good day for a breakaway, UAE might want to put Jonas Vingegaard under pressure but they don’t have to defend Adam Yates in yellow. Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easypost) is an obvious contender and if he’s in the break he can aim for the points on the Soudet and Marie Blanque without using up too much energy. The hard bit now is narrowing down all the other names so many will want to have a go today which means a rider could try but miss the right move, when they rode this stage in 2020 the move didn’t go until the start of the Soudet. George Zimmerman (Intermarché) took a Dauphiné stage. Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) is a versatile rider with a Pyrenean stage to his name already but it’s his only race win outside of Austria. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) can handle sharp climbs and packs a decent sprint from a group. Felix Gall (Ag2r Citroën) is climbing well and doesn’t have to shepherd Ben O’Connor.

A GC contender? There’s perhaps more chance of a battle tomorrow but if the break can’t get away and build up a lead then Tadej Pogačar (UAE) is the obvious pick, he won in Laruns back in 2020 with the same finish, the day Marc Hirschi had been away solo for much of the stage. Tom Pidcock and Pello Bilbao have a chance too, both quick finishers and handy for the descent.

Weather : sunshine and clouds, 22°C in the valleys with an increasing chance of rain for the finish.

TV : KMO is at 1.25pm and the finish is forecast for 5.20pm CEST . Tune in at the start for the action if you can.

51 thoughts on “Tour de France Stage 5 Preview”

INRNG, after picking the winner two days in a row, are you happy to sit back and say ‘two out of three ain’t bad’? 🙂

Philipsen’s been an easy pick so far.

I rode end to end across the Pyrenees some years ago (back when 39×26 seemed a low gear even with panniers on) and the Marie Blanque still sticks in my mind as a swine of a climb. I think because the top is so straight: you just go up steeply but with nothing to focus on – the road just seems to rise interminably in front. Definitely harder than a glance at the raw numbers might suggest.

At the right speed, the trajectory of this climb will help you escape the earth’s orbit, but at the wrong speed (and on a bicycle) it has the habit of turning your knees into a pestle and mortar for tendons and cartilage.

You sit on the bike suffering at 10% for a km, only to be surprised that the next km couldn’t be worse, but it is. You sit there at 11% and think the next km has to ease off. It doesnt. It rises to 12%. You think to yourself it’s be a weird mountain road if the next km is 13% and that it has level out. But it is a weird mountain and it only ramps up.

It’s a mountain that leaves a mark on you. When cycling up I spotted some cyclists shades jettisoned at the side of the road. Good ones. I wasn’t going to stop to pick them up. I might not get started again. Imagine my astonishment when the owner buzzed down picked them up and disappeared up the road – who does that? Who can do that?

Great description RQS.

Yes … I felt as though I was reading Kerouac!

It’s an odd climb with the long ramp, the gradient just gets steeper and steeper until suddenly it’s 12-14% with little to aim for. Visit in the summer and if people are grinding and grunting over the Tourmalet or Soulor, many are reduced to walking up this climb, click-clacking in their cleats like some slow tap dance.

I did roughly the same ride with some friends in around 2014 (so I think I had 34/28 gearing!). One of our number ground to a halt on one of the steeper sections of the Marie Blanque and promptly toppled over at the side of the road. A couple of us went back to help him get going again (which too a few goes) and then had to get going again ourselves (which involved a bit if zig-zagging across the gradient). It is a pretty brutish climb and I guess it is ‘only’ a Cat 1 climb because it’s not that long (only feels it!)

I climbed the Marie Blanc for the 1st time during the 2009 L’Etape amateur. It was the queen stage that yr I guess. Back then I was 30-something, lighter and trained and could at least pedal the bike up the hill because right after I passed it got packed and riders had to walk (I suspect most were alleviated lol).

The “race” that year was first the Marie Blanc then the Soulor then the finish at the top of the Tourmalet. My rear tire blew up from the rim (old carbon rims…) at 60kmph on the descent of the Marie Blanc right before a sharp U-turn and I had to ride the whole thing in ripped, bloody shorts and jersey. Still have the scars on my knuckles.

But it was great, I loved the climbs and I always felt better on the Pyrenees than in the Alps. And yes, 39×26 definitely was low, but we were young. It feels much harder today on my still-10 speed and my 53 yo legs lol.

Great memories, lest the blown tyre and a crash. I was among the walking crowd, as all came to a grinding halt 4 km from the top. I think this Etap was in 2010, NOT 2009 though.

You’re right Rokas, my memory failed me lol it was 2010 indeed, tough circuit and it was hot too.

Yesterday’s wide roads near finish did not prevent accidents, it was actually painful to watch going so many men down. Too many curves? Well, even in the finishing straight…

A bit hard to blame the parcours this time. The riders seem to complain no matter how technical the finish. They’ve only got themselves to blame for crashing on a wide, sweeping motor circuit.

As far as I am concerned, I think that both yesterday and the day before the route has not been sufficiently analyzed in term of safety. A slight curve in the las 300m is looking for problems. Gouvenou says «  it was safe, proof of it is that no riders fell ». Well, well,… not sure the occurence of incidents in a road used one day is a very valid argument. The circuit yesterday was also very dangerous, with cumbersome curves. This is ok for motor racing, but for road cycling in one of the sole sprint of the tour de France, I am not sure. Riders looked very desoriented by the apexes of these curves. Last but not least, there is some very aggressive ride nowadays. This should be looked at. If somebody falls after mvdp manoeuvre I am not sure his sanction would have been the same (remember sagan some years ago). Again, the criterion to evaluate the danger seems to be the incident, which really puzzles me.

The change of scale can confuse the riders (and viewers too). The small climb out of the town of Nogaro helped line out the riders and they entered the circuit almost one by one in a line but suddenly everyone could use the whole road. It seemed hectic but not dangerous, like motor racing they could have added the artifice of a chicane to line things out but this would have created a danger in itself.

