Stage 7 Picks and Preview

July 10, 2008

Tomorrow’s Stage 7 is going to be another test for the climbers and will really be where we see some riders drop far back.

That’s because the climbs in Stage 7 are higher and longer than those riders faced today.

It’s only 159KM (listen to me say “only”), but there are multiple categorized climbs and a bunch of rises and hills from the opening gun to the finish in Aurillac.

My Tour de France guide shows only four categorized climbs, but the article I was reading about this stage says there are five. I don’t know which to believe, so we’ll all have to watch.

The route is from Brioude to Aurillac and it’s finished there five times. Last time was in 1985.

Frankly, I’m more excited about the stage a week from tomorrow when the stage finishes in Nimes. It’s probably because I’ve been there and by that point the race should be well in-hand and I can watch the telecast for places I’ve visited instead of paying too much attention to strategy, rider techniques and the blather of the commentators.

My picks to win tomorrow are Kim Kirchen (why change what’s going right?), Cadel Evans or a surprise victory from Denis Menchov.