Everything you need to know about the race and its side effects with the third stage of the Tour de France connecting to Bayonne.
Special Envoy to Bilbao
Profile of the stage: Amorebieta-Etxano – Bayonne (187.4 km)
The Tour de France leaves Spain after three days of racing to return to French territory by crossing the Pyrenees by the coast. An important detail because it means that the mountains are not on the program of the route. After two hilly stages and a very demanding start from Bilbao, the sprinters should regain power with a final cut for their qualities despite crossing three hills and an Itziar pass.
Four difficulties well within the ropes of the sprinter teams who hunkered down during the first two days of racing. Let it be said, the Cavendish, Philipsen, Jakobsen and Groenwengen have ants in their legs. They all know that the chances of grabbing a stage will be rare this year. The fight should be explosive, unless a puncher puts everyone in agreement by leaving before the finish in Bayonne…
The schedules of the 2nd stage of the Tour
The actual start will be given at 1:15 p.m. and the arrival is scheduled for around 5:31 p.m. with an average speed of 44 km/h.
How to watch the Tour on TV
France 3 from 12.55 p.m. then France 2 from 3 p.m.
The prediction of… Dan Martin, former runner
«It will be a sprint. I haven’t looked at the exact weather forecast for the stage, but there is a risk that the wind will blow hard on the Atlantic coast. I watched Fabio Jacobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) closely and saw that he got up on Saturday in the first stage, protected by his team. I think he prepared this stage carefully but I also see Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) challenging him for victory.»
Dan Martin STEPHANE MAHE / AI / Reuters / PanoramicPanoramic
Read alsoTour de France: the 10 greatest rivalries in the history of cycling
Not to be missed on the course
Last stage city in Spain, Amorebieta-Etxano is home to 19,300 inhabitants. The city is known in particular for its 15th century church, Santa Maria and the Eleizetan, a festival of classical and baroque music concerts. City of arrival, Bayonne is a regular on the Grande Boucle since the race will pass there for the 33rd time in its history. Is it still necessary to present the Sainte-Marie cathedral (13th-15th century), listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To see also in the city of Didier Deschamps and Aviron Bayonnais, the citadel or the arenas of Bayonne.
The Cathedral of Sainte-Marie in Bayonne. https://www.visitbayonne.com/
The specialty to get your teeth into
Leaving Spain, we will opt for a porrusalda (a soup with leeks, potatoes and carrots) or ratatouille with bilbaina. In a gentle way to digest, sokonusko nougat. In Bayonne, we inevitably think of ham (the city has its fair dating from 1462) but did you know that the Basque city is at the origin of the introduction of chocolate in France, imported by the Portuguese Jews who fled the Inquisition at the beginning of the 17th century?
The porrusalda Dr
The expression of the day: “Make a sun”
Obstacle on the road, totally unexpected braking, contact with a low wall, there are many reasons for sunbathing for runners who can be seriously injured during spectacular falls. This stunt is all the more feared as over the years, the position of the riders has tended to move forward on the bike, increasing the chances of riding in the sun.
Example : “ In the left corner, Miguel braked very late before going into the ditch in the sun.»
