Stage 13: Nîmes > Carcassonne (July 9)

TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 13:  FLAT

219.9 km / 1908m

NÎMES > CARCASSONNE

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

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KOM CORNER

Official pre-race summary for Stage 13 (July 9):

WOUT VAN AERT AND NILS POLITT HAVE INSPIRED ATTACKERS

Carcassonne was bookmarked as by the sprinters as a possibility for them to perform their art but in the absence of Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett, Peter Sagan, Arnaud Démare, Elia Viviani and Pascal Ackermann, there aren’t so many teams eager to work all day for a bunch gallop anymore. Wout van Aert and Nils Politt have proven the attackers from far out to be right in the past two stages so they must have inspired others like Oscar Fraile who also made the break on stage 12 but was called back via the ear piece by team captain Alexey Lutsenko. Heading to Carcassonne, the Spanish national champion will hear the call of the country. He’s one many riders who remember Magnus Cort Nielsen winning there from a breakaway in 2018. Not need to be a climber like van Aert to overcome the difficulties: the pic St-Loup, also famous for its vineyards, is the only hill of the day.  Letour.com - Stage 13.

Official post-race summary for Stage 13 (July 9):

RECORD EQUALLING STAGE WIN FOR CAVENDISH

Mark Cavendish took his fourth stage win in the 108th Tour de France to total 34 since 2008, just like stage victories record holder Eddy Merckx. His team-mate Michael Morkov and Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen rounded the podium at the end of bunch gallop. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey in Carcassonne.

First Israeli breakaway rider

154 riders started stage 13 in Nîmes at 12.18. One non-starter: Michael Gogl (Qhubeka-Nexthash). Max Walscheid (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Lorenzo Rota (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) managed to go clear at km 15 with no luck. Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-Nexthash), Omer Goldstein (Israel-Start Up-Nation) and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) attacked at km 27. Latour passed first atop the only categorized climb of the day, the côte de Pic Saint-Loup at km 51.5. A maximum advantage of 4’45’’ was recorded at km 55. Goldstein, the second cyclist from Israel to take part in the Tour de France after Guy Niv, became the first from his country to break away and win an intermediate sprint (at km 104.3).

Regrouping with 53km to go

Deceuninck-Quick Step seized the reins of the peloton with the intention to deliver another bunch sprint for Mark Cavendish. Petr Vakoc (Alpein-Fenix) gave them a hand. They brought the deficit down to 1’30’’ when attacks begun at the front 65km before the end of the race. A major crash involving 30 riders happened in the peloton while Bennett attacked at the front and lost contact when Goldstein countered. Goldstein and Latour forged on but the time gap was quickly reduced as a lot of action started in the pack after the crash. Bennett was reeled in, so were Goldstein and Latour with 53km to go as they attacked each other rather than riding together. It was bunched up 50km before the end at the exception of some injured riders. Roger Kluge, Simon Yates and Lucas Hamilton were forced to pull out.

The tightest win of Cavendish

45km before Carcassonne, Quentin Pacher (B&B-KTM) rode away solo. He got an advantage of 1’30’’ that forced Julian Alaphilippe to pull as Tim Declercq was off the back after the crash. The advance of the Frenchman was down to 20’’ with 20km to go. It was bunched up one kilometre further. GC teams like Ineos-Grenadiers seized the reins of the peloton in the final kilometres but it was another bunch gallop in Carcassonne. Ivan Garcia Cortina disturbed the plans of Deceuninck-Quick Step as he took the lead 300 metres before the line. Philipsen seemed to go for the win on the right hand side but Cavendish came out of the wheel of Morkov at the eleventh hour to power to the tightest of his four Tour de France victories up to date this year. Letour.fr - Stage 13

STAGE 13 DETAILS AND STATISTICS

Official Map of 2021 Tour de France Stage 13. 

