The 111th edition of the Tour de France will kick off tomorrow on June the 29th, marking several historic firsts. For the first time, the race will start in Italy and visit the home city of Gino Bartali. Additionally, this opening stage will be the toughest in recent memory, featuring 3,600 meters of climbing.
Starting in Florence, the riders will head west towards the Adriatic Sea, tackling a series of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna that will serve as the first test for the overall contenders. The route includes the Col de Valico Tre Faggi, Côte des Forche, Côte de Carnaio, Côte de Barbotto, and Côte de San Leo. The most challenging segment will be the final climb into San Marino (7.1 km at 4.8%), located 26 kilometers before the finish line in Rimini.
The wind forecast for this stage is interesting with a lot of cross tailwind early on. It’s possible the mountains of San Marino will provide shelter but there may be splits on cross tail sections. The force breakdown parlours is roughly evenly split between gravity and air in providing the majority of the resistance. This is a stage suited to a breakaway but on day one of a grand tour, anything goes.
The wind will hit the riders from all directions with a cross tail majority. This will be a tough opening stage even without the elevation!
Rimini, located by the Adriatic Sea and serving as a gateway to the flat Po Valley, may lack the star power of the renowned Florentine cyclist Gino Bartali. Despite its sprint-friendly terrain, evidenced by Arnaud Démare’s Giro stage win there four years ago, it’s likely that a rider with a skill set more akin to Giro and Tour champion Bartali, rather than the French sprinter, will emerge victorious on Saturday afternoon. Might be a day for Fred Wright? We can only hope…
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