When the stakes are high, riders will test the limits which means crashing. The parcours can’t be blamed. Watching the first few riders through the turns (Coquard and his leadout man) was a thing of beauty. Only 15 places back did the bunch struggle to share the road. That’s a result of a relatively benign leadout — one man can’t keep up the pace for 1.5km. I don’t know why alpecin and deuceninck couldn’t collectively boss the peloton, but the days of a highroad caravan seem to be behind us.

At least the crashes didn’t lead to serious injuries, as far as I’m aware, as happen with road furniture or badly designed barriers.

Perhaps sprinters need to start wearing pads a la kierin, although I fear that would just encourage them to push their limits all the harder.

Not commenting on the repeated high-speed crashes in mass sprint contexts says a lot about someone’s actual concern for rider safety.

We didn’t see anything unsafe yesterday though, although Van der Poel’s move was sanctioned.

It is notable that there’s rightly a lot of concern about descending and crashes, but sprints are celebrated for the speed and risk.

I’ve been racing bikes for most of my life and been involved in many high-speed sprints, admittedly not at Tour de France level, but fast and furious enough to find myself puzzled about how little I understand compared to others about what makes for a safe finish and what doesn’t. Of course, some things are obvious, like road furniture, downhill or narrowing finishing straits, etc., but beyond the obvious stuff I would not know what to account for if I was to analyze a finish for safety. When people seem to say that even a motor racing circuit is inherently dangerous, I even start to doubt the things I thought I was sure about before. I would say first that its a complex interplay between roads and racing and second that coincidence plays a lead role.

S Yates if the break doesn’t stay away. He appears to be climbing well and is good on a technical descent (recall him catching Bernal coming down the Iseran in 2019 before the stage was annulled). And after stage 1 he maybe owes Jayco a stage. The problem is that Jayco doesn’t have a team for GC support.

If there’s no breakaway, he’ll surely be going for the 8 second time bonus to put him in yellow on the road (and maybe UAE at least would let him).

I would imagine Pogacar is keen to take all the time bonuses he can at this time. The question mark in my mind is how he will fare in the third week considering his hindered preparation – if he feels strong right now, there’s no reason for him to wait.

Geraint Thomas seems to think that if he picks up all the bonuses that he can then the third week won’t matter.

But does he want the yellow jersey just yet – I’d cost/benefit of the extra seconds against all the post stage podium and media duties.

I think on Marie Blanque Pogačar outsprints Vingegaard, then there’s the look, the shake of the head and a small group forms to contest the sprint

Well, accurate if you reverse the protagonists and subtract the look – Jonas is a more humble-focussed sort. Either Pog’s form is suffering from sub-optimal prep or UAE is playing a game of ever-expanding chicken(s) with both Vingegaard and Hindley to chase… will he even make the podium?

I’m not sure you are doing Col de Soudet justice in your review I climbed it yesterday and it was extremely hard in sections,there are 4/5k over 10%.one k 12.5%. But maybe it was just me I’m not exactly skinny or fully fit.

I always remember the Yorkshire grand départ and not having reconned the roads, readers emailed in tips with talk of the peloton being blown to pieces on the steep climbs. Come the day and Marcel Kittel was riding up one of these fearsome climbs with his hands off the bars as he reached into his musette for lunch. The riders do flatten the landscape

I let the graphic for the Soudet do the talking. Being the first climb but also mid-stage it won’t be so hard for the peloton, the steep sections you mention can be broken down and they’re often visible long ramps but it’s not like 4-5% always over 10%, there are moments at 10% but not always.

Any comments on the supposed disagreements between Van Aert and Vingegaard at TJV? Apparently the DS has come out to say that there aren’t any, which is always a sign that there are.

Is there any evidence or report that there actually is some tension though? From the outside it looks like this all started from WvA’s cry of frustration at the finish line on stage 2, and pundits weighing in to tell the “what if” scenario where the group rode harder behind Lafay, but i saw nothing to suggest he was angry at his own team?

The evidence is in the DS saying there are no problems. In my opinion, Vingegaard and TJV could have spent a fraction of the energy to help Van Aert win and keep him happy. It was a small investment to make.

There are always stories and rumours at the Tour however there are a number of reports of a lot of shouting going on inside the JV bus post stage, so it seems likely to have happened. At the same time raised emotions in team dressing rooms are hardly an unknown in sport and are often a good thing as it helps “clear the air” and actually removes tensions

Exactly I’m pretty sure w’ll not see Van Aert work (for Vingegaard) in the same way as last year. He was stabbed in the back by Vingegaard in San Sebastian and didn’t get any help of teammates in the final of the two sprintstages. I’m convinced the wife of Van Aert will have early contractions sooner than expected….. as a result of which Van Aert will leave the Tour earlier than expected.

I don’t think you can say he didn’t get any help for the sprint stages. Laporte placed Van Aert perfectly on stage 3 and yesterday the whole team lead into the circuit, but Van Aert got pushed back, several times. Laporte was once again constantly looking for him in the final km.

WvA has a selective memory. Five stages prior to Donostia / San Sébastien, ie at the third last stage of TdF 2022, he was delighted when he was handed the win in the ultimate ITT at Rochamadour by JV.

Some of this is played up by the Flemish media as “their” man Van Aert’s not winning. But of course the team has to portray an image of harmony, especially as they’re trying to sign a new sponsor.

I can see why Vingegaard was leading out Laporte in the Dauphiné but in the Tour the stakes are bigger but most of this is people trying to look for splits, it’s when riders start clashing in public then we know there’s a problem 😉

One thing I’d like to do a post about shortly is asking “where’s the beef?” as there are very few clashes and rivalries these days, when the old days seemed to have all sorts of splits, duels and rivalries that went far beyond events on the road, some like Anquetil and Poulidor or Coppi and Bartali split households, a dividing line in the country at times.

The amount of beef in the peloton has significantly reduced since Contador retired…

But more seriously, the WvA / MvdP rivalry presumably splits some households in Flanders ?

