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| Stage 13 on the map |
Stage 13 is another flat,
southeasterly route, that will take the riders from Tours to
Saint-Amand-Montrond over 173 kilometers. On the way they will top one
category-four climb, but the more important hill will be the uncategorized one
that comes just a few kms before the finish. A strong puncheur may try an attack there. The sprinters teams will again
work to get their men into a bunch sprint.
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| Stage 13 Profile |
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| Stage 13 continues southeast |
Marcel Kittel now has three
stage wins and is looking like the fastest man to beat in this year’s sprint
stages. Peter Sagan has got a stranglehold on the green jersey, but would
surely like another stage win.
André Greipel’s team was blown to pieces in the
late stage-11 crash, and Mark Cavendish has not had enough good lead-outs to
show his best stuff.
I can’t find specs on that
little hill at the end, but its descent looks like it could be steep and maybe
technical, though it can’t be more than a kilometer long or so.
The last 5k are
pancake flat to the finish line. I think the sprinters’ teams will arrive there
in charge, up front, and prevent others from coming around.
That hill could possibly spoil
some sprinters’ hopes at the end, but we will have to see what kind of effect
it really has when they get there.
I would think it is a good launch pad for
Peter Sagan, or maybe Juan Antonio Flecha or Sylvain Chavanel will have another
go. But an attack on a small slope like that will not have much opportunity to
build a big lead for the flat run in to the finish.
MY PICK: Peter Sagan
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