This is not one for the sprinters! Stage 6 of the 2018 Tour de France, a 181km ride from the coastal town of Brest to the Mûr-de-Bretagne will make two passes over what the locals call the “Breton Alpe d’Huez”. While its 293m are nowhere near as difficult as the real thing that the peloton will face on Stage 12, it is a 2 kilometer climb that is sure to attract the efforts of the climbers and the GC contenders.
The Mûr-de-Bretagne first featured as a stage finish in 2011, when Cadel Evans won over Alberto Contador and Alexandre Vinokourov. It was last visited by the tour in 2015 when Alexis Vuillermoz took a win there.
For the first time, the climb is to be done twice in the final 16km, with a time bonus sprint three kilometres after the first passage. Therefore, it’s no longer a stage like a classic. It can favour riders like Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde. The Frenchman is even considered the biggest threat by current race leader Greg Van Avermaet, likely to take the yellow jersey over from him. Above all, it’s a stage that will show which GC contenders are really in the game.
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