Stage 13 of the Tour de France 2014 will be underway on Friday. Alexander Kristoff of the Katusha team managed to stave off Peter Sagan of Cannondale to end up victorious in Stage 12. Italian Vincenzo Nibali, of the Astana team, holds the yellow jersey.
Contestants will brace for a hard ride in the Alps. Stage 13 will see riders cover a distance of 197.5 kilometres between St.Etienne and Chamrousse, a ski resort. A ending atop a mountain in Chamrousse shall feature in Stage 13.
A total of 135 kilometres of mostly flat territory lies before the riders in this stage before their ascent into the mountainous stretches. Riders will encounter the Col de la Croix Montvieux in this stage. After they descend from here they will see flat terrain.
The Col de Palaquit in this stage stands before the contestants. After they descend to the bottom parts of Col de Palaquit the contestants will look to be as aggressive as possible. However descending from this mountain is a very hard task it appears. It is said to be steep in many areas. After kilometres two and three a relatively easier part surfaces for the riders, according to Cyclingquotes.com. The four kilometres after that are said to be harder.
After they come down from, territory completely flat in nature lies before the riders. An intermediate sprint shall be seen after this. Thereafter the Hors Categorie (HC) climb commences and from here on the ending at Chamrousse beckons. This climb comes to 18.2 kilometres. Contestants will have to contend with the toughest sections of this climb right at the bottom. As the race draws to a close during the last kilometre riders will have to brace for a couple of hairpin bends. The final 340 metres are straight.
Chamrousse played host previously in the Tour de France in 2001 when Lance Armstrong came out triumphant.
After the rain wreaked havoc in the first few stages, it now appears the heat is sapping the energy out of the contestants. More hot weather has been predicted for Friday's stage. This said, a light wind may come as some sort of relief for riders.
Alexander Kristoff can make hay while the sun shines after his first win in Tour de France 2014. Peter Sagan, second on four occasions, will look to do one better. Consolidation of his position as yellow jersey holder will be Vincenzo Nibali's aim. Richie Porte of Sky will want to thwart him and snatch the coveted yellow jersey from him.
Where to Watch Live:
Ten Sports Day 13
7-45 PM To 9-15 PM (IST) Friday
France
Online Links
Ten Sports Day 13 HERE
