Tour de France stage 11 preview

Stage 11 of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Albertville, with a mountain top finish at Col du Granon Serre Chevalier.

The really big mountains rear their heads and with them two of the Tour de France’s mightiest passes, topping out at 2,642m and 2,413m.

Tour de France stage 11: expected timings

Tour de France stage 11 route

Starting in Albertville, the first third of the stage runs through valleys to reach the spectacular Lacets de Montvernier, its tightly piled hairpins rising for more than 3km at a touch above 8%. After dropping back down to the floor of the Maurienne valley, the riders will continue eastwards to reach the foot of the Col du Télégraphe, which climbs consistently for 12km, the road then descending into the resort of Valloire, where the 17.7km haul to the Col du Galibier begins. The toughest sections follow the sweeping rightward turn at Plan Lachat, which is almost 2,000 metres up. The gradient averages more than 8.5% for the next 8km, where the altitude (2,642m at the summit) will also draw on physical resources. 

A 30km descent follows to the foot of the final test. Tackled only once before by the Tour, the road to the Col du Granon (2,413m) is consistently and fiercely steep. Averaging 9.2% for 11.3km, there’s a 3km stretch at midway that’s above 10%. At the end of this exacting test, the candidates for the overall title will be very apparent.

Useful Tour de France 2022 resources

• Tour de France 2022 route
• Tour de France 2022 standings
• Tour de France 2022 start list
• Tour de France 2022 key stages
• How to watch the 2022 Tour de France
• Past winners of the Tour de France
• Tour de France leader's jerseys
• Tour de France winning bikes

Tour de France stage 11: what to expect 

The contests for both the yellow and polka-dot jersey will intensify today. Riders who have already been busy bagging mountains points should feature prominently in the break. They’ll see a chance to add to their collection on the opening three climbs – the Montvernier hairpins, the Télégraphe and the Galibier, the high point of this year’s race where the first rider to the summit will receive the Henri Desgrange prize and the prize money that goes with it. They’ll be hoping to hang on to the finish, or at least to cross the line in a position that enables them to add to their total.

The GC contenders will likely wait until the Granon before they begin to duel with each other, although their numbers are likely to be shredded by the rapid tempo that one or more of the strongest teams will impose on the Galibier. There is a chance, if anyone’s brave enough, for a long-range attack on the slopes of this historic ascent, but that will depend on the strength and direction of the wind descending from this pass. It’s often head-on, which would complicate any solo effort.

Tour de France stage 11: riders to watch

It’s hard to see past two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar when considering the likely winner of this vital stage. His UAE Team Emirates support crew looks stronger each year, as does the Slovenian rider. He won back-to-back summit finishes at the tail end of last year’s race and will, assuming he’s in good shape, be the rider to beat on the Granon. His compatriot Primož Roglič still looks the most likely to equal or even better him, and it will be interesting to see how his partnership with Jumbo-Visma team-mate and 2021 Tour runner-up Jonas Vingegaard plays out. Can they outwit and overpower Pogačar between them?

All eyes on the glorious Galibier

While most climbs, towns and cities in France count down the days until they can once again host the Tour de France, it’s the Tour itself that counts down the days until it can go back to the Col du Galibier. 

This mythical mountain that climbs to 2,642 metres above sea level just north of the city of Briançon is such an integral part of the race that it’s rare for it not to appear on the parcours. This year it’s climbed twice in two days. Its first appearance was on 10 July, 1911 when only three riders were able to pedal their singlespeed bikes to its summit on gravel roads and in doing so instilling the climb into not only the history of the Tour but the very fabric of cycling. 

The monument to Henri Desgrange, the L’Auto journalist who first dreamt up the idea of the Tour, sits near the summit, and the Souvenir Henri Desgrange is given to the first rider over the top each year. 

For newcomers to the sport if you think you’ve heard the name before, you probably have. Galibier is also a cycling clothing company, PR firm, capital management company, Bugatti supercar and a management consultancy in Brisbane, Australia