Not so long ago, the first week of the Tour was full for sprinters and specialists against the clock. No longer. The Vuelta a España, full of mountain stages from the beginning, sets a trend and the Tour, in view of the audience success of its neighboring race, has followed that mark. But this Monday, after two days in the hills of the Côte d’Azur, the Grande Boucle offers an opportunity to sprint. Of course, the greyhounds will have to earn it, because it will not be easy to control the almost 200 kilometers that go from Nice to Sisterón, one of the stops on the Napoleon Route.
From Nice you have to go uphill. The tail of the Alps plummets into the sea. The third stage will face three third-class ports: Col du Pilón (8.4 kilometers, at 5.1%), Col de la Faye (5.3 km. At 4.8%) and Col de Leques (6, 9 km. At 5.4%), the latter located 80 kilometers from the end. From there, the road descends gently until the ascent to Col de l’Orme (2.7 km. 5%), fourth category. From that point to Sisterón comes the easiest part of the journey.
The list of sprinters on the Tour is extensive. Ewan and Bennett seem the most powerful. But in the first group arrival, on Saturday, Kristoff beat and the power of Nizzolo, champion of Italy and Europe, was seen.
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