Thursday 17: 13:10β13:25 β 17:30β18:00
The first true mountain passes today.
The start is not as flat as often: they will use the hills of Gers instead of going along the valleys as the Tour de France always does. But just a bit: they will ride exclusively on the highway π, so, long flat sections will still be present and the climbs will be smoother than on secondary roads; especially smooth as those hills are like factory roofs, and when going from East to West you always get the easy side.
If Visma changes tactics from now on, it can be interesting for breakaways, as without Visma's accelerations, only UAE would be available to lead a chase and is also relatively weak (as a team). Well, βinterestingβ on stages which have not been marked by Pogatchar, where the UAE team will concentrate its efforts...
About Evenepoel, it is a pity that other GC contenders do not bury him when they have a chance. They should know that he can be knocked out and throw the towel when he is on the ropes, but if on the contrary you give him a rest at this moment, he will come back.