The profile of this stage is a copy of the stage yesterday, with the difference that all the hills in the previous stage were in the finale whereas today it is more spread out. Two category 3’s and 2 category 4’s lie in store.
Col de Brouilly
The first of the four climbs is a category 4 hill. The climb starts after 57 kilometres of racing and is 1.7 kilometres at 5.1%.
On Strava the fastest time is 3’33 “, with that KOM going to Garmin rider Nathan Brown.
In the 2014 edition of Paris-Nice, the Col de Brouilly was visited twice, in stage 5 where riders took the same route as today and in stage 4 where they went all the way to the top. This last stage was won by Tom-Jelte Slagter, following an attack on the steepest section of 25%.
Côte du Saule-d’Oingt
The second climb of the day is a longer but less steep 3.8 km climb at 4.5%, reaching a highest point of 551 meters. The extra length gives it a 3rd category label.
Col des Brosses
The Col des Brosses, or the ‘Hill of the brushes’, is 15.3 kilometres long and takes the riders to a height of 867 metres. The gradient is just 3.3%, but is also category 3.
Côte Gram Mouth
The ride concludes with the Côte de Gram Mouth, a 4th category ascent with the top about 20 kilometres from the finish. With an average gradient of 2.9%, riders face 9.8 kilometers to an altitude of 778 metres. The finish in Saint-Etienne is at 494 metres.
Tour de France 2014 stage 12: Images and more
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