Wednesday 15 July – Tour de France stage 11: Vichy → Nevers (161.3 km)

Route

Stage 11 links Vichy with Nevers over 161.3 kilometres. The stage has a flat character with 1,400 metres of elevation gain and is designed for the sprinters.

From Vichy, the route follows the Allier northwards. At km 32.9, the Côte de Billonière begins (1.1 km at 5.8%), a fourth-category climb. In Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (km 27.9 from the start) lies the intermediate sprint. After Moulins, the route leaves the valley and heads westward towards the Loire.

At km 123.4, the Côte de Billy-Chevannes begins (1.5 km at 5.0%), the hardest climb of the day. After the summit, there are still 37.9 km of completely flat terrain to the finish in Nevers. The final 1.7 km run through the city centre on flat streets, with a straight run to the finish line.

Final kilometres

After the summit of the Côte de Billy-Chevannes (km 123.4), there are still 37.9 km to the finish line. The road is then completely flat. The final 1.7 km run through the centre of Nevers on straight roads. The average gradient of the finale is 0.0%.

Recent editions

The Tour de France finished in Nevers three times before:
2003 – Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo)
1986 – Guido Bontempi (Carrera Jeans)
1971 – Eric Leman (Molteni)

Scenarios

The finish is flat and straight, with a straight approach. Sprinters who remain in the peloton after the two minor climbs are in contention for the stage victory.

Local

Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek) was born in Nevers. The Côte de Billy-Chevannes is located in the municipality of Billy-Chevannes, 40 kilometres as the crow flies from the finish. Nevers is the capital of the Nièvre department and is internationally known as the location of the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, where the Formula 1 French Grand Prix was held until 2008.