Can’t see why it should, van der Poel’s a Nederlander, not Flemish.

Even more chance for cross-border rivalry but it’s still quite tame, they know they can’t be friends but it’s not more aggressive.

Did you mean remco/wva?

Stage 4 showed ASO and its course director is really bored with cycling. This could have been a really great transition stage along Pyrenean foothill slopes. Ideal breakaway terrain. Maybe there was a thought that crosswinds could have defined this stage, but the finish on a circuit for karts and street motos was just laughable. Wide sweeping turns on nicely oiled and rubbered super-smooth tarmac is bound to bring crashes. Taking top sprinters and their leadouts into such a playground could only end badly. Never again, please.

Having Adam Yates in yellow suits Pogacar just fine as he rides himself back in. Today could be his first test at full effort.

I think it was deliberate, you have a flat stage for the sprinters with not much happening – yesterday’s TV section just listed the race time, it didn’t suggest tuning in for anything – but it means the peloton is rested for today and so we get fireworks.

ASO should hire you to design 2025’s route. I guess it’s just the way it is these daze – everyone in front of a keyboard’s a f__king expert and everyone else’ is an idiot.

And amongst all the crashes Cav came in fifth, I hope he will be able to get another win until the end of the Tour.

He’s gonna need 4 more riders to crash out next time

Interesting, this is not a bunch of wild cards playing to keep the TV director happy, good chance Jai Hindley might be in yellow at eop and might not be so easy to dislodge him

Wonder if anyone saw the bump between Alpecin (I believe it was Jasper) and Fabio that caused Fabio’s crash? I’m a long-time reader but rarely end up watching the race and so I have no idea how to interpret the sprints, but it feels like Alpecin has made both of the sprints more dangerous for the other riders. To my unexperienced eyes, the sketchy moments are starting to add up: the Jasper bump that seemed to contribute to the Fabio crash, MvdP getting relegated on this stage for pushing Girmay, and the Alpecin train move back and forth across the road on stage three. I wonder if the more experienced viewers see the same pattern? Or am I off-base?

It’s always difficult to attribute blame, I don’t like the finger-pointing unless you can see something deliberate, or even careless/negligent but I think this time it was just Jakobsen under pressure and overlapping wheels.

Yeah, shouldn’t have said “caused the crash.” I just can’t quite tell if this is typical for the strongest lead out train with the strongest sprinter, or if Alpecin has been a bit more aggressive than we typically see.

No worries and I didn’t mean you assigning blame, more a general trend online to find someone to pin things on so I try to step away from this. Could get more clicks from the outrage factor but not bothered by all that.

Comments are closed.

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As it happened: Tour de France stage 5 - lead and win for Hindley, Pogačar suffers

Vingegaard moves up to second, Pogačar loses a minute on Dane.

Tour de France 2023 – Analysing the contenders Tour de France 2023 - the definitive guide Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage 5 as Vingegaard drops Pogačar in Pyrenees How to watch stages 5, 6 and 7 of the Tour de France

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France.

The rollout for stage 5 is due to begin at 1305 CET and after a long-ish neutralised section,  actual racing begins at 1325 CET.

Two confirmed non-starters today: Luis León Sánchez (Astana Qazaqstan) and Jacopo Guarnieri (Lotto-Dstny). Both riders broke their collarbones in crashes in Tuesday's tumultuous bunch sprint finish, and the Italian also broke one of his ribs.

For the remainder of the field, after two very hilly stages and then two bunch sprint stages, stage 5 is a rather different kettle of fish as the Tour heads into the Pyrenees for what is a very tough early test of climbing form and potentially a major GC battle.

Stage 5 has over 3,600 metres of vertical climbing, the fifth highest total in the entire race, so this promises to be a real baptism of mountain fire.

Here's a shot of Tadej Pogačar heading towards the start today

It's been widely noted that Pogačar was the winner in Laruns three years ago, also on a stage starting in Pau, also with the Col de Marie Blanque as the last climb. The million dollar question being - will history repeat itself today?

And here's a photo of Pogačar crossing the finish line  in Laruns back in 2020, the fastest of a group of five, and the first Tour stage of his career. (He has taken eight more since then). Fourth that day, incidentally was Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) and fifth Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), a result which will  be a morale boost for those two riders as well today.

Ok, that's enough past Tour history - back to the present. The peloton has just begun its rollout, a nine kilometre neutralised section prior the real race action getting underway. 

Confirmed that there are just two non-starters today, Luis León Sánchez (Astana Qazaqstan) and Jacopo Guarnieri (Lotto-Dstny). So 172 riders remain in the 2023 Tour peloton.

🤳 Startline selfie by @NPowless - @EFprocycling🔴⚪️ Sur la ligne de départ !#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/yg9XMBxIgm July 5, 2023

My colleague Dan Ostanek has written an excellent preview of today's first high mountain stage. To read it, link below: ' We'll attack in the Pyrenees' – Early Tour de France mountains to fuel GC skirmish

This is the 66th stage start for the Tour from Pau, a town which first appeared on the Grand Boucle route way back in 1930. 

Stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France is now officially underway. Only 162.7 kilometres to go.

Although we've got a flattish first 50 kilometres or so, the mountains are going to be the big protagonist in today's race. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) is in the lead, by 18 points over Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), but it's worth bearing in mind that a maximum of 32 points are up for grabs in three climbs today. The biggest gain will be the 20 on offer atop the Col du Soudet, while there's 10 on the Col de Marie Blanque, and 2 on the Col d'Ichère.

The first attack of stage 5 is already underway and we're only three kilometres in: France's Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) moves ahead.

This is the official weather forecast for today. Most important, no likelihood rain, so dry descents. Current temperature a balmy 22.9ºC. Variable to overcast skies in the afternoon.

No risk of rain.

Temperatures between 19 and 23°C.

Wind from the North-West averaging 10 km/h with gusts to 25 to 30 km/h.

