Featured image courtesy of bettiniphoto
After the chaos starting in Brittany followed by a route across the heart of France to the Alps, the 108th Tour de France has reached week two. The varied route of the 2021 Tour will continue to provide spectacle as the next block of racing sees the riders move southwards and the west towards the Pyrenees via three flat stages and a double ascent atop a Tour legend. At the start in Brest, 3,414.4 km was the total distance for this Tour, 1,996.4 km are left before Paris. Here’s a reminder of the route map.
So what can expect from the second week of racing? Below is a stage-by-stage run down with all the details, some profiles and riders to watch from stages 10 to 15. Be sure to keep an eye out on each on the final rest day for more previews of stages during the third week.
Stage 10: Albertville – Valence (Tuesday 6th July) Flat
The Tour heads out of the Alps and moves south through the valleys of the Isère and the Rhône before finishing in Valence. In a southwesterly direction, Stage 10 looks set to be a favourable one for the sprinters, with the Col de Couz the only categorised climb along the route. There are some false flats on the parcours of this stage which doesn’t mean necessarily that a fast man will succeed.
This will be the fourth time Valence has hosted a finish on the Tour, the first occasion was 25 years ago when Chepe González won, and then in 2015 it was André Greipel followed by Peter Sagan in 2018. Sagan’s victory three years ago acts as a reminder that many sprinters have left this Tour already, Bryan Coquard, Arnaud Démare and Tim Merlier because by the time of Stage 13 in 2018 most were out of the race.
Lots of teams are without a stage win so far so expect many to really take this stage by the scruff of the neck. Nacer Bouhanni has already come close, Jumbo-Visma without Primož Roglič means Wout Van Aert has more freedom to go for the sprint, but all eyes will be on Mark Cavendish. Three flat stages in week three, winds on the flat could hamper the chances of the sprinters if they get caught out, Cavendish will know all to well after taking advantage of Marcel Kittel’s misfortune into Saint-Amand-Montrond in 2013.
The GC men will also be keen to keep out of trouble, so nothing will be straightforward.
Stage 11: Sorgues – Malaucène (Wednesday 7th July) Mountain
Stage 11 is arguably the showpiece day of this entire Tour as the race takes on a double ascent of the legendary Mont Ventoux – the Giant of Provence. At 198.9 km it will be a long day starting on Sorgues and then taking on the Côte de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and Côte de Gordes as two small warm-ups before the Col de la Liguière at 9.3 km long with 6.7% as an average gradient. The route then descends slightly before entering Sault, which among fields of Provence lavender, marks the start of Mont Ventoux up it’s lesser-known side.
22 km of torture with an average gradient at 5.1% before a flying descent into Malaucène for the first time. Another 12.5 km leads to the town of Bédoin, which is the well-known base for anyone daring to take Ventoux head-on. A shorter 15.7 km climb up this side of the beast and the average gradient is harder at 8.8% followed by some maximum ramps at 10%. A final climb to the summit before doing the exact same thing as before, descend to Malaucène to crown the stage winner.
What makes Mont Ventoux a legendary climb? The ascent from Bédoin is well-known for the early stretches of woodland that shelter the riders from potential heat before some respite at Chalet-Reynard leads to a lunar landscape without any vegetation, as if you’re climbing the moon.
The last Tour de France stage winner on Mont Ventoux was Thomas De Gendt. In 2016, the stage was shortened and finished at Chalet Reynard, since wind gusts reached 130 km per hour at the summit. Chris Froome will remember the good and bad times from this climb. In 2013 he outgunned Nairo Quintana to destroy all the field on his way to his first yellow jersey in Paris. Three years later came a moment of chaos when Froome crashed on the lower slopes, alongside Bauke Mollema and Richie Porte into a motorbike, Froome eventually running up the mountain! Minorities of the crowd let themselves down that day, and we hope on this occasion it doesn’t happen again.
Bonus seconds are on offer after the second passage of Ventoux, but that could be irrelevant if a breakaway succeeds. Tadej Pogačar is way ahead in the yellow jersey, his rivals really need to attack this day and put UAE-Team Emirates under pressure. Who has the legs to take on this double ascent of Ventoux? Whoever wins the stage, it will be one for the ages.
Stage 12: Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux – Nîmes (Thursday 8th July) Flat
Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux has seen the Tour three times in the past decade, so a fourth time will be welcome to the locals. It’s a perfect starting point for another flat stage suited to the fast men. The stunning Gorges de l’Ardèche opens up the stage as a starter before the main course comes at the Côte du belvédère de Tharaux, which is a category three climb just after the midway point of the stage.
The last decade saw two Tour de France stage finishes in Nîmes. In 2014, breakaway rider Jack Bauer was caught in the dying metres of the race before Alexander Kristoff sprinted to victory. Two editions ago the sprint was much more straightforward. Caleb Ewan outperformed Elia Viviani and Dylan Groenewegen. The risk of winds means another chaotic day might play out, so both Tadej Pogačar, everyone else on GC, plus the sprinters teams will be full on fighting for position.
He’s already won before in Fougères, Châteauroux, Valence and Nîmes, Mark Cavendish has already completed two wins in Fougères and Châteauroux. If he’s already won in Valence again by the time Stage 12 arrives, it’s hard to see him doing nothing more than winning again in the city famed for its Roman amphitheatre.
