TDF 2024:-Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Saint-Vulbas, 177.4km ***Spoilers***
Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Saint-Vulbas, 177.4km
July 3rd
Start Time:12-20
The Tour will temporarily exit the Alps via Chambéry in stage 5. Starting in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the 177.4km route will head to Saint-Vulbas and will tackle only two climbs, the Côte du Cheval Blanc and the Côte de l’Huis, the latter taking place with 34km left to race, and one intermediate sprint interspersed between the two ascents. Saint-Vulbas saw it’s last pro-peloton finish in the 2016 Criterium du Dauphiné. Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the town in the foothills of the Alps saw two Tour de France stage starts in the last decade.
Profile.
Map.
The Climbs.
Côte du Cheval Blanc (Cat. 4)
Côte de Lhuis (Cat. 4)
Total climbing1,050m
Final Kilometres.
Saint-Vulbas is situated in that direction, on the west bank of the Rhône. After Vertrieu, the riders cross the Rhône again and follow the D20 to Saint-Vulbas. There's a sharp right turn into an industrial estate, the Zone Industriel de la Plaine de l'Ain, and another right turn onto the Avenue des Bergeries.
After a slight bend to the left, the finish line comes into view.
What to Expect.
On the way from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas, there are only two climbs, and they're far from the finish. So, it looks odds on another sprint finish and another opportunity for Mark Cavendish to go for broke.
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Stage town for the 5th time
Sub-prefecture of Savoie (73)
Population: 7,600
SAINT-JEAN-DE-MAURIENNE AND CYCLING
Although the Tour ignored Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne until 2006, it has since become a regular fixture here, with stages in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2019. The town has also featured many times during stages. Geraint Thomas has good cause to remember it: in 2019, one of the most eventful stages in the Tour's recent history set off from the birthplace of Opinel knives towards Tignes, where the race never arrived due to a landslide. That day, Egan Bernal, in a breakaway with Simon Yates, secured overall victory in the Tour.
Specialities: crozets, diots and pormoniers (Savoy sausages), farcement (potato cake with bacon), Beaufort, Bleu de Bonneval, Termignon (cheeses), Persan (red wine)
Farcement.
The Fontcouverte snails
Since 2006, snail breeder Carole Milan has set up in the village of Fontcouverte, between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and La Toussuire, and sells her produce at markets, grocery shops and delicatessens in the region, as well as in a number of restaurants. The farm, known as “L'Escargot de la Maison Blanche” (The White House Snail), has around a thousand snails and can be visited by prior arrangement from June to September.
Saint-Vulbas
Stage town for the first time
Municipality in Ain
Population: 1,250
SAINT-VULBAS AND CYCLING
Saint-Vulbas may be making its first appearance on the Tour de France route, but this small town in the Ain region is already a major cycling venue, having hosted the Critérium du Dauphiné twice, the Tour de l'Avenir three times and above all the Tour de l'Ain, for which it is regularly one of the first stage towns.
Specialities: villibadoise tart, sugar tart, salted walnut tart, Bugey wines. Marc du Bugey. Bugey cheeses.
Baked and salted walnut tarts
A must at traditional oven festivals, the various wood-fired tarts can be discovered every year from April to October in the villages of Bugey. The origins of the Bugey oven festivals go back to the Middle Ages. Villagers had to pay a tax, known as banalité, to the lord who had built the oven, in exchange for its use. Salé aux noix du Bugey is a savoury bread pastry, flattened to be filled with crushed walnuts and onion rings, and drizzled with walnut oil. This delicious, unexpectedly textured tart, served hot or warm, can be enjoyed as a starter or main course, accompanied by a green salad.
Comments
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Saint-Vulvas? 😮
Oh I read that wrong
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That Salé aux noix du Bugey looks delicious
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This is a weird finish town. The Saint-Vulbas commune population is 1,234. It's got a nuclear power station in Bugey. The finish is going to be in a random bit of scrubby woodland that probably serves as a park. The finish line itself nothing more than an indeterminate place to stop. The run up will feature a lot of light industry, a vista that will leave viewers wistfully remembering the outskirts of Liege.
No idea why the Tour is stopping here
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The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
Wikipedia not sugar coating the view of the 12th century chapel.
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It's part of France ...they should cover the sh1tty bits. Warts and all
"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 pm2 -
At the risk of seemingly terminally and impossibly mad, I kind of like cooling towers. They're a pleasing shape, and now almost extinct (in the UK at least) despite being local landmarks for generations.
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I would rather watch a video feed of the cooling towers than the crap they put out on "The Breakaway."
Currently acting out on the cringe worthy, Breakaway Bus.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Me too. Grew up around them. Dad worked at Ferrybridge A then B then C Station. Saw them all built, working, decommissioned, then demolished in my lifetime :(
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I'd like to leave some about for a few thousand years. Future archeologists will be discussing how in the early bronze age there were the beaker people but at some point a few thousand years later there were the GIANT BEAKER PEOPLE!
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The first 50km or so is definitely the sort of stage I'd be happy to ride 😁
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Nobody interested in forming a breakaway again.
A by product of sprinter teams no longer allowing breaks more than a couple of minutes.
Makes for a very poor spectacle.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Flag has dropped and.... Nothing. Pee stops.
Could have stuck them over the Lacets they're showing us from the heli shot, like the pictures were directed by Jim Bowen from Bullseye: "See what you could have won"
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If they go any slower
"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 pm0 -
Ayuso and Lazkano have accidentally drifted off the front. Perhaps Ayuso was saving his legs for this yesterday?
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Has G practiced falling yet? ;)
They really should expand the points for sprints and KOMs to something like the top ten, not only by position, but also by segment time.
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
About 35kph for the first half hour.
Has all the mucking about just turned a little more serious?
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
You want a old school timed intergiro type deal with a jersey ...ditch the white jersey
"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 pm0 -
Ditch the white jersey is a competition I'd like to see. Everyone attempting to put Remco off the verge...
We have a break of sorts, two sacrificial Frenchmen: Vercher of Total Energies and Russo of FDJ. My theory is that Gaudu failed so badly to deliver valiant failure yesterday (achieving only run of the mill failure, possibly even cowardly failure) that Madiot is attempting to find panache elsewhere
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Must be slightly depressing to be allowed into a breakaway on a day like this.
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It's almost humiliation punishment for being the 2 weakest teams
"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 pm0 -
Two hours done and still over 100kms to ride.
This stage is as dull as today’s weather.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
It is well known to be a designated sprint stage. Why would anyone bother watching anything before the last 10 kms?
Thanks for being the spotter so I know when to switch on though. 😉
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Is that Jonas staying near the front ?
"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 pm0 -
It is with WvA ...hoping for a split?
"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 pm0 -
Pog causing a crash. Is it just me or are the commentators calling every crash a 'big crash'? The one at the end of Stage 3 only took a few riders down and that one only had 5 down at pretty low speed.
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Did he cause it though?
I saw the late swerve, and making shoulder contact with the rider to his right, but they both stayed upright.
I'm unsure, though I suppose it could have been contributory.
*Edit: On the zoomed in view it just looks like the Bahrain rider behind him was unable to avoid the island and went into the rider on his right, which caused the crash.
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
That was a near miss
"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 pm0 -
More like the last rider to avoid the crash ...he had little choice
"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 pm0 -
Harsh to say he caused that - it was the guy behind him who didn't manage to avoid the sign who brought anyone down. Nobody alongside Pog went over
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