Here's a quick reminder of the current state of play on the GC, courtesy of   FirstCycling . We can expect some significant changes by close of play today.

Crash for Tour de Suisse winner Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo), who gets back on his bike. Former Tour stage winner Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) also hits the deck.  

151 kilometres to go

11 kilometres into the race, and Latour has a lead of around 10 seconds amidst plenty of other unsuccessful attacks. This is a rather faster start than stage 4's early snooze-fest.

Skjelmose is back in the pack, according to the official race website.

On today's Tour de France menu

Km 0: Start -  Pau Km 48.8: Sprint -  Lanne-en-Barretoux

Km 87.5: Climb -  Col du Soudet: HC: 15.2kms at 7.2%

Km 124.8:  Climb - Col d’Ichère -  Cat.3:  4.2kms at 7%

Km 144.2: Climb - Col de Marie-Blanque -  Cat. 1: 7.7km at 8.6% Km 162.7: Finish - Laruns

Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-QuickStep), a crash victim, is struggling with the fast pace as numerous attacks try to go clear.

Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and stage 2 winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis) are both trying to make moves, but there's a lot of ebbing and flowing at the front of the peloton.

Jakobsen, supported by teammate Michael Morkov, is weaving his way through the team cars and is about 30 seconds behind the main peloton.

Latour is about to be joined by eight other riders at the front of the bunch, but it's still a very nervous start and not clear if the break will stick.

The bunch regains ground on the nine, which included Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education-EasyPost), and we're back to square one.

Jakobsen and Morkov are just a few metres behind the peloton now, so it looks like the Dutch sprinter's mini-crisis is over.

140 kilometres to go

Average speed of nearly 48 kmh in the first 20 kiloemetes and the bunch briefly splits apart under the pressure of such a fast start, but although it's very lined out a the front, no move going clear for more than a few seconds.

Having all but regained contact, Jakobsen is now over a minute down again. It looks like it's going to be a hard day for the Soudal-QuickStep sprinter, who's suffering from his injuries from stage 4's chaotic finish.

A group of 20 riders clips clear in this breathless start to the stage, including GC Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), but it's finally brought back by what amounts to the peloton.

A front group of 50 riders has formed, including Van Aert, and has around 30 seconds on the remains of the peloton. 

A furious chase is ensuing as UAE try to chase down the group of some 50 riders ahead, with Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) the best placed rider ahead on GC.

The gap has risen to over a minute for Hindley and co. This could be a seriously dangerous move for UAE and the other GC contenders behind.

Heavy crash for Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who falls in the middle of the road in the chasing peloton. He has a lot of road rash, and ripped kit, but for now at least he's trying to continue.

The official website says 32 riders are in  the front, including Hindley (at 22 seconds on GC),   Wout van Aert, French National Champion Valentin Madouas, Jack Haig, Rigoberto Uran, Emanuel Buchmann, Giulio Ciccone and Julian Alaphilippe...  

The full list in the break: Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma) Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) Felix Grosschartner (UAE) Marc Soler (UAE) Omar Fraile (Ineos) Dani Martínez (Ineos) Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) Esteban Chaves (EF) Rigoberto Uran (EF) Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) Remi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep) Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) Juanpe López (Lidl-Trek) Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) Berthet (AG2R) Felix Gall (Ag2R) Aurelien Paret-Peintre (AG2R) Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) Gregor Muhlberger (Movistar) Chris Hamilton (DSM) Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) Krists Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech) Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AIUIa) Anthony Delaplace (Arkea-Samsic) Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) Torstein Traen (Uno-X) Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total-Energies)  

Coquard, Pedersen, Van Aert and Campanaerts clip off the front

Coquard wins the sprint and then sits up. Van Aert, Pedersen and Campanaerts continue on with a 20 second gap.

Campenaerts presses on and the trio ahead have a gap of 40 seconds on their three dozen pursuers, while the peloton is now more than 2:30 back.

A photo of UAE leading the chase in the main peloton. At 16 seconds Van Aert is the man who's currently the closest to Adam Yates on GC, but Jai Hindley at 22 seconds is arguably the biggest overall threat long-term.

Bora-Hansgrohe, who have three other riders alongside Hindley in the chasing group behind Van Aert, Campenaerts and Pedersen, are logically doing most of the work. 

The chasing group is breaking apart, as French National Champion Madouas, tries to counter-attack. He's chased down by Laporte, as Van Aert is ahead, but his attack is symptomatic of how tricky it is for any cohesion to endure in this massive group of pursuers.

We're in the foothills of the Col de Soudet and here's a profile of the climb.

90 kilometres to go

Breakaway: Pedersen, Van Aert, Campenaerts At 1:17: chasing group of 33 At 2:40: peloton

The three stage leaders are now on the lowest slopes of the Col de Soudet: HC: 15.2kms at 7.2%.

A shot of the three riders ahead

Reports of very poor visibility with fog at the top of the Col du Soudet

Remi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep) is putting in a lot of the hard yards at the front of the group of counter-attackers and the gap on the trio ahead is shrinking as a result.

Bike change for Tadej Pogačar at the foot of the Soudet. Riding solo, he's quickly back in the main group.

10 kilometres from the summit of the Soudet, former World Champion Pedersen starts to struggle

His work done, Cavagna swings off from the chase group and Alaphilippe moves to the front.

After his brief acceleration in the group of chasers behind Campenaerts and Van Aert, Alaphilippe drops back, and Lidl-Trek's Juanpe López is now picking up the pace.

In the main group, Matteo Trentin is doing the bulk of the work for UAE, and his pace has seen almost all of the sprinters dropped. After his difficult start to the stage, Fabio Jakobsen is struggling again.

Jakobsen has four teammates staying with him to try and help him through the remainder of the stage.

Temperatures aren't very cold today, but they've already dropped to 14ºC and there's still seven kilometres of climbing.

Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who suffered a bad crash early on stage 5, is dropped from the main group.

80 kilometres to go

Van Aert and Campenaerts have 15 seconds on the big chasing group and 3:07 on the main UAE-led peloton. Five kilometres to the summit.

