2019 Tour de France Stage 18 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 18 of the 2019 Tour de France! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The 18th stage of the Tour de France is the first race in the Alps. Following the start in Embrun, the route takes in a number of passes before the final haul up the Galibier and the ensuing descent to ski resort Valloire.
The race leaves from Embrun, in the 2013 Tour de France host to a climbing time trial that was won by Chris Froome. Four years later, in 2017, a stage set off in the Hautes-Alpes village and went to Salon-de-Provence, where Edvald Boasson Hagen brought the early break home.
A Boasson Hagen victory is highly unlikely this time, as the route traverses the Alps. Following intermediate climbs up the Col de Vars, Col d’Izoard and Col du Galibier the race ends with a descent to Valloire, which lies close to the summit of the Col du Télégraphe.
The Galibier is a gruelling ascent of 23 kilometres. The first 14 kilometres are relatively straightforward, with the Col du Lautaret gradients hovering between 4 and 5%. The rest of the climb is 7 to 8% with the last kilometre kicking up a little to 9%. Overall, the average gradient on the Galibier is 5.1%. After its crest – where the first three riders pocket time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds – the route flies down an 18-kilometre descent to the line in Valloire.
Valloire has rarely been included as an arrival. The village was a passage on numerous occasions on the way to the Galibier, and in 2013, a stage left from Valloire to Ivrea. Attacker Beñat Intxausti took the win that day, outgunning Tanel Kangert and Przemyslav Niemiec in the sprint.
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