Shortened final stage will finish on top of the Col de La Garde
The climatic finish atop Mont Faron near Toulon was expected to see the big guns in the Tour of the Mediterranean scrap it out, but instead the climb has had to be removed from today’s race.
The freezing conditions which have affected many European races have struck again, with snowfalls today affecting both the start and end points of the stage.
Previously set to begin in La Ciotat , the start had been moved and the stage had been shorted to 100 kilometres. Snow on Mont Faron then led to the decision to drop that climb from the parcours. The new finish will be atop the Col de la Garde, a climb eight kilometres in length, including some brief sections of nine percent and ranging between five and six percent in the final kilometre.
The new distance is not altogether clear, with reports ranging from 77 to 85 kilometres.
Most of the race has been affected by the poor weather. The first stage was modified due to the conditions, with the category 1 Col des Portes and the category 2 Col du Grand Sambuc ascents being removed from the parcours.
Endura Racing rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke was the surprise winner and carried the leader’s jersey into the second stage. Michel Kreder (Garmin-Barracuda, pictured) triumphed there, with the lead changing hands to Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-Big Mat).
Yesterday’s stage was also shortened, with the main route being scrapped and the riders battling it out over eleven laps of the ten kilometre finishing circuit in La Londe les Maures. Kreder triumphed again and starts today’s stage with a ten second advantage over Hutarovich and Tiernan-Locke.
His team-mate Dan Martin is twenty seconds back and is one to watch on today’s final climb.