Preview: 2015 Tour de France — Stage 17

Digne-les-Bains to Pra-Loup (161km)

Wednesday, July 22 | 6:55 a.m. EST – 11:20 a.m. EST

To pay tribute to the anniversary of Bernard Thévenet’s first Tour victory, ASO decided to return to Pra-Loup. The climb might seem less frightening than what archive footage suggests, but the true difficulty lies in the descent of the Col d’Allos, which comes just before the finish. It’s a very technical descent — which should delight Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and cause anxiety for Chris Froome (Sky) — that doesn’t give riders the chance to take on food.