Cycling: Tomorrow, the Tour de France stops in Carcassonne. However, the riders will have little time to enjoy this beautiful southern French city. A fierce battle for the breakaway awaits us first, followed by a potentially intense chase.
Can sprinters survive the mountains?
The 169,3-kilometer 15th Tour stage from Muret to Carcassonne presents several challenges for the pros. While there are only three climbs on the schedule: the Côte de Saint-Ferréol, the Côte de Sorèze, and the Pas du Sant, the stage profile is extremely undulating. Since the final categorized climb—the Pas du Sant—is 3,0 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 9,2 percent, the sprinters are unlikely to have a chance of winning the stage. The long descent to the finish also argues against catching the breakaway.
Velomotion forecast: A breakaway rider wins in Carcassonne
Stage 15 of the 2025 Tour de France is clearly a matter for the breakaway. The section is too easy for the general classification riders and too difficult for the sprinters. The teammates of the world's fastest men will therefore have no work to do tomorrow, but one or two pros will certainly get a free pass to attack. We expect a large and strong breakaway group that will fall apart at the Pas du Sant at the latest. In the end, a good downhill rider, a good puncher, and a strong all-rounder will prevail in Carcassonne. Our tip is Bruno Armirail. The Frenchman could have almost won a mountain stage the day before yesterday – had the favorites not chased the group. Tomorrow's stage suits him even better. This is his big chance. But also Mathieu van der Poel We will of course see them in attack mode again, as well as wout van aert and maybe also the youngster Thibau Nys.
*** Bruno Armirail (Groupama – FDJ)
** Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck), Wout van Aert (Visma – Lease a Bike)
* Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana), Clément Berthet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Thibau Nys (Lidl – Trek)