Tour of France
That brings the day at the Tour de France
In 2017, Slovakia’s Peter Sagan (M) won in Longwy on the Cote des Religieuses. Photo: Peter Dejong/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
An international transfer stage brings the Tour de France closer to the mountains. 60 kilometers through Belgium, the destination is in France on the border with Luxembourg.
After a hectic day on the cobblestones, the Tour de France peloton gets a stage to breathe. At 219.9 kilometers, the longest section of this tour from Binche in Belgium to Longwy offers breakaways a great opportunity.
The Trouble Hill:
Of course, sprinters could also hope for a day’s win. If it wasn’t for the Cote de Pulventeux. This 800 meter long hill has an average gradient of 12 percent and is just five kilometers from the finish. Here at the latest, the fastest professionals like the stage winners Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen will probably be left behind. The finish line is on top of the 1.6 km long Cote des Religieuses.
Roglic’ pain:
On Wednesday, Primoz Roglic put his dislocated shoulder back in place. The Slovenian is determined to continue the tour. The question is how bad his pain will be and whether Roglic can sit well on the bike. Last year, the 32-year-old struggled for a few more days after a serious fall before giving up the race.
Sagan’s dream:
On the last Tour visit to Longwy five years ago, Peter Sagan won the Cote des Religieuses. The Slovak even slipped off a pedal in the last meters. After a lean few years, Sagan is back in better shape this Tour and has always been good in the sprints. The arrival at Longwy should bring back memories and maybe Sagan repeats his victory.