As a bonus the winner is more than likely to take the yellow jersey. A few seconds at the top plus a times bonus at 10 seconds should be enough to dethrone the sprinter who powered to victory in stage 1.
Actually, the closing climb comes in three parts. First Côte de La Glacerie – 1.9 kilometres at 6.5% and a steepest section at 14% -, after which a slight 500 metres descent takes the riders to the last 700 metres at 5.7%.
Last year, La Grande Boucle brought two finishes on a short and steep ramp not unlike today’s. Stage 8 to the Mûr-de-Bretagne saw Alexis Vuillermoz outperform Dan Martin, Alejandro Valverde en Peter Sagan. In stage 3, finishing at the super-steep Wall of Huy, Joaquim Rodríguez climbed to victory ahead of Froome, Vuillermoz and Dan Martin.
Talking about the Wall of Huy. Obviously, the Ardennes hill has been the finish for the Fleche Wallone for years. It’s more or less Valverde-territory, as the Spaniard was the king of last three editions. This year he bested Julian Alaphilippe, Dan Martin and Wout Poels.
Favourites 2nd stage Tour de France 2016:
*** Alejandro Valverde, Julian Alaphilippe, Dan Martin, Joaquim Rodríguez
** Tony Gallopin, Alexis Vuillermoz, Michael Matthews, Peter Sagan
* Greg Van Avermaet, Wout Poels, Tom-Jelte Slager, Jan Bakelants
Tour de France 2016 stage 2: Route maps, height profiles, etc.
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Riders - Tour de France 2016 Favourites - Tour de France 2016 GC Favourites - Tour de France 2016 More articles Vuelta 2025: Riders
Tour de France 2025: Riders
Giro 2025: Riders
Tour de France 2025: The Route
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 1: Lille - Lille
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 2: Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 3: Valenciennes - Dunkirk
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 4: Amiens - Rouen
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 5: Caen - Caen
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 7: Saint-Malo - Mûr-de-Bretagne
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 8: Saint-Méen-le-Grand - Laval
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 9: Chinon - Châteauroux
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 10: Ennezat - Le Mont-Dore
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 11: Toulouse - Toulouse
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 12: Auch - Hautacam
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 13: Loudenvielle - Peyragudes
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 14: Pau - Superbagnères
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 15: Muret - Carcassonne
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 16: Montpellier - Mont Ventoux
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 18: Vif - Col de la Loze
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 19: Albertville - La Plagne
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 20: Nantua - Pontarlier
Tour de France 2025 Route stage 21: Mantes-la-Ville - Paris
Giro 2025: The Route Rumours
Cycling Calendar 2025
Tour de France Femmes 2025: The Route
Tour de France Femmes 2025 Route stage 1: Vannes - Plumelec
Vuelta 2025: The Route (Rumours)
Tour Down Under 2025: The Route