Stage 17 of the Tour de France, a 65km route from Bagnères-de-Luchon to Col de Portet, will this year start with riders lining up in a grid formation.
This formation will be determined according to their general classification position, said race organisers ASO.
Stage 17 of the Tour de France, a 65km route, will this year start with riders lining up in a grid formation. Photo: Photo credits
Likened to Formula 1’s racing grid, the 20 best-placed riders on GC will be positioned at the front, with the rest of the peloton spread across four groups along a 70-metre section behind them.
The stage will be the shortest of the road races in the tour but could possibly be the hardest with three major climbs, including a 16km challenge up the Col de Portet to finish off.
More than half of the route – approximately 38km – will run uphill.
With only four stages following this short but challenging race, positioning could end up playing a vital part in the final outcome of the 21-stage French Grand Tour, which starts on July 7.
Read about the full route of the race.
