2010 Tour competitor Dan Lloyd rides the course
Today’s sixteenth stage of the Tour de France will be pivotal to the final outcome of the race, being the second-last mountain stage and, along with Saturday’s time trial, one of three which will settle the general classification.
The riders are currently racing hard towards the finish in Bagneres de Luchon, and will reach there later this afternoon. However you don’t have to wait until later to see details of the climbs; former WorldTour pro and current IG SigmaSport rider Dan Lloyd has previewed the stage and talks through the main points in the video below.
The 198 kilometre race from Pau features four major summits; the first two of those, the 1709 metre Col d’Aubisque (km 53.5) and the 2115 metre Col du Tourmalet (km 120.5) are hors categorie ascents, with the latter being the highest peak in this year’s Tour. They are followed by the first category pairing of the Col d’Aspin (1489 metres, km 150.5) and the Col de Peyresourde (1569 metres, km 181.5), where the break will try to remain clear and fight for the stage win, and where the general classification contenders will explode the peloton in their battle for yellow.
The summit of the Peyresourde is followed by a sixteen kilometre descent to the finish; short enough for the gaps over the top to be preserved, but long enough for a good descender to open up time.
Lloyd rides the route, speaking about the tactical and technical demands of the course, and provides an insight into how things could play out later on.