Tour de France 2022 stage 16 preview: Expect the winner to come from a decisive breakaway

Stage 16 of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Carcassonne and finishes in Foix.

The Tour enters its endgame with the arrival of the Pyrenees but they’re mostly saved for the back half of this 179km test where we’ll discover whose legs bounced back best from the rest day

Tour de France stage 16: expected timings

Tour de France stage 16 route

The climbs begin after 113km with the Port de Lers, which extends for 11.4km and averages 7%, but with sections fluctuating considerably either side of that in typical Pyrenean fashion. The riders will descend from this pass to Massat, then begin to climb steadily again on the road that eventually leads to the Col de Port. However, after half a dozen kilometres, a left turn will take them onto something wholly different in the shape of the Mur de Péguère. A touch more than 3km long, it averages 12% as it rises through dense forest to the Col de Péguère – the opening kilometre is the toughest at 14%. From the top, there’s a long and sometimes quite technical descent into the finish at Foix.

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 Tour de France 2022 on TV
• 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 16: what to expect 

Unlike the 2019 stage won by Simon Yates that went up the Mur de Péguère and finished above Foix at Prat d’Albis and produced a captivating battle between the GC favourites, this stage with its finish in the valley is less challenging and should see the break go all the way to the finish. There’ll be a huge and probably drawn-out fight to get into it. Once it forms, the best climbers will have a significant advantage, especially on the Mur.

Tour de France stage 16: riders to watch

With the winner almost certain to come from the break, keep your eye out for a good climber who is also a fast and maybe slightly madcap descender. Matej Mohorič (Team Bahrain Victorious) and his dropper post perhaps?