How far can Tom Dumoulin go? Once seen as a time trial specialist he’s proven versatile, aggressive and surprising. But as much as he’s been underrated by many this year the high mountains seem too much.
It’s been a week of surprises with a collection of riders finally getting the wins they’ve been promising whether Dumoulin, Esteban Chaves or Caleb Ewan. Even Peter Sagan found winning ways again.
The Yellow Jersey Club by Edward Pickering
The premise is simple, a look at the last 20 Tour de France winners and Lance Armstrong. Each member of the “yellow jersey club” gets a chapter dedicated to their exploits. At times the 21 winners share little more than victory in the same race such is the range of personalities and career paths.
Better still this is not 21 versions of how the Tour was won with mechanical reproductions of Rider X attacking on Stage Y to take a time advantage of N minutes. Instead this is often a look at the different types of winner, their characters, personalities, tactics and career paths rather than any shared trait that defines a Tour winner.
A stage for the sprinters? The final climb isn’t too hard but the effect of recent crashes could be seen today with several teams having lost sprinters and with it a reason to chase down the breakaway.
A flat coastal procession past white sandy beaches and inviting bays but it’s all a warm up for the double ascension of the Puig Llorença with its double-digit gradients and another Made-For-TV stage finish.
A stage with a finishing circuit including two times over the tricky Cresta del Gallo climb, a narrow climb that’s chased by a steep and twisting descent.
The race has had some uphill finishes, today brings the first genuine summit finish and with it the chance to discover who’s able to win the race outright. As well as the main contenders we’ll see how Esteban Chaves fares on a longer climb and whether he’s still smiling at the end of the day.
The race heads into the mountains and the Sierra de Cazorla range but as lively as the profile looks this is merely a warm-up for the upcoming stages. It’s a day for the likes of Alejandro Valverde but can Peter Sagan track him again?
Another day, another chance for Peter Sagan. Today’s stage has an uphill run to the line and it’s one for the sprinters rather than the climbers and if Sagan features, so should John Degenkolb and, injuries permitting, Nacer Bouhanni.
The Sagan stage? If Peter Sagan could design a stage he might pick today’s course with its uphill finish in Vejer de la Frontera. The profile looks flat but there’s a lively finish in store which suits Sagan but if he won yesterday here’s a different test that should allow a wide cast of characters from John Degenkolb to Alejandro Valverde to try for the win.
