Stage 6: Le Teil to Mont Aigoual
The GC contenders will need to be ready for the ascent of the Col de la Lusette (8.3km at 4%), which peaks just 14 kilometers from the finish at Mont Aigoual. A GC rider with bad legs could see his Tour evaporate.
Start: 6:10 am EST
Est. Finish: 10:56 am EST
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Stage 6 preview
Course: This long and hilly stage across southeastern France finishes with a stinger in the form of a category 3 climb and then the category 1 ascent to the Col de la Lusette. Expect the ascent to thin the peloton of the heavy sprinters and rouleurs. But the flat and slightly uphill finish to Mont Aigoual may allow some fast men to catch back on for the finish.
Favorites: Philippe Gilbert, Julian Alaphilippe, Thomas de Gendt, Tiesj Benoot
Jens Voigt’s take: A pure breakaway stage — way too hard for the sprinters and not yet hard enough for the GC contenders. Don’t get me wrong — it’s a really hard stage but not yet a GC day. It’s a day for the hard men in the breakaway, and it’s 190 kilometers, which means riders will now have 1,000km in their legs. Picking the winner is a challenge — maybe again Alaphilippe, or a surprise attack from Team Ineos.