TDF 2022:- Stage 16: Carcassonne - Foix 178.5km ***Spoilers***

Stage 16: Carcassonne - Foix 178.5km

Start Time: 12-30CET.

The first day in the Pyrenees could be a good moment for breakaway riders... provided that they’re well equipped to deal with the mountains, of course. So, don’t expect the GC leaders to make a big deal of this first day in the Pyrénées. They will be happy to see a breakaway succeed and reserve their strength for the monster climbs ahead.



The opening 110 kilometers include a couple of small climbs and a sprint that will allow a break to form. To celebrate victory in Foix, the riders will first have to deal with the climb to the Port de Lers and then make their move on the Mur de Péguère. The Mur de Péguère is very steep, very narrow, and access will be prohibited to the public, as was the case in 2017. The 20 or so kilometres from the summit towards the administrative centre of the Ariège aren’t particularly testing.
This century has seen three Tour de France stage finishes in Foix. In 2008, Kurt Asle Arvesen took the spoils; in 2012, it was Luis León Sánchez who turned out on top; and in 2017 Warren Barguil outgunned Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador and Mikel Landa. On all occasions, the winner came from the breakaway.
The finale of the last two races to Foix was identical.



The Climbs:

The Port de Lers is a 11.4 kilometres ascent with an average gradient of 7%.



The Mur de Péguère is a killer. The first 6 km are easy and steady, but it follows with 3,5 km at 11,9% average, one kilometre at 13% and a steepest sector at 18%.



Final Kms.

The first rider over the top enters a flying descent of 17 kilometres. The downhill flattens out a little in the last 10 kilometres, but still, the road continues to go downhill. So a finish at breakneck speeds is to be expected.





What to Expect:

This looks set up for a very long battle to get into the break. If strong climbers who can descend make it, then expect the breakaway to take the spoils. If the breakaway tussle goes on until the terrain changes, then it's possible that the GC teams may still be within reach to contest the finale.
I favour the former.

Along the Route.

OCCITANIA REGION

Departments: Ariège, Aude, Aveyron, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Hérault, Lot, Lozère, Hautes-Pyrénées, Pyrénées-Orientales, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
Population: 5.9 million
Prefecture: Toulouse.
Specialities: foie gras, cassoulet, aligot, tielle sétoise, brandade de morue (cod brandade), haricots tarbais (beans), garbure (soup), sweet onion, Céret cherries, wines (Pic Saint-Loup, Corbières, Cahors, Costières de Nîmes, blanquette of Limoux, Minervois, Tavel, Madiran). Perrier spring water.

Brandade de morue




Km 97.5

TARASCON-SUR-ARIEGE (Pop: 3,000)

Tarascon has an exceptional prehistoric heritage. During Antiquity, the iron mines of the region were dearly coveted, while Tarascon underwent successive invasions by the Franks, the Vandals, then the Visigoths and the Saracens. The history of Tarascon really began in 778, when the town was the scene of a battle in which Charlemagne's troops repelled the Saracens. Once the region was pacified, it came under the control of the Counts of Foix from the 11th century onwards. The Count's castle was built three centuries later.



Foix

Population: 9,600
Specialities: liver sausage (pork), azinat (stuffed cabbage), mounjetado (enriched cassoulet), duck, Tomme des Pyrénées, Flocons d'Ariège (confectionery), Hypocras (medieval aperitif)

FOIX AND CYCLING

The last visit of the Tour de France in Foix was marked by the beautiful victory of Simon Yates on the Prat d'Albis, but it was Thibaut Pinot who made the biggest impression in this stage, attacking 6 km from the summit to surprise the other favourites and to establish himself as a serious candidate for the final victory. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, a knee injury decided otherwise. The prefecture of Ariège has recently been favourable to French riders since, the year before, in a short stage from Saint-Girons, Warren Barguil had won and collected precious points for the conquest of the polka dot jersey. This first stage victory of "Wawa" in the Grande Boucle was all the more convincing as the Frenchman had outwitted a prestigious trio composed of Alberto Contador, Mikel Landa and Nairo Quintana. In 2008, Kurt-Asle Arvesen became the third Norwegian winner of a Tour stage at the foot of the castle, after a sprint won with millimetre accuracy in front of Swiss Martin Elmiger and Italian Alessandro Ballan. In 2012, Luis Leon Sanchez confirmed his taste for the roads of Ariège. The Spaniard won both in Saint-Girons in 2009 and in Foix in 2012. A few years earlier, the 1984 Tour de l'Avenir was largely played out around Foix, with Charly Mottet being part of a breakaway. The next day, he won the stage that started in Foix and finished in Saint-Gaudens, before taking the lead in the general classification. Ariège is also home to one of the world's greatest Grand Fondos, the Ariégeoise, one of whose routes, the Passejade, passes through Foix in June.



