14 DAY TRIAL // After the second rest day, there’s no time for the peloton to take it easy, as the organizers have created a sixteenth stage for Le Tour de France that’s both very long, at close to 238 kilometers (147.8 miles), and very steep, with riders set to tackle the impressive Port de Bales.
Estimated time in the saddle for the course is about six hours, which is a lot even for a professional, and the difficulty will be increased by the fact that there’s no real flat on which to rest on any of the featured climbs.
In order to increase the excitement level, the ASO has also chosen to end the stage on a downhill section, which means that those who want to be crowned winners at Bagneres-de-Luchon need to be capable attackers, while also having the confidence to descent at speed.
The last mountainous stage was good for my team, and this one could offer another occasion to get back a few places on the General Classification or maybe even get the win.
Frank Schleck is not traditionally seen as a good rider on the downhill, but I will try my best to stay near the front and make sure that I play a part in the finish.
The sixteenth stage started subdued enough, with a long breakaway attempt which included some powerful riders, but Saxo Bank – Tinkoff was willing to let them go, and at one point, they managed to get a gap of more than 13 minutes.
I also paid extra special attention to the water usage of my riders and made sure that they had all the resources they needed before the final climb of Port de Bales started.
All the big favorites, including Contador, Quintana and Froome, created a select group on the early slopes, and after burning through some of my support riders, I managed to get both Kiserlovksi and Schleck in there.
No one was able to accelerate for a while after that, and the riders started picking up some of those who were part of the initial breakaway.
Near the top, the group splintered as each rider tried to get a good position for the descent, and I managed to get Frank Schleck up to Alberto Contador.
Peraud took the stage for AG2R, and both Froome and Quintana managed to take some time back from the current race leader, while my most powerful rider stays in tenth place.
