Tour de France 2023 Favourites stage 13: GC riders or attackers on Grand Colombier
fotobureau Cor VosIt's all about the Grand Colombier on the thirteenth day of action. The 17.4 kilometres long climb to the line rises at 9.2% in the final 3.4 kilometres. Jonas Vingegaard versus Tadej Pogacar or a successful breakaway?
(Slideshow route/profile)
The climb to the Observatoire de la Lèbe is a long uphill drag, but the slope is very modest - 16.4 kilometres at roughy 3%.
Actually, the Lèbe climb is the only uphill secton in the run-up to the Grande Finale on the Grand Colombier. So it really comes down to the finish climb. It's a 17.4 kilometres long uphill slog with an average gradient of 7.1%. The first 7 kilometres go up at 8.4% before it flattens out until the last 3.4 kilometres throw in 9.2%.
But it's cycling and nothing is set in stone. Yes, it should be easy to control the breakaway, but that's not a guarantee that the control actually will be excuted. So, attackers could give it a shot also and maybe even succeed.
Probably, Jumbo-Visma will not mind if the breakway succeeds and the time bonuses on the line are gone, while UAE Emirates will want the breakaway on a leash in order to launch Pogacar and his fast legs on the summit of Grand Colombier.
Favourites 13th stage 2023 Tour de France
*** Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard
** Giulio Ciccone, Thibaut Pinot, Ben O'Connor, Felix Gall
* Michael Woods, Pierre Latour, Mattias Skjelmose, Matteo Jorgenson
Another interesting read: route 13th stage 2023 Tour de France.