Mounjetado


Hypocras
















"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments

  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,123
    edited July 2022
    If you can get at least a minute on the final 4km of the Mur de Péguère a GC rider who can climb on the really steep stuff might be tempted as they could go all the way to the finish with that.

    Maybe a day for Ineos to send one of their top ten up the road? I'd expect Pog to have a go unless he's cooked.

    Back in the day an Armstrong would have mainlined EPO and gone for a flyer on the Lers, getting 5 minutes on the GC group.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    Looks like a good stage for Pidcock
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Pross said:

    Looks like a good stage for Pidcock

    Pity he went home after stage 8 ;)
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,601
    Pross said:

    Looks like a good stage for Pidcock

    He has to get over the climb first.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    I think Pidcock would have a good chance from a break but he's too high on GC to be allowed up the road presumably.

    Having said that it looks pretty wide open so I've gone for him in PTP anyway as I haven't got a better suggestion!
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,572

    I think Pidcock would have a good chance from a break but he's too high on GC to be allowed up the road presumably.

    Having said that it looks pretty wide open so I've gone for him in PTP anyway as I haven't got a better suggestion!

    He's 8 minutes down on Jonas and I think almost 4 minutes down on the rider immediately in front of him on GC.
  • neonriver
    neonriver Posts: 228
    Dan Martin saying it’s cross tail out of Carcassonne and pretty open
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655
    Logic says Jumbo Visma let a strong break go, sit and defend.
    Van Aert says "I shall attack from k0"

    If Ineos try and get Pidcock in the break or UAE try and get Majka then Van Aert will definitely mark them. All of them could be useful up the road for a leader

    Cross tail start will give us a hectic opening
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Will the peloton be strong enough to stop some higher placed GC riders going up the road .
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    If Pidcock can get in a break hopefully that's primarily as part of their strategy to win the race rather than Pidcock looking for another stage - even if it's only to make Jumbo ride hard to keep the break on a shorter leash.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,438
    It can be both can't it? Depending on how the race plays out
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    r0bh said:

    It can be both can't it? Depending on how the race plays out


    It can be both - making Jumbo ride hard wouldn't stop him going for the stage - but stage ambitions and race ambitions won't necessarily coincide.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,183
    edited July 2022
    Being as it’s too hot for anything else, looks like my afternoon will be on the sofa watching/snoozing through this today. Fortunately tv is in the coolest room of the house.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Mad_Malx said:

    Being as it’s too hot for anything else, looks like my afternoon will be on the sofa watching/snoozing through this today. Fortunately tv is in the coolest room of the house.


    How convenient...
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    I think the steep final climb may discourage a long range pidcock attack. Martinez maybe?

    Thinking more tomorrow plus val louron is tech descent .pidcock would be disappear down the road



    Who could say ....anything could happen
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited July 2022
    Lennard 'Lenny' Kamna is a DNS. Non-Covid illness
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    RichN95. said:

    Leonard 'Lenny' Kamna is a DNS. Non-Covid illness

    Wasn't up to par by his standards after the alpes
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655
    Mohoric has a dropper post on today, apparently.

    😱
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  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,438
    Good, he's in my velogames team and has done nothing so far!
  • commuterlegs
    commuterlegs Posts: 271
    Mohoric is at Le Tour!? :o
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655
    Mur de Péguère is where some idiot spread tacks on the road in 2012.
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited July 2022
    If pidcock did get into a decent breakaway he would disappear on the descent of the port de lers
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    No heat protocol route shortening today then?
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  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,718
    Poor Lenny

    For a rider who has been in front a lot of the tour he hasn't had much luck
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited July 2022
    Cherel and Paret-Peintre of AG2R have both covexited.

    Now only 26 DNFs stand between Froome and 5th Tour win.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,655

    Mohoric is at Le Tour!? :o

    Been saving himself to help Pog in week 3 😉
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    larkim said:

    No heat protocol route shortening today then?

    It's hotter here
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • bianchi_dave
    bianchi_dave Posts: 933
    Adam Blythe saying 40% chance of rain on final descent later. Could make things interesting
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  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 6,057

    Mur de Péguère is where some idiot spread tacks on the road in 2012.

    I didn't know this year's TDF was visiting the New Forest. ;)
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