Stage 11 of the 2019 Tour de France, a 167km run from Albi to Toulouse looks to be one for the sprinters. Just two categorized climbs, the Category 3 Cote de Tonnac and the Category 4 Cote de Castineau de Montmiral come in the first 77km leaving rolling hills for the remainder of the stage. Some, however, are predicting that shifting winds and a 5% gradient hill in the final kilometers could favor an attack from the GC contenders.
Who can excel on a day like that? I’m tipping the hat to green jersey holder Peter Sagan, who has the legs to attack on that last hill and sprint for the line.
I’m guessing that the GC contenders will keep their powder dry and finish together, giving Julian Alaphilippe another day in the Maillot Jaune before Wednesday’s test over the Col de Peyresourde really gives the climbers something to chew on.
Toulouse is France’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, after Paris, Lyon and Marseille and is home to much of France’s aerospace industry. A city with unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks, which earned it the nickname la Ville Rose (“the Pink City”), Toulouse counts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Canal du Midi (designated in 1996 and shared with other cities), and the Basilica of St. Sernin, the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe,[11] designated in 1998 because of its significance to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
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