The 2018 Tour of France will have 3,329 kilometers, will be traveled in the direction of the clock needles and include incentives such as the west coast wind, the cobblestone of the north, and two blocks of very high mountain in the Alps and in the Pyrenees, where A spectacular final track is announced.
And not; There is no individual counterreloj for specialists, mostly Tom Dumoulin, the world champion in Bergen. Instead, the ASO has arranged a 35 -kilometer team chrono in the third stage and another individual of 31 kilos, without a flat meter and with up to four punctual dimensions on the road to the Ezpeleta border, in the Basque Country French, The eve of arriving in Paris.
It may be the decisive stage, but it is not the counterreloj that Dumoulin would like. Neither does his followers, who already encourage him to defend the title in the Tour of Italy and release his record in the Tour of Spain, while he keeps silent, waiting to know his routes to make the final decision.
Actually, neither Chris Froome has them all with them: “It is the most dangerous tour I have run, with many challenges. I am afraid of the first 9 days. ” In the memory of the tetracampeón, which will seek to enter with a fifth victory in the Olympus of Induráin, Merckx, Hinault and Anquetil, is its abandonment in 2014, the road to Arenberg, when it fell twice under the rain and said goodbye without even entering The country, that this year will invade the ninth stage with 21 kilometers distributed in 15 sections, including the five stars of the Carrefour de L'Arebre, on the route that leads to the emblematic Roubaix, capital of the North Hell.
There will be no less than 6 days of high mountain distributed between the Alps and the Pyrenees, which total 21 large ports
It is the day that Eusebio Unzué also fears, the manager of the light Nairo Quintana, who is obliged to pass not only the filter of the cobblestones, but also that of the presumably sp. Mountain he likes and in which he must shine so as not to be devoured by the shadow of Mikel Landa, on the prowl of his leadership in the Movistar.
A new Pyrenean colossus
The mountain will set the 105th edition of the Tour de France from its Ecuador. So much so that in a few circles of debate it is pointed out that the organization has sought to increase the options of Victoria de Romain Bardet, the best positioned French to break a drought of absolute triumphs dating from 1985, year of the fifth and last victory of Bernard Hinault
The menu is one of the most complete of the last decade, with six high mountain days between the Alps and the Pyrenees, which add 21 large ports.
Among them are myths such as Madeleine, Alpe D’Az, Tourmalet and Aubisque, and sounded premieres that already raise expectation, such as the unpublished Col de Portet -the new Tourmalet, as Christian Prudhomme- has baptized.
The Great Pyrenean novelty, Tour roof at more than 2,200 meters, and with 17 kilometers of ascent to an average of 8%, will appear as the end of a revolutionary stage in the race, with only 65 kilometers, 40 of them with pure climbing.
In 105 years of history, there is only a shorter online stage precedent: it was in 1971, when 19 kilometers were played between Luchon and the Superbagnères station. Logically, that was the most commented and what left the auditorium of the Palacio de Congresos de Paris, among the majority opinion that the race will be practically uncontrollable, and will miss an Alberto Accountant who, after the presentation , he regretted the late innovation.
The 2018 Tour of France will first apply the new UCI regulations that, for security reasons, force to reduce equipment from 9 to 8 runners
But there is much more than the portet. Discounted the double climb to the Brittany Wall, the only great difficulty in the first week, the true mountain will appear when the Tour caravan realizes the pavers of Roubaix and takes the plane to the Alps.
The first contact, in the tenth stage, between Annecy and Le Grand Bornand, will include four ports, including another great novelty, the Plateau de Gelères and its 2 kilometers without asphalting, and with the Col de la Colombière very close to the goal. The next day, the second Alpine shot will include three magic ports, the bisanne mount and the Col de Pré, with continuation towards the top of the Roslend Cormet, and the novel final, not too demanding, at the La Rosière station .
The Great Reina stage will close the triptych marking a record with the more than 5,000 meters of unevenness resulting from ending in Alpe d’Huez and its 21 curves, after passing two colossi: the Madeleine and the Croix de Fer.
Once the Alps, the Tour will make a three -stage transition to the Pyrenees, which highlights the already classic journey through the central massif, with end at the Mende airfield, an explosive climb that never disappoints. Hence the race will take towards the picturesque medieval villa of Carcassonne, where he has scheduled the last rest day, before facing four days in the Pyrenees, something unpublished in the last editions.
The cycling caravan will be established in PAU to face a final track with a total of ten ports. The first ration will arrive in the 16th stage, with the ascet to the portet d’A Aspet, the Col de Míé and the Portillon, and the end in the town of Bagnères de Luchon, after an incursion of 16 kilometers through Spanish territory.
It will be the day before the expected stage of the Col de Portet, in which the Pyresourde will be departed, plus its extension to Peyragudes, and the mythical Val Louron, before the new Tourmalet sentence in the end of the race. On the following day there will be a Pyrenean Transition path to Pau, without large levels, which will be the prelude to a very special 19th stage for lovers of the most legendary scenarios.
In it, the Aspin, the true Tourmalet, will be uploaded for its Mongie aspect, and the legendary col d’Aubisque will be recovered as a key point, since it will be crowning less than 20 kilometers from the Laruns goal. The classic Pyrenean trilogy will be the last occasion for the climbers, before facing the counterreloj creek of Ezpeleta and the final walk through the Elysees fields.
Eight runners
Beyond the twist to the tour, the Tour de France 2018 will first apply the new UCI regulations that, for security reasons, force to reduce equipment from 9 to 8 runners, so that the total participation will fall from 198 Cyclists to 176.
The measure is common for the three big laps in stages, so that its effects can already be checked in the Italian turn.
Yes, they will be the Tour Personal Touches to encourage with double score for the classification of the mountain the ports that are the final stage, with the aim of looking for a lunar jaw involved in the fight for the general, and the approaching the goal of the
Sprints bonus intermediates, this time with 3, 2 and 1 seconds for the first three.
They are the other striking points of a large Boucole that will start from the island of Noirmoutier a week later than usual, on July 7, to coincide as little as possible with the World Cup in Russia, and that will end in Paris on the 29th 29 .
