Will Tadej Pogačar continue to stamp his authority on the difficult mountain stage that culminates with the ascent of Plateau de Beille on Sunday? Or will defending champion Jonas Vingegaard use the steep slopes to regain some time lost to his rival? Will a French rider go for stage glory on Bastille Day and be able to hold the GC contenders?
Stage 15 on the third Sunday of the Tour de France could prove crucial as the terrain on this stage is ripe for revenge or confirmation, with 4,850 metres of vertical gain on the menu over almost 200 kilometres of racing.
All manner of scenarios could play out, and it’s not unrealistic to imagine that teammates of the GC contenders will attempt to infiltrate the breakaway, climbing the Peyresourde.
That would prove invaluable given what lies ahead, especially in a finale that features the climbs of the Col d’Agnes and the Port de Lers, followed by the final haul up to Plateau de Beille.
Though Vingegaard was not able to follow Pogačar blistering attack in the final five uphill kilometres and lost 39 seconds overall, he takes confidence that he was able to claw some time back on the steepest part of the climb.
“When it was steep, I was catching back some time. So I think he gained most of the time when he was more flat because he has his total power and also on the downhill path. So in some kind of way, it also gives confidence for tomorrow,” Vingegaard said after stage 14.
The riders will be able to give it their all on this stage, because the following day they’ll have a well-deserved rest day.
Stage 15 information
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Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 profile(Image credit: ASO)
Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 - Col d’Agnes profile(Image credit: ASO)
Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 - Plateau de Beille profile(Image credit: ASO)
Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 route(Image credit: ASO)
Starting in Loudenvielle, the climbing starts from kilometre zero on stage 15 with the ascent of Col de Peyresourde (6.9km at 7.8%). From the outset, there will be a lot of attacks on this climb, and only good climbers will be able to escape the peloton, that would prove invaluable given what lies ahead, the Col de Menté (9.3km at 9.1%) and Col de Portet-d’Aspet (4.3km at 9.6%).
The riders will have about 70 kilometres before tackling the finale which features the climbs of the Col d’Agnes (10km at 8.2%), and the Port de Lers followed by the final haul up to Plateau de Beille. The final formidable climb is 15.8km long with an average gradient of 7.9% with the hardest gradients at the bottom where the KOM strava of 44 minutes and 54 seconds is held by Thibaut Pinot.
Stage 15 Sprints
Intermediate sprint, km 37
Stage 15 Mountains
Col de Peyresourde (6.9km at 7.8%), cat. 1, km 7
Col de Menté (9.3km at 9.1%), cat. 1, km 50
Col de Portet-d’Aspet (4.3km at 9.6%), cat. 1, km 65.4
Col d’Agnes (10km at 8.2%), cat. 1, km 138.6
Plateau de Beille (15.8km at 7.9%), cat. HC, km 197.7
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