Stake Vegard Laengen, Mikkel Bjerg, Rafal Majka are leading their team leader Pogačar at the head of the string. Trentin has done his work, but UAE also have Soler and Grosschartner ahead in the break.

It looks as if Soler is currently dropping back from the big group of counter-attackers to Pogačar.

Wout Van Aert's climbing pedigree is more than well established, but don't forget for all he's got some major time trialling chops, Campenaerts is also no slouch when the road steepens as well. In the Dauphiné, he went on a long break on the second last stage through the Alps and led the mountains classification for a day.

2.5 kilometres from the summit of the Soudet, Van Aert and Campenaerts have been brought back. 3:10 the gap.

Acceleration by Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), and then Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroen) goes over the top and moves away.

Gall was a winner of a mountain stage in the Tour de Suisse, and briefly the race leader as well, so he's got the pedigree for this kind of move.

Gall's attack, a kilometre from the top of the Soudet, is rewarded with a gap of 20 seconds.

Visibility is atrocious here, as the riders head into a major fog bank.

Felix Gall (AG2R-Citröen) crosses the summit of the Col de Soudet at the head of the race and moves into the provisional lead of the mountains ranking.

Felix Gall takes 20 KOM points, ahead of Dani Martínez who claims 15 and Ciccone 12.

The head of the race drops back out of the fog on the descent of the Soudet and Gall is caught up again by his pursuers.

Van Aert, dropped near the summit of the Soulet, is now catching up as well.

It's a broad, fairly well-surfaced descent for now.

Alaphilippe is 23 seconds back, but slowly closing on the leaders. But the big question is if or when UAE and Jumbo-Visma will reel Hindley, currently in the break with a gap of 4:00, back in. The best placed GC contender at 22 seconds, the Australian is a former Grand Tour winner, don't forget, and if  he holds onto that kind of advantage  all the way to the finish, then it'd be a serious gamechanger in the Tour GC battle.

A shot of the break, with Hindley in third place, on the lower slopes of the Soudet

In the lead of the race: Benoot (Jumbo-Visma), Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Fraile (Ineos), Martínez (Ineos), Madouas (Groupama), Uran (EF), Chaves (EF), Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Hindley (Bora), Buchmann (Bora), Ciccone (Lidl), Berthet (AG2), Gall (AG2R), Jorgenson (Movistar), Muhlberger (Movistar), Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech).

52 kilometres to go

Krists Neilands, the only Israel-Premier Tech present, tries a move from the break just as Chris Hamilton (DSM-Fermenich) regains contact at the back.

Still to come

Km 124.8: Climb - Col d’Ichère -  Cat.3:  4.2kms at 7%

Neilands quickly opens up a gap on lone counter-attacker Van Aert of some 25 seconds.

Various attempts in the chasing group to try and bridge across to Neilands, and finally it's a move by Van Aert and Alaphilippe that goes clear.

Neilands heads onto the Col d’Ichère: Cat.3: 4.2kms at 7% with 18 seconds on Van Aert and Alaphilippe. 

Race situation

Breakaway: Neilands At 16 seconds: Van Aert, Alaphilippe At 38 seconds: Hindley group At 3:44: UAE-led bunch

The UAE-lead bunch have now cut a minute off the Hindley group on the flatter segment of terrain between the foot of the descent of Soudet and the Ichère. But there's still three minutes and it remains to be seen what happens when the road steepens again - which it will shortly.

In the Hindley group, AG2R-Citroen's Clément Berthet is putting in the hard work on the front for his teammate and provisional mountains leader Felix Gall. Omar Fraile (Ineos Grenadiers), a former Tour stage winner, is also lending a hand.

Krists Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech) leads over the Cat. 3 Col d'Ichère with 25 seconds advantage on Van Aert and Alaphilippe.

On the descent of the Col d'Ichère, Van Aert and Alaphilippe have finally caught up with Neilands. But the Hindley group is just 16 seconds behind.

Amidst all the logical talk about Hindley and what he can do in the break, it's worth also remembering that Dani Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers), having had a rough start to the race and currently 15 minutes down overall, looks to be back in the stage-hunting game.

Shortly coming up: the Col de Marie Blanque. 'Only' 7.7 kilometres long, but with a brutally steep final four kilometres.

Fraile  (Ineos-Grenadiers) and AG2R-Citröen's Berthet and Aurelien Paret-Peintre are leading the group of chasers, which has swelled to 21 riders, but which will surely shrink again fast on the Marie Blanque.

The three stage leaders (Alaphilippe, Van Aert, Neilands) have reached the foot of the Marie Blanque -  Cat. 1: 7.7km at 8.6%.

In the UAE-led group, Marc Soler is pushing hard on the front. There's still 2:45 between the Hindley group and the main peloton.

Maximum speed in the group of chasers and in the main peloton, as Fraile pulls the break back into touch with Van Aert, Alaphilippe and Neilands and UAE give it everything behind. The gap stays stable at 2:47.

Van Aert is dropped from the front group.

Fraile swings over in the breka, and Berthet keeps pushing on for AG2R teammate Gall.

Alaphilippe is also dropped and the lead group is down to just six riders. Notably Hindley still has Buchmann, the German National Champion and a top-five finisher in the Tour a few years back, with him.

Gall goes for it four kilometres from the summit and Hindley is the only rider who can follow him. They have 2:28 on the bunch.

Hindley comes through to the front and works with Gall. He knows there's a yellow jersey could be out there for him.

In the peloton, Soler drops back, and now it's Felix Grosschartner who's doing the work for UAE. The gap on Hindley, though, remains at 2:30 for now.

Just 20 riders in the main group, as Majka takes over from Grosschartner for UAE.

Bernal reportedly in difficulties in the yellow jersey group. Jumbo-Visma move to the front. 

Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) also suffering.

Van Aert and Sepp Kuss are accelerating in the yellow jersey group. Just 10 riders in the front group.

