Stage & Teams Guide
The 2022 Tour de France has within it some intriguing mountain stages, particularly at summits. Altitude finishes on the gravel of Super Planche des Belles Filles, the wild Alpine terrain of Col du Granon, the wild atmosphere of Alpe d’Huez and the uneven Pyrenean climb of Hautacam each promise supreme tests of the legs of all those with yellow jersey aspirations. Increasingly, however, time gained in the mountains is marginal and more often than not you can throw a blanket over the top contenders come the flamme rouge – the 1km to go marker before the finish. Summit finishes are telegraphed end points, a test of endurance but little else as the riders claw their way to the finish. Of course, this isn’t always the case, and the prospect of a lone, long range attack in the cauldron of a col is why we make appointments to view these stages.
Some of the best excitement in recent years has come when we - and the players on the road - have least expected it: the crosswinds smashing the peloton into smithereens on an otherwise benign-looking route, or the blindsiding of a race leader with an early stage attack, sometimes before the television race coverage has even started, or of the to-and-fro of a hilly stage that throws the peloton into utter disarray and puts the yellow jersey up for grabs. This is a route that has all three elements, from the blowy, flat coastal roads of rural Denmark to the ups and downs of the Ardennes.
There’s also one of the toughest cobbles stages we’ve ever seen in a Tour de France, which has been known to make a mockery of the idea of a procession to Paris, a notion some believe is where we’re heading to with UAE Team Emirates’ dominant Tadej Pogačar. While he is the strongest rider, he’s not in the strongest team and will again find fierce opposition from stronger outfits, such as Jumbo-Visma and Ineos Grenadiers, whose strength in numbers will be a riposte to the Slovenian wunderkind.
Key
Climb categories
4 The easiest categorised climb.
3 Very short & steep or longer at up to 5% gradient.
2 Short & steep or longer & shallower.
1 A very significant long or steep climb.
HC Hors Catégorie, longest/steepest climbs beyond categorisation.
Friday 1 July
01 COPENHAGEN - COPENHAGEN
Distance 13.2km | Type ITT
A year later than billed, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tour de France finally arrives
