TDF 2024:- Stage 20: Nice – Col de la Couillole, 132.8km ***Spoilers***

Stage 20: Nice – Col de la Couillole, 132.8km

July 20th.

Start Time: 12-25BST.

The penultimate stage of Le Tour has Paris-Nice written all over it. Not only does the race start in Nice, but also three of the four mountains served as finishes in recent editions of the Race to the Sun. Stage 20 of the Tour de France is merely 132.8 kilometres long. Four big mountains have been crammed into, adding up to 4,500m of climbing in total. This stage is the 2024 Étape du Tour.

So the Tour goes ‘Paris-Nice’ and it does so in style. The race kicks into gear at the Place Masséna in Nice. The riders rolll out in northerly direction and enter the first climbs after 15 kilometres.

Profile.

Map.

The Climbs.

Col de Braus (Cat. 2)

Col de Turini (Cat. 1)

Col de la Colmiane (Cat. 1)

Col de la Couillole (Cat. 1)

Climbing 4,600m

Final Kilometres.

What to Expect.

It could be all over by now, but if not, a battle between the big two.

Perhaps the more interesting race will be the one for the bottom rung of the podium.

Nice

Stage town for the 37th time

Prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes (06)

Population: 345,000

NICE AND CYCLING

Nice is becoming a key city in the Tour de France. Before enjoying the privilege of becoming the first town to host the final finish of the Tour away from its Parisian base, the prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes had the honour of organising the Grand Départ of an edition that was already unlike any other, that of September 2020, when covid-19 made the logistics particularly tricky. The opening stages, won by Alexander Kristoff in the sprint and then by Julian Alaphilippe in yellow.

In 2013, for the 100th edition of the Tour de France, Nice was back on the course, thirty-two years after hosting the 1981 Grand Départ. It's first appearance as a stage town in the Tour de France was in 1906.

Specialities: pissaladière, fougasse, socca, brissaouda, tapenade, salade niçoise, pan bagnat, porchetta, trulle, ratatouille, daube niçoise, bellet (wine)

Socca

Originally derived from the Genovese farinata, socca eventually became the specialty of Nice, France, where it is a street food staple. This traditional flatbread is made with chickpea flour, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once the batter is prepared, it is transferred to a wide pan or a skillet, which is placed in the oven at very high temperature. The batter is then baked until the socca hardens and begins to slightly burn on the edges. Once baked, socca is sliced into pieces and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. It can be served as an appetizer with cheese, olives, and a glass of rosé on the side.

Col de la Couillole

Stage resort for the first time

Alpes-Maritimes pass (06)

Population: 120

COL DE LA COUILLOLE AND CYCLING

Although Col de la Couillole has already featured twice in the Tour de France, during the Embrun-Nice stage in 1973 and the Nice-Pra-Loup stage in 1975 (Lucien Van Impe took the lead while Eddy Merckx lost ground), this is the first time that a finish has taken place here.

Daube.

Daube is a hearty Provençal stew consisting of meat (mostly beef, but other meats like lamb can be used) that is simmered low and slow in wine with various vegetables and seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Traditionally, the stew is prepared in a special earthenware vessel called a daubiére, which is specially shaped to stop the evaporation of the flavorful cooking liquids.