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.
![](https://escapecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/markstein-profile.jpg)
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.
![](https://escapecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-Tour-de-France-Stage-20.jpg)
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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