Tour de France 2024 – Stage 21 Preview
After a two fantastic stages in the Alps, the race ends in Nice with a time trial. The GC is set and looking back, it has been for a few stages now. The best bike rider in the World takes his third Tour de France title tomorrow.
Route
It is a long time trial tomorrow with two climbs. La Turbie is the first one. It is regular, and they almost start at the foot of it. A short descend takes them to Col d’Eze, a nasty kicker. At the crest, they have almost passed the halfway point. From here, we will know who is going well and who is losing time. The last half of the race is mostly downhill, with the last 5 km being flat.
Weather
A warm day with the wind blowing from the east/southeast. It is fairly stable throughout the afternoon with speeds between 4-5 m/s.
Contenders
Tadej Pogacar – given he is the best climber this edition, by a large margin may I add, and since the time trial is heavily impacted by the two climbs, I see him as the big favorite to win.
Jonas Vingegaard – he had a nice rebound today, comfirming he will finish second overall. I think given it is the third week, he should do a good time trial tomorrow and finish in the top-3.
Remco Evenepoel – this is his area of expertise. He took the stage win on the first time trial, and today he tried to drop Vingegaard. I think it is great he dared to do so. I think he is the only one that can win besides Pogacar.
Joao Almeida – he is going well. I think well enough to hope for a top-3 on the stage.
Who will win the stage?
I will go for Tadej Pogacar. He will climb the best tomorrow.