Stage 6 is a doozy. Covering 124 km from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, the route features five categorized climbs — three of which promise to push the riders to their limits.
The day’s first major ascent is a 10-km climb averaging 5.6 per cent gradient. That is preceded by smaller uphill sections that will already sap energy. Following this, riders face two more challenging climbs. They are 6.4 km at 5.4 per cent and 4.6 km at 5.1 per cent, separated by technical descents that could provide a bit of a rest, unless someone goes on the attack.
Did you catch last year’s winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma showing off her skills yesterday? The Polish rider is an incredible descender–as well as a climber.
Yellow jersey holder Kim Le Court will have a battle ahead of her to stay in the lead. But the way she’s been riding, don’t count her out. The Mauritian champion has been looking very, very strong.
FDJ–Suez’s Demi Vollering, showing encouraging signs of recovery from her crash, could be among those aiming to seize the stage win and potentially the leader’s jersey.
But the day’s climb will test all favourites. Riders like Niewiadoma and Anna van der Breggen will be there as well. And of course, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, making her return to road racing–with a bang. S
tage 5 saw EF Education–Oatly’s Magdeleine Vallières in the mix on the climbs. The Sherbrooke rider excels when the roads go up, so look for her to be duking it out on the hills. Her teammate Alison Jackson had another day in the break, too! The national champion has been up the road almost every day, it seems.
To watch the race, tune into Flobikes.com. And as always, check back with Canadian Cycling Magazine for a full report.
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