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Pogacar was held off and Tom Pidcock got away on the famous summit finish up Alpe d'Huez to snag a stage win. Stage 13 mostly flattens out over 193 km from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Étienne, but does feature 3 categorized climbs with the Cat 3 Côte de Brié, Cat 2 Col de Parménie, and the final Cat 3 Côte de Saint-Romain-en-Gal. While the Col de Parménie has some steeper sections over 6% it is relatively short at 5.1 km and comes early in the stage so the peloton should be able to handle the climb without trouble. The stage finish features 800 meters of straight flat roads, which could provide an opportunity for the remaining sprinters in the field.

Weather Forecast

The forecast calls for hot windy conditions that could impact riders throughout the day. Temperatures will hover around 30 degrees celsius through the day stressing riders from start to finish. The wind increases over the course and shifts from a predominant headwind for the first 120 km to a crosswind heading into the climb up the Côte de Saint-Romain-en-Gal. The final 40 km run to the finish could feature some strong tailwinds, a rider leading up the last climb of the day could solo to victory.

Stage Analysis

Expect to see more break-a-ways and teams trying to snag a stage win after two epic days in the mountains. With the weather forecast, the stage sets up well for a long range solo attack after the final climb up Côte de Saint-Romain-en-Gal. Aerodynamically a tailwind in the descent and run to the finish makes it extremely hard to pull back riders who have escaped. Riders lower on the overall standings could use the opportunity to pull in some minutes and move up in the overall rankings, but the yellow jersey will continue to mark any big moves. We don't expect any major shakeups on the day, and teams will be happy for a relatively relaxed day at the tour.