Tour de France stage 20 preview - Alpe d’Huez, Part II, the hardest stage of the Tour awaits

There will be no gentle farewell to the Alps.

One day after the Tour de France’s first finish on Alpe d’Huez, the peloton returns for a second and considerably more demanding encounter with cycling’s most famous mountain.

Stage 20 features 5,420 metres of elevation gain across 172.2 kilometres, making it the hardest stage of this year’s race. With the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier and Col de Sarenne all packed into the route, the final Alpine test could expose every sign of fatigue accumulated over three weeks of racing.

Only the opening 10 kilometres offer any meaningful respite. From there, the road rises almost without interruption.

Key information:

• Start: 11:30 (CET)
• Estimated Finish: 16:20 (CET)
• Stage type: mountain
• Stage length: 172.16km
• Elevation gain: 5420m

Follow stage 20 live at Domestique with our live reporting.

The stage begins in Le Bourg d’Oisans, at the foot of Alpe d’Huez, but the riders will initially head in the opposite direction.

After roughly 10 kilometres of flat roads, the race reaches the Col de la Croix de Fer. The hors catégorie climb measures 24.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.2 percent, although that relatively modest figure disguises a succession of much steeper sections.

A descent of almost 30 kilometres follows, before the race passes through a 13 kilometre valley and reaches the Col du Télégraphe.

The Télégraphe climbs for 11.9 kilometres at 7.1 percent. There is barely any opportunity to recover at the summit, with only a short and shallow descent separating it from the Col du Galibier.

At 17.8 kilometres and 6.8 percent, the Galibier takes the riders to an altitude of 2,631 metres. Combined, the Télégraphe and Galibier form almost 35 kilometres of continuous climbing.

The riders will then descend for around 30 kilometres before turning towards the decisive ascent of the day.

Instead of approaching Alpe d’Huez through its famous 21 bends, the race climbs towards the resort from the other side via the Col de Sarenne.

The Sarenne measures 12.8 kilometres at 7.3 percent, but its irregular profile makes it more difficult than the average gradient suggests. The opening kilometre rises at more than 10 percent, while another two kilometre section early in the climb also averages close to double figures.

The road becomes slightly more consistent in the middle, but the final four kilometres rise at an average of 9.1 percent. At this point in the stage, and this deep into the Tour, even small changes in gradient could have a significant impact.

Reaching the summit will not mean the climbing is over.

The riders must negotiate 11 kilometres of rolling and largely descending terrain before completing the final 3.7 kilometres of the traditional Alpe d’Huez ascent.

• Col de la Croix de Fer | hors catégorie - 24.3km at 5.2% - 138km to go
• Intermediate sprint - 104.5km to go
• Col du Télégraphe | 1st category - 11.9km at 7.1% - 84km to go
• Col du Galibier | hors catégorie - 17.8km at 6.8% - 61km to go
• Col de Sarenne | hors catégorie - 12.8km at 7.3% - 15km to go

This is one of the most difficult stages of the race to predict. Almost everyone appears to be running on empty, with Tadej Pogačar the obvious exception. The general classification contenders are deep into survival mode, while many of the strongest riders capable of making the breakaway also spent heavily on Stage 19.

Pogačar showed that he still has plenty left, but the condition of UAE Team Emirates-XRG remains the biggest uncertainty. There are signs that the team is recovering. Nils Politt and Felix Großschartner avoided the illness and both delivered strong performances on Stage 19, while Adam Yates appears to be improving quickly. Pogačar and Isaac Del Toro also seem to have escaped the worst of the sickness. Tim Wellens has been the most affected, although even he looked better than the previous day.

The decisive question is whether UAE can provide Pogačar with enough support to control the race and put either him or Del Toro in position to fight for the stage win.

The weather could add another layer of uncertainty. Rain is forecast, which could make the descents more dangerous, disrupt UAE’s ability to control the race and increase the chances of the breakaway staying clear. 

Tadej Pogačar fully deserves his status as the five star favourite. UAE Team Emirates-XRG has grown stronger as the race has progressed, while Pogačar is one of the few riders who does not appear to be running on empty. Even so, the difficulty of this stage means the illness within the team could still become a factor. Given Pogačar’s attacking instincts, it would be no surprise to see him go solo over the Galibier if that is what it takes to win the stage.

His teammate Isaac Del Toro also remains firmly in podium contention. Only Paul Seixas is still within striking distance, but Del Toro’s experience of already having two Grand Tours in his legs could prove decisive. On Stage 19, he underlined his strength by dropping Seixas in the finale.

Another rider who still appears to have plenty left is Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost. His performance on Alpe d’Huez was remarkable, especially after winning the previous stage. Carapaz combines immense talent with relentless aggression, and another attack feels almost inevitable. He has moved up to eighth overall and could climb even higher, while the polka dot jersey remains another major objective.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has now switched fully into attacking mode. Sepp Kuss impressed on Stage 19, although he was unable to follow Carapaz and Lenny Martinez in the finale. Kuss is renowned for his resilience, particularly deep into the third week of a Grand Tour, and he is likely to try again.

The same applies to Bruno Armirail, who rode Stage 19 in support of Kuss. Armirail looked strong enough to suggest that he could be given the freedom to pursue his own result this time.

Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Mobility is another rider whose toughness should not be underestimated. He began to feel unwell on Stage 18 after sharing a room with his brother Anders, yet still finished fifth. He repeated that result the following day with an even more impressive performance.

Johannessen has shown before just how deep he is willing to go. Last year, he collapsed after the finish of the Ventoux stage and required oxygen, but recovered to improve from eighth to sixth overall across the following two mountain stages. On a day like this, he cannot be discounted.

For Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, this is the final major obstacle between him and second place in the general classification. His recent performances suggest he has that position under control, but a stage of this severity leaves little room for complacency.

A podium finish also remains possible for Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM. He trails Del Toro by only 24 seconds, although overturning that deficit will be difficult. Still only 19, the Frenchman has already demonstrated exceptional resilience throughout the race.

Lenny Martinez of Bahrain Victorious may be most concerned about Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek. Martinez finished second from the breakaway on Stage 19 and moved up to fifth overall through an intelligent ride. However, Skjelmose is only nine seconds behind and has looked increasingly strong, setting up an intriguing battle between the pair.

For Skjelmose’s teammate Juan Ayuso, the priority will be survival. His disrupted preparation appears to have caught up with him in the third week, and he has struggled badly in recent stages. With Carapaz closing from behind, even Ayuso’s seventh place in the general classification could now be under threat.

⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pogacar

⭐⭐⭐  Carapaz, Kuss

⭐⭐  Johannessen, Evenepoel, Del Toro

⭐  Armirail, Seixas, Skjelmose, Martinez