The profile of the 16th stage of the Tour de France 2023. ASO
After two grueling days in the Alps and a day of rest, the Tour de France peloton is back in the saddle, Tuesday July 18, with the only time trial of this edition, between Passy and Combloux, in Haute-Savoie. This relatively short individual time (22.4 kilometres) is far from presenting an ideal profile for riders.
For good reason: the Côte de Domancy (2nd category), the summit of which points some three kilometers from the finish, will stand on the runners’ route. A rough climb 2.5 kilometers long – with an average gradient of 9.4% and portions of 15% – and which became famous thanks to the title of world champion won here by Bernard Hinault in 1980.
“The fact that there are few time trials will increase the general classification”, argued Mauro Gianetti, the sports director of Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Emirates team, in the fall of 2022, when the course was unveiled. The Italian had been right. After two weeks of racing, only ten small seconds separate the Slovenian, winner of the 2020 and 2021 editions, from the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, yellow jersey in Paris in 2022.
Since the start of the Tour on July 1 in Bilbao (Spain), the two leaders of the peloton have almost always been wheel to wheel. Between Passy and Combloux, on their time trial bikes, Pogacar and Vingegaard will this time be alone against themselves and against the clock. An important point to note: as leader of the general classification, the Dane will be the last to start, at 5 p.m., two minutes after the Slovenian. He will therefore be able to benefit from the intermediate times of his main opponent and, if he has the means, adjust his effort according to the pace adopted by Pogacar.
Before the start of the Tour, Christian Prudhomme summarized the challenges of the 16th stage as follows: “This is an opportunity for whoever will start in yellow to assert his superiority or for his rivals to launch the reconquest likely to last all week. » The ideal scenario of the boss of the event still holds…
The departure times of the main runners
In bold, the French runners.
1:05 p.m. Michael Morkov (Dan., Soudal Quick-Step), red lantern, first runner to start 1:46 p.m. Biniam Girmay (Ery, Intermarché -Circus-Wanty) 2:16 p.m. Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën) 14 h 33 Christopher Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)14 h 39 Victor Lafay (Cofidis)15 h 21 Mathieu Van der Poel (P.-B., Alpecin-Deceuninck)16 h 00 Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)16 h 06 Egan Bernal (Col., Ineos Grenadiers)16 h 15 Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies)16 h 16 Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic) 4:19 p.m. Wout van Aert (Bel., Jumbo-Visma) 4:22 p.m. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)16 h 32 Emanuel Buchmann (All., Bora-Hansgrohe)16 h 34 Mikel Landa (Esp., Bahrain Victorious)16 h 36 Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ)16 h 38 Thomas Pidcock (R.-U., Ineos Grenadiers)16 h 40 Felix Gall (Aut., AG2R Citroën)16 h 42 Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 16 h 44 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)16:46 Simon Yates (R.-U., Jayco Alula)16:48 Pello Bilbao (Esp., Bahrain Victorious)16:50 Sepp Kuss (US, Jumbo-Visma)16:4 52 Jai Hindley (Aus., Bora-Hansgrohe)16h 54 Adam Yates (R.-U., UAE-Emirates)16h 56 Carlos Rodriguez (Esp., Ineos Grenadiers)16h 58 Tadej Pogacar (Slo., UAE- Emirates) 5:00 PM Jonas Vingegaard (Dan., Jumbo-Visma)