On this finish to Orcières-Merlette in 1971, Luis Ocaña put eight minutes into Eddy Mercxx. He still didn’t win, having to abandon on the 14th stage as The Cannibal eventually triumphed. Ocaña did win the 1973 however.
Preamble
After Monday’s sprint finish, so expertly executed in Caleb Ewan’s object lesson in how to deal with a headwind, the Tour has its first mountain-top finish. As these things go, it’s a gentle one on the fringes of the Alps but a stage where the field of GC contenders may still thin out. It will also be a test of the the favourites’ form, most of which is decidedly unknown in this year of great uncertainty. Egan Bernal looks comfortable enough so far but what of Primoz Roglic? Or Tom Dumoulin and Ricardo Carapaz? Thibaut Pinot took that heavy fall on Saturday. This may be the day to see it. Though it may also be a day when Julian Alaphilippe can reassert his superiority at these kind of stages. Adam Yates, after another near-miss on Sunday, has to fancy his chances, too.
Stage four Illustration: Guardian Design
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