Stage 13:

• Distance: 219.9 kilometers
• Altitude Gained: 1,908 meters
• Percentage Grade:

• 48.2% flat or descent
• 49.4% 0-5%
• 2.2% 5-10%

• Steepest:

• 500 meters 9.9%
• 1 Kilometer 8.7%

• Highest Point on the Route: 301 meters
• Lowest Point on the Route: 29 meters

COMMENTS FROM RACE DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME - STAGE 13:

“From the Roman arenas that are considered as the most well preserved in the world to the medieval city part of the UNESCO world heritage, this stage will follow the course of history. It also tells us that despite what the geography seems to suggest, never has a finish by the Carcassonne towers finished with a bunched sprint. Good news for the audacious!” (Tour de France Stage 13).

THE CLIMB OF STAGE 13 OF THE 2021 TOUR DE FRANCE

CLIMB 1 (CAT 4) - CÔTE DU PIC SAINT-LOUP 

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

EXPLANATION OF KING OF MOUNTAIN, KOM POINTS AND BONUS POINTS

FOR THE 2021 TOUR DE FRANCE

KOM DEFINED:  Climb-related points are accumulated during the race and the rider with the most accumulated points at the beginning of the stage wears the red polka dot jersey that day and the rider with the most points at the end of the race is crowned that year’s Tour de France King of the Mountains.

“Category”:  When the mountain classification (King of the Mountains) was introduced in 1933, there were points given to the first 10 riders over the summit (10 for first, 1 for 10th).  In 1947, the Tour introduced two climb “categories” with a certain amount of points for the second category and twice as many as for the first category.  Over the years “categories” were added, in addition to an “Above” category (Hors or HC) and since 1979 there have been an HC (hardest), Category 1 (second hardest) on down to Category 4 (least difficult climb).

The category of the climb is significant for 2 reasons:

• The points awarded for the TdF KOM for each climb is based upon the category of climb - thus, “category” is the basis for the points that are used to determine each year’s King of the Mountains.
• Most cycling fans, particularly Grand Tour fans, are very interested in the climb “category” because that tells them how hard each climb on a stage is and where the riders will struggle more and the point in a stage where that day, or even the entire tour, will be won or lost.

KOM HISTORY:  King of the Mountains -- Mountain Classification victories (first recognized in 1933; jersey introduced 1975)

• Frederico Bahamontes (six: 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964; nine in Grand Tours)  
• Triples for a career (none ever in the same year):  Bahamontes, Louis Herrera.
• Doubles same year (TdF+Giro):  Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Lucien Van Impe, Claudio Chaippucci
• 2020 King of the Mountains:  Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia (also wond the TdF and the Young Rider classification)

POINTS:  KOM points are awarded in two ways on the Tour de France:

•  To riders first over the summit of categorized climbs (in descending order HC, 1-4).  

• The higher the category the more riders receive points (HC points are awarded to 8 riders while CAT 4 points are awarded to only 1 rider).

• Bonus point (see below).

TDF POINTS FORMULA:

Wikipedia has the best summary and graph we’ve seen for TdF KOM points distribution:

he points gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:

Wikipedia - Mountains Classification - Tour de France

BONUS POINTS:  These points go towards the King of the Mountain designation and are awarded to the first (8 points), second (5) and third (2) riders reaching designated summits in the race.  

This year’s bonus points are given at the top of the following climbs:

Stage 2: Mûr-de-Bretagne (first passage)

Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon

Stage 8: Col de la Colombière

Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage

Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis

Stage 15: Col de Beixalis

MONEY PRIZES FOR KING OF THE MOUNTAINS

• Prize for First to 4th place:

• Winner = €25,000
• 2nd = €15,000
• 3rd = €10,000
• 4th = €4,000, 5th €3,500, 6th €3,000, 7th €2,500, and 8th €2,000

• Daily prize for wearing the Polka Dot jersey = €6,000
• Per category climb:

• HC

• 1st = €800
• 2nd = €450
• 3rd = €300

• Cat 1

• 1st = €650
• 2nd = €400
• 3rd = €150

• Cat 2

• 1st = €500
• 2nd = €250

• Cat 3

• 1st = €300

• Cat 4

• 1st = €200

Jacques Goddet Souvenir (Stage 18 Col du Tourmalet) = €5000

Henri Desgrange Souvenir (Stage 15 Port D’Envalira) = €5000

The maximum amount the KOM winner could earn if he won every stage and wore the jersey from Stage 2 to the finish is $178,250 Euros ($217,351)