Preview: What you need to know about stage 14 of the 2021 Tour de France
Preview: What you need to know about stage 14 of the 2021 Tour de France
Date: Saturday July 10
Start: Carcassonne
Finish: Quillan
Distance: 184 km
Into the Pyrenees, albeit with something of an appetizer for the tougher stages ahead. Two Cat 3s and three Cat 2s are on tap for stage 14. The last climb is the second-category Col de Saint-Louis which is 4.7 km at 7.4% and peaks 17 km from the finish. That gradient is steep enough to be a good launching pad for a late attack, and there are bonus seconds at the top, as well.
What to watch for: The spectacular Viaduc de l’Escargot (on the final climb).
Who’s it for: This looks like a day for the breakaway.
Dane Cash’s picks: This Tour has been kind to breakaway specialists thus far, and they’ll have another golden opportunity on stage 14, where the GC contenders are likely to be saving some energy ahead of the higher mountains. As usual, it’s hard to predict who will make it up the road, but strong candidates for the stage include Julian Alaphilippe, Matej Mohoric, Wout van Aert, Magnus Cort, Sonny Colbrelli, Omar Fraile, Dylan Teuns, Sergio Higuita, Mike Woods, and Ion Izagirre.
