Le Tour de France 2020
It’s one of the least predictable Tours de France in years. Chris Froome is out, as is 2018 winner Geraint Thomas. Last year’s winner Egan Bernal leads the new guard of riders vying for the yellow jersey, but his victory is by no means assured. Add an unconventional route that’s filled with climbing from the second stage onwards, and you’ve got a recipe for a chaotic Tour that encourages mountain attacks. It’s shaping up to be the outstanding highlight of a cycling season that’s been muted by Covid-19.
When is it?
The Tour begins on August 29th in Nice, rescheduled from its original start date of June 20. It’ll run until September 20, with rest days on September 7 and 14.
Where to Watch
US: NBC has the rights. You’ll be able to watch on NBC Sports, provided there are no schedule conflicts with more American sports like Nascar, pig wrestling, or hot dog eating.
UK: Eurosport and ITV. Pick the one that has the best commentators and the least annoying ads.
Europe: It’s on Eurosport. And your local TV channel. And going past your house. You guys are spoiled.
Everywhere: Pirate streams exist. We don’t endorse them. Race rights keep races alive directly through broadcast fees and indirectly through allowing the organizers to more accurately report viewership to their sponsors.
The Course
Stage 1 – 8/29 – Nice Moyen Pays > Nice (156km)
Stage 2 – 8/30 – Nice Haut Pays > Nice(186km)
Stage 3 – 8/31 – Nice > Sisteron (198km)
Stage 4 – 9/1 – Sisteron > Orcières-Merlette (160.5km)
Stage 5 – 9/2 – Gap > Privas (183km)
Stage 6 – 9/3 – Le Teil > Mont Augoual (191km)
Stage 7 – 9/4 – Millau > Lavaur (168km)
Stage 8 – 9/5 – Cazères-sur-Garonne > Loudenvielle (141km)
Stage 9 – 9/6 – Pau > Laruns (153km)
Stage 10 – 9/8 – Île D’oléron Le Château-d’oléron > Île De Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (168.5km)
Stage 11 – 9/9 – Châtelaillon-Plage > Poitiers (167.5km)
Stage 12 – 9/10 – Chauvigny > Sarran Corrèze (218km)
Stage 13 – 9/11 – Châtel-Guyon > Puy Mary Cantal (191.5km)
Stage 14 – 9/12 – Clermont-Ferrand > Lyon (194km)
Stage 15 – 9/13 – Lyon > Grand Colombier (174.5km)
Stage 16 – 9/15 – La Tour-du-pin > Villard-de-lans (164km)
Stage 17 – 9/16 – Grenoble > Méribel Col de la Loze (170km)
Stage 18 – 9/17 – Méribel > La Roche-sur-Foron (175km)
Stage 19 – 9/18 – Bourg-en-bresse > Champagnole (166.5km)
Stage 20 – 9/19 – Lure > La Planche Des Belles Filles (36.2km)
Stage 21 – 9/20 – Mantes-la-jolie > Paris Champs-Élysées (122km)
Key Stages
This year’s is one of the most interesting Tour routes in a long time. That doesn’t always directly translate to exciting racing, but there are plenty of opportunities for riders to either light the race on fire or see it slip from their grasps. Here are our five picks.
Stage 4. The first of two summit finishes in the first week of the Tour isn’t too much to write home about, but its placement so early in the race promises a GC shakeup early on, and potentially a volatile race for yellow that’ll last until the final week of the race. Although the final climb to Orcieres-Merlette tops off at 1,825 metres, the peloton only gains 1,000 metres. Expect a fast finisher to take the stage and wear yellow early.
Stage 7. It feels weird to highlight the stage from Millau to Lavaur as one to watch in a Tour that features two first-week summit finishes and more climbing than you can shake a stick at, but there’s another story brewing here. Sprinters won’t get many opportunities, and their usual first-week party has been canceled. Can they steal what looks like a traditional transition stage from the breakaway it suits so well? With limited opportunities, stakes are high on both sides, and we’re likely to see some frantic racing.
Stage 15. If we don’t know who’s going to win by now, we’ll have a clear idea after this stage. A summit finish on the Col du Grand Colombier immediately preceded by two Cat-1 climbs will make this a day for the GC men. Expect to see the big teams struggle as they try to take control, and a final selection of contenders for the closing week of racing. Oh yeah, and it’s the day before the rest day, so nobody will be holding back.
