When the race heads from
Briancon to the Lautaret, they’ll
be plying the main road northwest
in the direction of Grenoble. In
other words, a tailwind will blow
on most afternoons in the Serre-
Chevalier valley. A group that
comes over the top of the first
two climbs with a gap will have
a great chance of holding on to
the finish. While the early going
in the valley heading into the
decisive final kilometers of the
day will be easy going, the upper
part of the climb to the Lautaret,
followed by the eight kilometers to
the Galibier’s crest, will hopefully
reveal a Tour de France winner.
The south side of the Galibier doesn’t
get a lot of respect compared to its
northern brother, but it lacks little
compared to its vaunted sibling. It’s
never more than a percentage point
in gradient adrift from the legendary
northern ascent, and the views, oh,
the views. It feels like the entire
stage is just one incredible panorama
of glorious alpine perfection. The
story of the 2011 Tour de France
could not be written on a more
perfect piece of parchment.
Col du Galibier (North)
If stage 18 wasn’t enough, stage 19
should finish up anything it wasn’t
able to settle. This is the stage that
should have happened long ago—a
simple two-climb affair with two of
