Nice Moyen Pays > Nice

Distance: 156 kilometers.

A “Flat” stage with two climbs of the same mountain and a sprint race finish.

• Côte de Rimiez 48.5 km (cat 3: 5.8km @ 5.1%)
• Côte de Rimiez 97.0 km (cat 3: 5.8km @ 5.1%)

The intermediate sprint is at 88 km at the second time they pass the finishing line. They are circling Nice three times.

The finish is a bunched sprint on the Promenade des Anglais.

It was a demolition derby on the rain-slick course with vetern rider Alexander Kristoff winning the right to wear the Yellow Jersey for the first time in his career.

Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – UAD – 135 ) [Yellow] 3h 46′ 13″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 021 ) [Green] 29 Points
Fabien Grellier ( Fra – TDE – 185 ) [Polka Dot] 2 points
Mads Pedersen ( Den – TFS – 105 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – UAD – 135 )
Combative: Michael Schar ( Swi – CCC – 116 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Trek – Segafredo ( TFS – 101-108 ) [Yellow numbers]

[Note: they have changed their reporting formats, so it will take me some time to adjust. Only 175 riders finished. John Degenkolb (Ger – LTS – 155) was unable to make the time limit after an accident stopped his progress.]

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the race starts on 29 August in Nice and will finish on 20 September in Paris, so I thought I should explain some of what I’ll be ranting about.

The cartoon characters from my header are wearing the various colored jerseys that indicate the leader in the different classifications in the race.

The Maillot Jaune, Yellow Jersey is worn by the rider with the lowest time overall in the race. The eventual winner of the race may never have come in first in any stage, but was near the lead throughout the race and achieved the lowest time over the entire course of the event. The winner is normally an “all-arounder”, someone is very good at the sprints and the hill climbing, even if they aren’t the best. “All-arounders” show up on the lists of the sprinters and the climbers, while staying in the top ten for overall time.

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It wasn’t the storm, it was the levees.

It wasn’t Nature, it was man.