Van Aert swings off and Adam Yates, the race leader, is reportedly not looking good.

20 kilometres

Hindley attacks 1.5 kilometres from the summit.

Adam Yates, yellow jersey, is dropped, as is Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos). 

Only Sepp Kuss, Vingegaard and Pogacar in the GC group now.

The gap between Hindley and the Vingegaard/Pogacar group is down to 1:48

Hindley powers on alone. Just a kilometre of climbing to go now.

Attack by Vingegaard, who drops Pogačar. Vingegaard is taking the Tour by the scruff of the neck at the first opportunity.

Vingegaard is already out of sight for Pogačar. A huge attack.

Just 300 metres to the top for Hindley. Vingegaard is sweeping up numerous riders from the early break.

Hindley crosses the summit of Cote de Marie-Blanque in first place, but his pursuers are close behind, and Vingegaard is only 1:09 back.

Pogacar, meanwhile, is already 41 seconds back on Vingegaard. 

Kuss has now caught up with Pogačar, who is plodding along steadily and who crosses the Marie Blanque with 38 seconds disadvantage on Vingegaard. 

15 kilometres to go

Hindley has less than a minute on Vingegaard.

The situation

Lead: Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgohe) At 46 seconds: Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroen) At 59 seconds: Jonas Vingegaard group At 1:49: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Vingegaard and co. are closing on Gall and will be looking to chase down Hindley if they can. Quite apart from the stage win and distancing Pogacar, there are time bonuses at stake here.

Pogacar meanwhile is limiting the gap on Vingegaard to a minute. It's not the end of his Tour bid by a long shot, but as things stand, after such a great start to the Tour for UAE, it's a serious defeat nonetheless.

Pogačar is descending with just Kuss for company, who  - logically - is not going to come through to help limit the gap.

The Vingegaard group, also containing Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) catches Gall and the Dane asks Gall for some help. He doesn't get a positive response, but Ciccone comes through for a few metres. Vingegaard, in any case, hardly needs any help at this point - he's flying. 

Four kilometres to go

Hindley has 42 seconds advantage. It's going to be tight.

Pogacar is joined by a much larger group including yellow jersey Adam Yates. His time loss on Vingegaard has now risen to 1:15. 

Vingegaard is powering on at his front group, even if the stage win is out of his grasp now.

Hindley is inside the final barriers and still has 38 seconds. It's flat all the way now to the finish.

Hindley is within sight of his first Tour stage victory, but there's no sign of him dropping his pace to celebrate. 

Hindley crosses the line to take the stage and the yellow jersey.

Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) wins stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France

Ciccone takes second, about 32 seconds back, and Gall is third. No time bonus for Vingegaard, who's fifth, but he's taken a big step towards a much bigger prize today.

Tadej Pogačar crosses the line over a minute down on Vingegaard. A very different outcome to how the Tour's last finish in Laruns played out for him.

This is Hindley's first ever Tour de France, and it could hardly have gone better for the 2022 Giro d'Italia winner so far. As he memorably said in last year's Giro, he's "not here to put socks on centipedes, mate."

And here's a shot of Jai Hindley crossing the finish line

Some words from Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) stage winner and new leader of the Tour de France: "I was sort of improvising out there and enjoying some bike racing and I just managed to find myself in that group. I really enjoyed it out there today." "It's really incredible, and I have no words. The guys in the radio were screaming about just riding to the line and I couldn't really hear so much what was happening. I wanted to gain as much time as possible  and also the stage and I found myself in the yellow jersey. So that's pretty cool too. As for possibly going for the win, Hindley says, "I didn't really know what to expect. It's my first Tour and it's hard to come here with such massive ambitions already. But for sure I wanted to come here and be competitive and have some form of success. I've just won a stage of the Tour de France mate - this one's for them, my girlfriend, everyone that's supported me. I'm really thankful for that."

And here's the top 10 on the stage, courtesy of FirstCycling

And here's the new GC, again via FirstCycling . There have been a few changes...

Some words from Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), fifth on the stage and second overall,  but looking well on track to fight for a second straight Tour: "We didn't have to pull in the bunch which was good for us, then on the final climb I felt good, and I said to Sepp [Kuss] to go to the front to start pushing and he did, then I attacked." "I just felt good, and then I looked at myself, and if I felt good then I'd try to attack." As for how much of a blow this is to Tadej Pogačar and his rivals, Vingegaard said,  "you have to ask them, but I know Tadej, he never gives up, it'll be a fight all the way to Paris." 

And here's the moment when Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line at Laruns.

Some words from Tadej Pogačar, who remains in the Best Young Rider's jersey despite his defeat: "I lost my legs a little bit in the last 500 metres of the climb and I think every day now it's going to be...I feel good, so I hope I will feel better in the next days on the bike when we go full gas." Regarding earlier in the stage and why they let Jai Hindley get such a big gap, Pogačar explained that "it was a bit hectic over the small climbs, everybody wanted to go in the breaks and there was this one moment when we couldn't close the gap immediately. A big group went away, it was not the best, but we were still going good. Jai could take the yellow but we hoped for a better result in the final climb in the main peloton." "Now I know my limits, but my motivation is pretty high, and we can go 'day by day', pretty strong."

Pogačar was not the only UAE Team Emirates rider to suffer on the first big mountains day of the Tour. Here's a photo of Adam Yates coming home in 15th place, and who lost the overall lead after four stages today.

Our full report on the stage, complete with gallery and analysis, can be found here: Tour de France: Jai Hindley wins stage 5 as Vingegaard drops Pogacar in Pyrenees

Pogačar wasn't the only former Tour de France winner who had a tough day on Wednesday. 2019 champion Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) completed the course more than three minutes down and is now 20th overall.

Quite apart from Jai Hindley taking over as GC leader, in the secondary classifications, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) remains in first place in the points, Felix Gall (AG2R-Citröen) moves into top spot in the mountains competition, Pogačar is  still ahead in the Best Young Rider's rankings, and Jumbo-Visma are still in control of the teams.

