Stage 12 is a 226km race from Saint Jean-De-Maurienne to Annonay-Davézieux which has two Cat 1 climbs. Saint Jean-De-Maurienne will be known to the peloton after the ride through the valley of the River Arc during Stage 11. The town had been part of Piedmont under the House of Savoy but now has been French since 1859 and seen its share of cycling. From the town the peloton will head north-west to the Col du Grand Cucheron which will be ascended for a fourth time in the Tour. First included in the 1972 Tour it has appeared again in 1983 and 1998 and has the honour of Eddy Merckx being the first to summit the mountain. The 12.5kms climb in 2012 will come after just 20kms of the race and its average gradient is 6.5%. The steepest average part of the climb is 9.8% during the ninth km of the climb. The riders will quickly descend from the Cucheron down to Pontcharra before heading up the Col du Granier. Will a long flat finish to the stage attacks look more likely to eventuate and succeed on the Granier.
The Col du Granier made its first appearance at the 1947 Tour and has been included 16 times throughout the Tour’s history. Last seen in the 1998 edition it is a shorter climb than the Col du Grand Cucheron but is still a Cat 1 climb due to its steep second half. In 2012 the Granier will be 9.7kms long at an average of 8.6% making it one of the steepest climbs in the Tour this year. In the last two kilometres the average gradient in over 10% and will be a test of the entire peloton. This will be a tough climb as the second climb of the day and coming after Stage 11 which includes two HC climbs and a Cat 1 climb. The Granier is being attacked from the east this year and has not hosted such an approach since 1972 when Lucien Van Impe was the first rider over the summit. Van Impe was the king of the mountains that year and also took out Stage 12 just two days before. Once again the Granier will not host a summit finish as it has not done so previously but has been included alongside other bigger summits in the Alps.
An attack looks likely on the Col du Granier as from the summit at 1134m’s the rest of the stage is mostly flat until a 336m Cat 3 climb with 18.5kms left to race the only real obstacle. There is an intermediate sprint point at 153kms but its seems unlikely to be contested by the sprinters who would be struggling behind the GC men up the Col du Granier. Therefore if Evans or Nibali really want to take time off Wiggins and possibly move into yellow, a long breakaway may be necessary. That would include a long flat escape before a 200m climb in elevation in the final 20kms.The race will past just north of Grenoble on the mostly downhill ride into Annonay-Davézieux and sees the Tour take another trip south as it heads to the Mediterranean and gives the sprinters a chance at a stage win. This will be the last chance that GC riders can look to make up time in the Alps before they are said goodbye to once again. The GC men and mountain goats have a chance again at glory on Stage 14 as the Tour turns north and into the Pyrenees where Cat 1 climbs are again the order of the day. Once the peloton reaches the Pyrenees expect some serious fireworks as the GC men look to move up the overall before the Stage 19 ITT when they know they could lose minutes to Wiggins, Evans and Froome.
The Col du Granier made its first appearance at the 1947 Tour and has been included 16 times throughout the Tour’s history. Last seen in the 1998 edition it is a shorter climb than the Col du Grand Cucheron but is still a Cat 1 climb due to its steep second half. In 2012 the Granier will be 9.7kms long at an average of 8.6% making it one of the steepest climbs in the Tour this year. In the last two kilometres the average gradient in over 10% and will be a test of the entire peloton. This will be a tough climb as the second climb of the day and coming after Stage 11 which includes two HC climbs and a Cat 1 climb. The Granier is being attacked from the east this year and has not hosted such an approach since 1972 when Lucien Van Impe was the first rider over the summit. Van Impe was the king of the mountains that year and also took out Stage 12 just two days before. Once again the Granier will not host a summit finish as it has not done so previously but has been included alongside other bigger summits in the Alps.
An attack looks likely on the Col du Granier as from the summit at 1134m’s the rest of the stage is mostly flat until a 336m Cat 3 climb with 18.5kms left to race the only real obstacle. There is an intermediate sprint point at 153kms but its seems unlikely to be contested by the sprinters who would be struggling behind the GC men up the Col du Granier. Therefore if Evans or Nibali really want to take time off Wiggins and possibly move into yellow, a long breakaway may be necessary. That would include a long flat escape before a 200m climb in elevation in the final 20kms.The race will past just north of Grenoble on the mostly downhill ride into Annonay-Davézieux and sees the Tour take another trip south as it heads to the Mediterranean and gives the sprinters a chance at a stage win. This will be the last chance that GC riders can look to make up time in the Alps before they are said goodbye to once again. The GC men and mountain goats have a chance again at glory on Stage 14 as the Tour turns north and into the Pyrenees where Cat 1 climbs are again the order of the day. Once the peloton reaches the Pyrenees expect some serious fireworks as the GC men look to move up the overall before the Stage 19 ITT when they know they could lose minutes to Wiggins, Evans and Froome.
Stage Profile and Cat 1 Profiles
Saint Jean-De-Maurienne to Annonay-Davézieux 226km
©ASO
Col du Grand Cucheron (12.5km @ 6.5%)
©ASO
Col du Granier (9.7km @8.6%)
©ASO
Profiles courtesy of ASO @ letour.fr
No comments:
Post a Comment