The ninth stage of the 2013 Tour de France will be a leg-busting 168.5km mountain stage from Saint Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre.
Though both Saint Girons and Bagnères-de-Bigorre have been used repeatedly in the Tour, the fact that the route contains five categorized climbs could be quite daunting. These climbs include:
- Km 28.5 – Col de Portet d’Aspet (1 069 m)5.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% – category 2
- Km 44.0 – Col de Menté (1 349 m)7 kilometre-long climb at 7.7% – category 1
- Km 90.0 – Col de Peyresourde (1 569 m)13.2 kilometre-long climb at 7% – category 1
- Km 110.5 – Col de Val Louron-Azet (1 580 m)7.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% – category 1
- Km 138.0 – La Hourquette d’Ancizan (1 564 m)9.9 kilometre-long climb at 7.5% – category 1
The intermediate sprint falls after the first two climbs at the 73km mark in Bagneres-de-Luchon.
With the rest day looming, riders may push just a little harder through this Pyrenean stage, knowing they have a day to “recover.”
My guess? A GC rider may come out to play on this day…just to test the legs of the others near him on GC. Tactics will certainly be key on this trick stage.
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