Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering – 133km
Date: July 22, 2023
Stage type: Mountains
What to watch for: It’s a trap!
Stage summary: A short, punchy stage with over 3,600 m (11,800 ft) of climbing packed into just 133 km across the Vosges mountain range.
Stage 20 doesn’t feature any hors-categorie monsters, but the pair of category 1 climbs in the finale offer up the final opportunity to take – or keep – the yellow jersey. Both climbs sit just over 8%.
The finale runs slightly downhill for the last 8 km, which could dissuade all but the most desperate from trying anything too audacious.
Le Markstein hosted the penultimate stage of last year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, where Annemiek van Vleuten took the race lead with a massive solo effort. That stage used the Petit Ballon/Platzerwasel combination earlier in the route.
The lack of flat roads on this route could lend it self to a long-range move. We can only hope.
Dane Cash’s picks: It feels like a good day for the break or at least a big attack out of the GC group. Tadej Pogačar and Adam Yates seem like decent picks for the latter scenario. For the former, Felix Gall is a rider to watch, as are Ion Izagirre, Mike Woods, and Wout Poels.
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