So what's next? Running from Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque for 144.9 kilometres,  stage 6 of the Tour de France on Thursday is the second one in the Pyrenees and has the mid-race ascent of the Tourmalet, the most formidable ascent of the entire mountain range, as the main challenge. It then concludes with the long, grinding ascent to Cauterets. Oh, and it has nearly 4,000 metres of vertical climbing, so it is almost certainly even tougher than stage 5, particularly as it's the second straight day in the mountains.

There are numerous questions to be answered on Thursday, starting with whether Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) can hold onto the lead. He has a good advantage over Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and the Australian's already excellent mountain credentials have been amply reconfirmed today. While he did take the lead from a break and he won't exactly be able to fly under the radar at all tomorrow, as a former Giro d'Italia winner and runner-up, he knows what it takes to defend a top spot in a GC race. Beyond that, it's clear that - as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) predicted pre-race -  Vingegaard is once again the main reference point.  Whether Vingegaard wants to try and sink the Slovenian and his other rivals immediately or whether he's playing a longer game and, rather than attack again, is happy to let Hindley and Bora-Hansgrohe soak up the pressure, remains to be seen. 

Yet another question concerns Pogačar. He's lost time, but is very much not out of contention. Can he bounce back in the Pyrenees, or does he need more time to find full race form before trying to counter-attack. If the  2022 Tour (and the rest of his career...) is anything to go by, the Slovenian won't be slow to chance his arm if there's any opportunity to test his rivals.

That wraps it up for Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 5, but we'll be back on Thursday for stage 6. Meantime continue to check out the site for news, analysis and other updates throughout the evening.

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The eight-day mini-Tour de France begins this Sunday with a 174.8 km stage and features top contenders, diverse stages, and the iconic Yellow Leader’s Jersey.

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Like many European bike races, the Critérium du Dauphiné (we just call it “the Dauphiné”) was originally created to promote a local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, a provincial newspaper that covers the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France—the area that the race calls its home. In fact, the race was actually called the “Dauphiné Libéré” until 2010, at which point it was taken over by the Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), the organizers of the Tour de France .

The race highlights one of the most beautiful regions in France, an area that includes the Alps, Mont Ventoux, and the Massif Central. This gives the organizers lots of options when it comes to building a challenging course, and they often create stages that mirror those in the upcoming Tour de France. This is one of the main reasons why it’s a popular dress rehearsal for General Classification riders hoping to be at their best for the French grand tour.

And it’s not uncommon for riders to win the Critérium du Dauphiné and then the Tour de France six weeks later. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard-Hansen did it last year with Jumbo-Visma. Team Sky made winning both races a habit in the 2010s, with Britons Chris Froome winning both events in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and Geraint Thomas winning the Dauphiné-Tour combo in 2018.

It’s also a race that has traditionally favored Americans. Five riders from the United States have won the prestigious event in its 75-year history, and we wouldn’t be surprised if America makes it six by the time the race wraps up on the Plateau des Glières next Sunday.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné, one of the most exciting and important week-long stage races of the season:

How to Watch Critérium du Dauphiné in the U.S.

How to watch critérium du dauphiné in canada, how to watch critérium du dauphiné in europe, what happened last year, riders to watch, the 2024 route.

This year’s Dauphiné covers 1203.8 km (746 mi) spread over eight stages. The race begins Sunday with Stage 1, a jagged road stage around Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule that–despite three categorized climbs early in the stage–should end with a field sprint.

But Monday’s Stage 2, a 142-kilometer road stage that begins in Gannat, definitely won’t. That stage contains four categorized climbs, including two Category 2 ascents on the way to an uphill finish on the Col de la Loge. This could be an early day for the Dauphiné’s General Classification contenders to try and take the yellow leader’s jersey. If they don’t, the stage will certainly go to a breakaway filled with puncheurs .

Stage 3 continues this year’s punchy trend with a hilly route filled with five categorized climbs. The 181.2-kilometer stage begins in Celles-sur-Durolle and ends with an uphill finish on the Category 3 climb to Les Estables, a 3.8km climb with an average gradient of 5.2 percent.

Wednesday brings Stage 4, a 34.4-kilometer individual time trial from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise. This should cause the first real shuffling of the General Classification of the race, with men like Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) among the favorites to win the stage and take the yellow jersey.

Thursday’s Stage 5 is the longest stage of the Dauphiné, a 200.2-kilometer ride from Amplepuis to Saint-Priest. Even with four categorized climbs spread throughout the stage. This should be the last chance for the sprinters–unless a breakaway ruins their plans.

And then come the mountains, starting with Friday’s Stage 6, a 173.2-kilometer stage that starts in Hauterives and ends with a summit finish on the hors categorie (“Beyond Category”) Collet d’Allevard, an 11.1km climb with an average gradient of 8.1-percent.

Starting in Albertville, Stage 7 is even harder, with four Category 1 ascents and then a summit finish on the hors categorie climb to the Samoëns 1600 ski resort–all crammed into just 145.5 km. The climb to Samoëns 1600 is a beast: 10 km long, the climb averages 9.3 percent–and even that’s a bit misleading thanks to the opening kilometer’s 3.3 percent average gradient. With over 4,200m of elevation gain, this is the hardest stage in this year’s Dauphiné.

But just in case the race hasn’t been decided yet, Stage 8 ends the week with a bang. Beginning in the town of Thônes–near the base of the Category 1 Col de la Forclaz de Montmin–the 152.5km stage takes the riders over three categorized climbs before yet another summit finish, this time on the Category 1 Plateau des Glières. This is another short, intense stage that should provide an exciting conclusion to the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné.

NBC’s Peacock ($5.99/month or $59.99/year) streams all events organized by A.S.O., which means you can watch the Dauphiné in June and then the Tour de France in July. If you’re looking for ad-free coverage, you’ll need a subscription to Peacock Premium Plus , which runs $11.99 per month or $119.99 for the year.