An exposed course with a possibility of echelons does mean added risk, but the fight to keep hold of the green jersey should be well within Cavendish’s grasp by this stage. Stages 10 and 11 have the intermediate sprint well before the serious climbs, this stage might prove to be slightly harder considering there’s a category 3 climb, but if Cav can win the finale it becomes slightly irrelevant whether he scores less points than others. Michael Matthews and Sonny Colbrelli are in the hunt to take the maillot vert off Mark Cavendish, a sprint win will also be on their minds too.
Stage 13: Nîmes – Carcassonne (Friday 9th July) Flat
Carcasonne has never seen a Tour de France peloton sprint for the stage victory. At 220 km starting in Nîmes, Stage 13 could pack a surprise for the sprinters as a breakaway might fancy their chances. The polka-dot jersey contenders have only one chance to add points to their tally with the Côte du Pic-Saint Loup which is climbed with 51.5 km to go. Undulating roads then lead to the finish.
In recent years, Carcassonne featured mostly as a starting place. Not since 2006 has the town hosted a finish, Yaroslav Popovych won that day from the breakaway. A bunch sprint will be a first for a place famed for its medieval citadel. In 2014 and 2018 the bunch started in Carcassonne for a mountainous race to Bagnères-de-Luchon, and in 2016 the peloton faced a windswept race to Montpellier with an extraordinary scene of the green jersey Peter Sagan taking the stage and yellow jersey Chris Froome put time into his GC rivals.
If some of the sprinters without a win so far have yet to score a victory, this is the last chance before Paris, unless they don’t make it through the Pyrennes. One sprinter who has made it past the Alps is André Greipel (below). The German sprinter hasn’t won a stage since 2016, could it be a surprise win? Mark Cavendish’s rejuvenation might be an inspiration.
Stage 14: Carcassonne – Quillan (Saturday 10th July) Hilly
A lumpy stage at 183.7 km from Carcassonne to Quillan, Stage 14 is a little appetizer before the Pyrennes as this day spends most its parcours in the foothills.
An undulating opening of the race, the Col de Bac starts the climbing, 3.1 km long at 5.3% before the real uphill action starts after 85 km into the stage – the Col de Montségur at 4.2 km long with average gradient of 8.7%.
The de Montségur climb is where the stage gets really lumpy, followed by a long descent to the next climb just after the commune of Bélesta. The Col de la Croix des Morts at 6.8 km of climbing rises at an average of 5.7%.
No descent after the distribution of KOM points, instead the route continues on a plateau for 9 km and shortly after Espeze a short drop is followed by an even shorter ascent. The Côte de Galinagues climbs sharply with 2.2 km at 9%.
A little later, with still over 50 km remaining, the riders fly down another long downhill before they tackle the Col du Campérie, 3.3 km at 4%, and non-classified. The route then descends further at shallow gradients until the Col de Saint-Louis is expected to have a major impact on how the race unfolds. The climb is 4.7 km long and averages 7.4% with bonus seconds at the top.
The summit of the Saint Louis Pass is 17 km away from the finish line in Quillan. Most of it goes downhill to the finish so fast descenders will be keen to show off their skills and take the day. This could suit world champion Julian Alaphilippe or maybe Team DSM’s Tiesj Benoot.
Stage 15: Céret – Andorra la Vella (Sunday 11th July) Mountain
From Céret, Stage 15 at 191.3 km will see the Tour enter Andorra for the first time since 2016.
There are four climbs in total where the battle to get into the breakaway should be intense. A break could get this one, but in all likelihood the GC contenders behind Tadej Pogačar will need to take this day seriously. The Montée de Mont-Louis sees the first climb at 8.4 km climb at 5.7% after almost 80 km into the day.
The fight for the KOM jersey points is going to be a huge fight, Nairo Quintana if he is still in the jersey by now should be in the break to score more. The riders descend into the valley, only to go straight back up again. From base to summit the Col de Puymorens is approximately 20 km long, but the gradients are shallow. The last 5.9 km go up at 4.6%.
A short descent and then the riders climb into Andorra via the Port d’Envalira, which is a 10.7 km ascent with an average gradient of 5.9%. The first rider at the summit wins the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, as this marks – at 2,408 m above sea level – the highest point of the 2021 Tour de France.
A 19 km descent leads into Encamp and continues onto the the decisive climb of the day. The Collada de Beixalis is 6.4 km long and the average gradient sits at 8.5%. The first half rises at more than 10% and features sections up to 15%.
The finale of the 15th stage is a 14.8 km downhill into Andorra la Vella.
This concludes the second week of the Tour and it’s key to stress that there aren’t many summit finishes at this Tour. Two summits appear in week three, Stage 15 in the strangest way could make it more exciting. If the GC contenders are seriously going to conquer the impressive performance of Tadej Pogačar they might want to attack before the final climb at Collada de Beixalis. They cannot allow him to tail on their wheels, but trying to distance the yellow jersey is a quest in itself. All Tadej Pogačar needs to do now is ride conservatively to cement yellow.
Fans of Mark Cavendish will also be hoping that he makes the time cut. We await to see the race situation as the 108th Tour de France reaches it’s second and final rest day.
