At the start of the first stage of the Pyrenees, the professional cyclists of the 109th Tour de France can continue the regeneration of the second rest day.
On the 178.5-kilometre route from Carcassonne to Foix, things only get steep in the second half. That should suit leader Jonas Vingegaard after losing two helpers.
No fans on the wall
While the first 100 kilometers are relatively flat, the second part of the stage gets down to business. The most challenging obstacle is the 9.3 km long Mur de Péguère. “It’s very steep, very narrow and the public will not have access, like in 2017,” said route manager Thierry Gouvenou. However, since the pass is 27 kilometers from the finish, there will probably be no attack among the favorites. It’s a day for the breakaways and perhaps the first French win of the Tour.
No Corona all-clear
The tour does not get rid of the corona virus. On the second day of rest, two drivers tested positive, but according to the world association UCI, they are asymptomatic. Whether the unnamed duo can start will be decided on Tuesday morning. All drivers were negative in the tests on the first day of rest, and the next day there were two corona cases in the morning. The fear of the virus will probably accompany the peloton to Paris.
No respite
Leader Jonas Vingegaard will also be under pressure from defending champion Tadej Pogacar on the easiest of the three Pyrenees stages. After all, the Dane lost his two best mountain helpers on Sunday and also fell himself. Pogacar will therefore hope for a weakness in the yellow jersey and want to reduce the gap. “He will definitely feel that,” said Maximilian Schachmann about the failures in the Vingegaard team. “It’s exciting now because both teams are weak in terms of numbers and it’s now down to individual performance.”