The Peacock app is available on Roku, Apple devices, Android and AndroidTV devices, Google platforms, Chromecast, Xbox consoles, PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles, VIZIO SmartCast TVs, and LG Smart TVs. You can also watch online via the Peacock website.

If you’re in Canada, FloBikes ($29.99/month CDN) is the best way to watch the Critérium du Dauphiné with all eight stages available live and on-demand on FloBikes.com , the FloSports IOS app, and the FloSports app for Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV.

If you have cable and prefer conventional television viewing, each stage of the Dauphiné will be shown on CNBC. This year, the network looks set to show replays, as–according to NBC’s website–Stage 1 is scheduled to air at 1:00 p.m. EDT, a few hours after the stage is expected to end.

The Critérium du Dauphiné will be broadcast in the United Kingdom and around Europe on Discovery+ , which carries Eurosport ’s live coverage. The Basic plan is priced at £3.99 per month or £39.99 annually in the UK (7-day free trial included), and it can be integrated into your Amazon Prime Video account.

As it did the year before (sorta), the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné served as a bit of a crystal ball heading into the Tour de France, with Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma dominating the race from start to finish. In all, the Dutch super-team won four stages, with France’s Christophe Laporte winning Stages 1 and 3 (and the green jersey as the winner of the Points Classification) and Vingegaard winning Stages 5 and 7 on his way to winning the race overall. The Dane won his second consecutive Tour de France six weeks later.

Great Britain’s Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) finished second–he went on to finish third at the Tour de France–and Australia’s Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team) finished third. Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez won the white jersey as the Dauphiné’s Best Young Rider, and Italy’s Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) won the polka dot jersey as the Dauphiné’s King of the Mountains.

Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe)

Roglič won the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2022 and is once again using the French WorldTour stage race as a dress rehearsal for the Tour de France. The Slovenian was one of the victims of the horrible crash in April’s Itzulia Basque Country –the same crash that took down Vingegaard, who won’t be participating in this year’s Dauphiné due to his injuries (he’s at a training camp instead).

Roglič abandoned the Basque race immediately–despite being the race leader at the time–but he was among the less injured of the riders who went down. So, while he was forced to skip the Ardennes Classics, he remained largely on track for the Tour.

The Dauphiné will be his last stop before heading to the Grand Depart in Florence, and his performance here will go a long way toward determining whether or not he has a realistic chance of winning his first Tour de France. And his BORA-hansgrohe team is stacked, with basically all the riders we expect to support the Slovenian at the Tour joining him at the start, including Australia’s Jai Hindley, who won a stage and spent a day in the yellow jersey in last year’s Tour de France–and won the 2022 Giro d’Italia .

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step)

Evenepoel was another victim of the Basque crash that took down Vingegaard and Roglič–the Belgian broke his right clavicle and scapula. That wiped out the rest of his spring program, but now he’s healed and back on his bike–and reports say that his training is going well. Like most competitors, the Dauphiné will be the Belgian’s last test before the Tour. He’s likely targeting the time trial–he’s the reigning world champion in the discipline–but we’re more eager to see how he fares against the other contenders on the summit finishes at the end of Stages 6, 7, and 8. We’re also curious to see how his team–which has traditionally been built more for one-day classics–handles itself against proven stage race squads like BORA, Visma, and INEOS.

Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers)

Rodríguez finished ninth overall and won the white jersey as the Best Young Rider in last year’s Dauphiné, an impressive ride that perhaps should have been more hyped (blame jumbo-Visma’s dominance for that). But his performance turned out to be a sneak preview of what the Spaniard would do at the Tour, where he finished fifth overall and won a stage in the mountains.

Just 23 years old, Rodríguez has continued to improve throughout the spring: he finished second at Itzulia Basque Country and then won the Tour de Romandie, his first WorldTour stage race victory. Assuming he’s saving his best for the Tour, we’re expecting another top-10–possibly top-5–finish at the Dauphiné, which would make him a true podium contender in July.

Sepp Kuss (Visma–Lease a Bike)

With Vingegaard uncertain about riding the Tour de France following his crash, Kuss might end up being Visma’s GC captain, a stunning turn of events for a rider who spent much of last season as a support rider–at least until he took a surprise win at the Vuelta a España in September.

The American has had a quiet season so far, racing just a handful of times and spending the majority of his time at training camps. In fact, the Dauphiné will be the first time raced since the Itzulia Basque Country in early April. His performance will give us at least a hint as to whether or not he has the legs to be a true podium contender at the Tour.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)

Ayuso joins Rodríguez at the forefront of a new generation of young, Spanish grand tour contenders. Just 21 years old, he already has two top-5 finishes at the Vuelta a España , including a third-place finish in 2022. Like Rodríguez, he seems to get better with every race he enters–he took second at Tirreno-Adriatico and fifth at the Tour of Romandie. And like Rodríguez, the Spaniard also won his first WorldTour stage this spring–the Tour of the Basque Country. And while he’s heading to the Tour to support Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar , we’re expecting him to be racing for himself at the Dauphiné–which could be bad news for the race’s other contenders.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma–Lease a Bike)

If an American does win this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, don’t be surprised if it’s Jorgenson, a 24-year-old who was born in Walnut Creek, California but grew up in Boise, Idaho. After spending the first few seasons of his WorldTour career with Movistar, Jorgenson transferred to Visma-Lease a Bike this past off-season and has since taken a major step forward, winning his first WorldTour stage race–Paris-Nice-and his first major one-day Classic–Dwars door Vlaanderen.

His last event was the Amstel Gold Race in mid-April, and he’s spent the past six weeks training for the Tour de France. And with Kuss likely biding his time for the Tour de France, there’s a good chance that he’ll be given the chance to try and win the Dauphiné before taking on more of a supporting role at the Tour. Visma has only scratched the surface of Jorgenson's potential, and this could be the race in which he takes another big step forward in his development as a rider.

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