It is unlikely that the 165 riders still in the race after the first 13 stages of one of the most contested editions of Tour de France those who remember can enjoy the scenery of Lake Geneva at the beginning of the route, both because of the importance of the stage at hand and because of its rigidity, which does not admit of half measures or any interruption.
Again a short and explosive day, which will pass a day very quickly, and will get serious soon, with the first mountainous difficulty at kilometer 18, the least important, the 3rd level of the category (Col de Saxel, 4.2 km at 4.6%) which will serve as an appetizer for the peloton to get an idea of the suffering that awaits them on a day that may present some occasional clouds and a slight risk of rain, but they will argue in a temperature that will vary between 30 and 33ºC, a heat that will be especially noticeable as the runners devour 4,200 meters of accumulated unevenness, especially in the climbs in the ports of Ramaz (1st, 13.9 km at 7.1%) and dand Joux Plane (special category, 11.6 km at 8.5%).
The proposal for the stage may be reminiscent of days gone by, but until now the peloton has not faced a day with so many ports of such importance, with the addition that the day does not end at the top of Joux Plane (1,691 meters). This will be the 13th time the Tour has challenged the slopes of this pass in Haute Savoie and in all of them it is a transit level in the town of morzinein a dangerous descent that the runners had to tame and that could mark the outcome.
A day to keep dreaming
The last time the Tour ended at the ski resort of morzine It was in 2016, with the success of Ion Izagirre, who already achieved victory, the second for a Spanish cyclist in this Tour, last Thursday. There are already two victories achieved by Spanish cycling in this ‘Grande Boucle’, in the legs of Bilbao hair and Ion Izagirrea complete success considering the absences already in the career of Enric Mas, Luis León Sánchez or David de la Cruz and the five-year winning drought on Tour that all fans lamented. Another fact for optimism, in the twelve times that the multi-colored snake of the Tour has been crowned at the Joux Plane, in two of them a Spanish rider passed the first position, in 1987 Eduardo Chozas and in 1984 angel streamand both achieved success in both.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
