Lance Armstrong's successor as the Tour de France champion will take a step closer to the podium in Paris after the final day of climbing in the Alps on Thursday.
LA TOUSSUIRE (France): Lance Armstrong's successor as the Tour de France champion will take a step closer to the podium in Paris after the final day of climbing in the Alps on Thursday.
However, after two punishing days in which crashes and breakaways were a staple part of the Tour's menu, the rider who wants to step into Armstrong's shoes will be looking for one key element - recuperation.
The accumulation of efforts on the Tour de France makes itself felt especially in the mountains, where a combination of the tough climbs and soaring temperatures all make finishing the stages a daily calvary.
That was seen on Tuesday's 15th stage when both Russian Denis Menchov and Cadel Evans lost over a minute to race favourite Floyd Landis, after both found the pace too tough on the Alpe d'Huez.
Evans is known for being able to recuperate well, and the Australian would agree that can make all the difference when it is needed most.
French professional Patrice Halgand knows all about the Alps having lived in the area and raced five Tours.
Recuperation however may not be enough on a third straight day of monumental efforts: "It's the final day in the mountains, so recuperation is the key more than anything else. But this is the kind of stage where no one will be able to rest in the valleys in between the climbs."
Having spent the first two days riding to hilltop finishes, on the Alpe d'Huez on stage 15 and La Toussuire on stage 16, the peloton will be happy this stage, held over 200.5km between St Jean de Maurienne and Morzine, is more or less a downhill finish.
Nevertheless, riding up towards the Col de la Joux Plane just beforehand is likely to temper any feelings of anticipated relief.
Those racing the Tour in 2000 will remember that Armstrong, the now-retired, seven-time winner, got a bad case of the bonk - or low blood sugar - on the Joux Plane, allowing Frenchman Richard Virenque to escape to stage victory.
Well before then, the ascent of the Col de Saisies, a category one monster which is 14.9km long at an average of 6.5 percent, will get the peloton warmed up before the 15km descent into the valley, which is immediately followed by the 5.9km climb at an average of 7.1 percent to the summit of the Col des Aravis.
A winding, 13km descent is then followed by the long, 11.8km climb to the Col de la Colombiere, which also last featured in 2000, when Italian climber Marco Pantani took the honours.
The peloton can finally catch their breath on the long descent towards the comparatively easy climb over the Cote de Chatillon, but after that the 11.7km climb to the summit of Joux Plane is at a monstrous eight percent.
For Halgand, and a lot of other riders, the reward will be simple. It is the last day of climbing on the race.
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