Stage 17. Victory could be all but confirmed on the summit of the Col de la Loze, which stands at 2,304 metres and averages 7.8%. It’s preceded by the Col de la Madeleine. The race among the rest of the top ten is also likely to hit its most exciting point here too, giving us two races in one.
Stage 20. A mountain time-trial. It’s the day before the Tour ends, so it’ll seal the overall victory. And it’s… on the Planche des Belle Filles, which is basically just a false flat. Local boy Thibault Pinot holds the Strava record on the climb, but overall it’s a good one for a climber who can time-trial, rather than simply a playday for the pure climbers.
The Favorites
This year’s race is unpredictable to say the least. Between its parcours, a strong list of competitors, and Covid-19 shaking up the sport, it’s a tough one to call.
Despite having five overall victories between them, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas are out. Thomas is overweight and Froome is unfit. Trust us, we know a lot about both of those things. Geraint Thomas is set to race the Giro d’Italia instead, and Froome’s been exiled to the Vuelta a Espana, which he’s won twice.
So who is riding?
Egan Bernal
Last year’s winner Egan Bernal takes the start line with the number one on his back. He’s the man to beat this year, even if he looked off the pace in the Dauphine a couple of weeks ago. His team is united behind him–Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome are watching on TV, remember–and offers the mix of tactical prowess, firepower, and experience that may well deliver its sole leader to the top step of the podium for a second year in a row.
Julian Alaphilippe
Julian Alaphilippe, last year’s hero, and possibly the man the French consider the actual winner of last year’s Tour, is also on the start line. The Doctor Strange lookalike set the race alight last year, riding himself into the yellow jersey and resisting all attempts to strip it from his back for 14 stages. He says he’s targeting stage wins this year, and while we believe him, he also said that last year. This is a Tour built for chaos, and he’s a man who could find himself mounting another challenge at the overall victory. Still, expecting him to repeat last year’s ride is a big ask, and he’ll be thankful that the weight of French expectation is on Thibaut Pinot’s back.
Primoz Roglic
Our favorite for the overall victory is Primoz Roglic. He was on fire in the Dauphine, as was his Jumbo Visma team. He eventually left the race after a crash, but claims he’s back at full strength. He’s the most recent grand tour winner and made both Egan Bernal and his Ineos team look sub par earlier this month, so all eyes will be on him from the moment the race starts. Which means he’ll finish seventh or something. Sorry. We once picked Christophe Moreau to win the Tour, so our endorsement is worthless.
Thibault Pinot
A French winner? Julian Alaphilippe came unexpectedly close to delivering the maillot jaune to the home nation last year, but it’s Thibault Pinot‘s shoulders that are carrying the weight of French expectation.
While he looked incredibly strong last year, he ultimately abandoned the race on Stage 19. His palmares includes a long list of DNFs in the Tour de France, but a podium place may well await if he can make it to Paris.
Anyone think he’ll win? [crickets] He won’t win. But he’ll do a good impression of the first French Tour winner in about a hundred years before he drops off the pace and leaves the race in his team car. Alright, he did look good last year, and rode a strong Dauphine. Plus this year’s course suits him. Fine, maybe he’ll do it after all.
Nairo Quintana
Does Nairo Quintana have what it takes to win the Tour? Well, probably not. Now 30 years old, the Giro and Vuelta winner has never fulfilled his promise on the sport’s very highest stage, and his three podium finishes now feel a distant memory following several years of underperformance in France.
With a long Covid-19 layoff that saw him return to Colombia, a new team that’s revitalized his passion for cycling, and a relatively strong opening to the season, Quintana could yet remain a wildcard for the Tour.
Tadej Pogacar
Another one to watch is Tadej Pogacar. He’s not likely to win the race, but he’s a smart, attacking young rider who’ll likely cement his place among the sport’s elite at the Tour, finishing with a top ten finish and stage wins under his belt. Look for some smart attacks as the hilly stages approach their summit finishes.
Tom Dumoulin
The Dutchman has won the Giro d’Italia and finished second in the Tour de France. Strong in both time-trials and mountains, he’s a force to be reckoned with in any grand tour.
And More
There’s also Adam Yates, Mikel Landa, Rigoberto Uran, and Dani fuckin Martinez. So it’s going to be a fun Tour.