Stage 5 of the 2018 Tour de France is another scenic stage, especially at the beginning with the breathtaking landscapes of the beaches near the fortress of Fort-Bloqué, Pont-Aven, the city of the painters (Paul Gauguin, Emile Bernard…) and the fortified town of Concarneau.
The second half is kind of an Ardennes classic with narrow roads, short and brutal climbs from Saint-Goazec (km 103) onwards. The focus will be on Ménez Quélerc’h, a very famous 2.9km straight climb in Breton cycling with some sections at 16%. It’s often the decisive point of the 1.1 Boucles de l’Aulne in May but the last 35km will be similar to those of the Tour du Finistère already experienced this year by Richie Porte, Tejay van Garderen and Romain Bardet.
It includes the medieval village of Locronan and the tricky côte de la chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lorette with 12km to go. It’s also a slightly uphill finish in Quimper with the same finishing line but from the opposite direction as stage 7 won by Thor Hushovd in 2004.
Technically, it suits Peter Sagan at perfection. Moreover, it’s a day for the GC favourites to avoid any hiccups. The conditions are also reunited for the yellow jersey (Greg Van Avermaet) to impose himself.
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
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