After Mark Cavendish secured his fourth stage win of this year’s Tour de France to equal Eddy Merckx’s record, stage 14 brings with it a testing re-introduction to the hills as the race continues towards the Pyrenees. Today’s 183.7 kilometre route from Carcassonne to Quillan features five categorised climbs, three of which average more than seven per cent gradient, which means there will be less focus on the sprinters and more attention on the breakaway.
The breakaway was allowed to ride away unchallenged two days ago as Nils Politt took victory for Bora-Hansgrohe. We could well see a similar story this afternoon if the general classification teams find a suitable group of riders to let off the leash.
Tadej Pogacar holds a comfortable five-minute lead in the GC standings but the likes of Ineos Grenadiers and Jumbo-Visma could try to make it a tough stage for the yellow jersey wearer, as they attempt to find even the smallest of cracks in this 22-year-old superstar.
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