Image 1 of 5

When the route for the 2017 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France was 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:unveiled last October, one of the biggest selling points was the fact ไthat, for the first time since 1992, the race would visit each of France's five mountain ranges. After the Vosges, the Jura, and the Pyrenees, today it's the turn 𓄧of the Massif Central, a region that may lack the lustre and immediate decisiveness of its high-altitude counterparts but that nevertheless poses more than a few pitfalls for the overall contenders

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:The 189.5km stage, which starts out from Laissac-Sévérac l'Église and tracks north east through the hills to le Puy-en-Velay, has a curious profile. There are two first-category climbs, almost bookending the race, and the roll🌄ing roads rarꦏely let up in between.

It should provide fertile ground for a breakaway, but make no mistake, 𝔍this is a GC day, too. As the cliché goes, it may not be a stage where the Tour de France can be won, but certainly one where it can be lost.

"It's a dangerous stage," Julien Jurdie, directeur sportif for local lad 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Romain Bardet at 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:AG2R La Mondiale, told Cyclingnews on Saturday. "Any of the favourites who are in a delicate state tomorrow could pay he🥀avily."

The riders will start climbing after just 20km, with the first-category Montée de Naves d'Aubrac set to be decisive in the formation of the breakaway, and while the overall contenders arꦦen't likely to take the race on from that far out, we could see many of them place teammates up the road💦 to be called upon later.

Read more on this article

• Managers, directors ꦓagree Tour de France is 𓆏entering uncharted GC territory
• Analysis: Froome retakes yellow ♚as Sky prove to be the Tour's A-Team
• A🐎ru loses Tour de France lead after 'being too far back'
• Tour🌞 de France: Order restored as Froome reclaims yellow
• Tour de Fra꧒nce: Bardet wary after 'opening the door' for GC rivals

The race stays above 1000m of altitude for much of the day as the roads rise and dip 🍌all the way to the final 40km, which represents the endgame. The first-category Col de Peyra Taillade is a serious climb, 8.3km long with an average gradient of 7.4 per cent, with stretches in the double digits, and narrow roads to boot. Topping out with 31km to go, it gives way to a largely downhill run to Puy, though the road does kick up on a couple of occasion🌟s. If there are any differences between the favourites over the top of the climb the race will be on all the way to the line.

"The start of the stage is difficult and tꦇhe end of the stage i🥀s really difficult," said Jurdie.

"You have to be at 100 ℱper cent tomorrow. If all of the favourites are at 100 per cent, there won't, in principal, be any gaps, or only very small ones. But if one of the favourites tomorrow is a little off co🎶lour, the gaps could be significant."

More controlled with Froome in yellow

Friday's short stage in the Jura saw some of the most open and tactical racing we're likely to see at this year's Tour, with key pl꧂ayers heading up the road and a disorganised yellow jersey group having to make it up as they went along.

This stage might have been ripe for more of the same, but the handover of the maillot jaune from Fabio Aru to Chris Froome on the uphill sprint in Rodez has once again changed 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:the tactical complexion of the race. Team Sky are back in their 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:familiar role of defending yellow, and Jurdie, more than happy with the development from the point of view of his ꧑team, predicts ꧑a more controlled day of racing.

"Astana would have had trouble controlling the race tomorrow. We could have had some bizarre situati🌠ons, with important groups getting away, containing guys not that far down on GC," he said.

"Now, I think a big group could go up the road, but with riders way dow🧸n on GC. It'll be an intense start with that early first-category climb, but I think Sky are going to filter it well."

Bardet, third overall at 23 seconds, is as good as on 🐎home turf as the race dips into the Auvergne, and by all accounts he wants to put ⛄on a show.

"He's arriving at home, he knows the stage perfectly, and he has lots of ideas in his head – if you listen to him, it's like it's going to be the great Bardet tomorrow. Our job🃏 is to focus him, calm him down, keep his cool," said Jurdie.

"Romain mustn't put in several random attacks. He needs to do one attack and do the damage with it. We know it will be difficult to put time into Froome on a stage like tomorrow but every second taken on the main favou💯rites will be important."