The route undulates constantly for the first 135 kilometres of the race. There are no major climbs, but maintaining a high speed on these relentless ups and downs will wear out the pure sprinters. So, it’s likely that teams with strong sprinters, Alpecin-Deceuninck (Philipsen) and Intermarché – Wanty (Girmay), will take charge and set a pace that their fast men can just about handle, while riders like Cavendish, Bennett, and Jakobsen will already be digging deep into their reserves.
After the gruelling ride to Le Lioran in stage 11, no sprinter will have fresh legs in Aurillac. If the pace ramps up right from the start in the rolling opening phase, it’s going to be painful.
After 40 kilometres, the riders descend into more hilly terrain. Over the next 75 kilometres, they face four KOMs: Côte d’Autoire (2.7 kilometres at 5.9%), Côte de Rocamadour (2 kilometres at 5.8%), Côte de Couzou (1.7 kilometres at 6.3%), and Côte de Montcléra (2 kilometres at 4.6%). These climbs aren’t Alpe d’Huez material, but pushing hard enough will challenge the pure sprinters. Even if they manage to hang on, it’ll take a toll on their sprint at the finish in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
After Montcléra, the course flattens out for the final 68.1 kilometres. This sets the stage for an exciting finale, with sprinters attempting to catch up while a breakaway group aims to stay ahead of the peloton. Which is always a possibility that could turn out to become a reality.
At 11 kilometres from the finish, there’s a 2.6 kilometres climb at 2.7%. Then it’s downhill to the flat final 5 kilometres.
Favourites 12th stage 2024 Tour de France
*** Biniam Girmay, Arnaud De Lie, Jasper Philipsen, Wout van Aert
** Mathieu van der Poel, Michael Matthews, Paul Lapeira, Marijn van den Berg
* Matej Mohoric, Magnus Cort, Alberto Bettiol, Stephen Williams, Romain Grégoire
Another interesting read: route 12th stage 2024 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2024 stage 12: route, profile, video
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