Stage 17 - Berne to Finhaut-Emosson, 184km - Wednesday, July 20

After spending the second Rest Day in Berne, the Tour stays in Switzerland for the first of four stages in the Alps. The first 150km of gradually climbing roads on Stage 17 will give riders a chance to smooth out any remaining kinks from the Rest Day. And they’ll need to, because the stage ends with two climbs in quick succession: the Category 1 Col de la Forclaz, followed by the Hors Catégorie climb to the finish in Finhaut Emosson. And with only 7km of descending in between the two, don’t be surprised to see ambitious contenders treating the pair as if it were one long climb. Near the end of last year’s Tour, Froome weakened as the race entered the Alps, while Movistar’s Nairo Quintana got stronger. Unfortunately, the Colombian waited too long to start attacking the Briton—and it cost him the Tour. This stage is a perfect chance for Quintana to show what he’s learned from his mistake last year.

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