Preview: What you need to know about stage 7 of the 2021 Tour de France
Preview: What you need to know about stage 7 of the 2021 Tour de France
Date: Friday July 2
Start: Vierzon
Finish: Le Creusot
Distance: 249 km
Yep, 249 km. That’s the longest stage of the Tour in 21 years. But this isn’t a pan-flat stage as these super-long ones tend to be. No, this stage through the Morvan mountain range features 3,000 metres of climbing with two fourth-category climbs, two third-category climbs, and the first second-category climb of the Tour.
That second-category climb, the Signal d’Uchon, peaks 18 km from the finish and has bonus seconds on offer at the top. It’s a bit of a strange climb: it’s easy for the first 3 km, downhill, then averages more than 10% for the last 2 km, peaking at 18%.
The last climb is a fourth-category ascent (2.4 km at 5.3%) that peaks 8 km from the finish. Nice launch pad?
What to watch for: Some possible action on the Signal d’Uchon, especially the steep part at the top.
Who’s it for: Probably the breakaway?
Dane Cash’s picks: The decent likelihood of a breakaway taking the day makes this the hardest stage to predict thus far at the 2021 Tour. The profile suits the likes of Peter Sagan, Julian Alaphilippe, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and Michael Matthews, but if the pack lets a break battle for the win, the list of potential winners gets much longer. Kasper Asgreen, Søren Kragh Andersen, and Thomas De Gendt are just a few of the potential escapees who could feature.
