Andorra: hitting hard, hitting high (3/6)

The battlefield
Featuring an elevation gain of 4,960 m, this is the toughest mountain stage of the Tour in purely numerical terms. At any rate, it is the major Pyrenean stage of the season, with the two preceding stages gradually turning the screws on the peloton in the first big mountain range visited by the Tour. Nine days into the race, only the leanest, toughest riders can hope to survive the sequence of five Spanish and Andorran climbs, especially when the favourites' teams pile on the pressure. Huge gaps are unlikely on the climb to Arcalís, but it will provide a clear picture of who is hot and who is not.
 
Eyes on the prize
Rivals and spectators alike have ground used to seeing Chris Froome land a severe blow in the first mountain test, a pattern which repeated itself in Ax 3 Domaines in 2013 and La Pierre-Saint-Martin last year. The focus will be on his attitude and cadence. A swift reaction will be crucial —no big deal for his main rivals, who have a love affair with the Pyrenees. Alberto Contador feels at home here, especially since he claimed his maiden Tour stage win on Plateau de Beille in 2007. The Route du Sud, which he won in 2012 and 2016, is a key stop for Nairo Quintana in the run-up to the Tour. He may be aware that fellow Colombian Oliverio Rincón already left his mark here by winning the first stage finish in Arcalís, all the way back in 1993.

Fabio Aru's fond memories of the Principality of Andorra go back to September, when he seized the Vuelta's red jersey in Cortals d'Encamp —a lead he would keep until the end. The stage, held entirely within Andorra and won by Aru's then-teammate Mikel Landa —now racing for Sky—, was a big disappointment for Joaquim Rodríguez, who came up short in his challenge for both the stage win and the general classification. However, the prize up for grabs on July 10 is too awesome for "Purito", a Spanish resident in Andorra, not to make it his major goal of the summer.
 
A blast from the past
The Tour last visited Andorra in 2009, at the end of a stage which also began in Spain or, more precisely, in Barcelona. Brice Feillu, competing in his first season as a pro, surged on the road to Arcalís to take his greatest success to date. On the other hand, the Tour's first visit to Andorra back in 1964 left a bad taste in Jacques Anquetil's mouth. The Norman rider joined a lamb barbecue on the rest day, a decision he would soon come to regret. Anquetil started the next stage trailing Bahamontes and Poulidor by four minutes on Port d'Envalira, the first climb of the day. After this moment of weakness, he threw caution to the wind on the descent, closed the gap and revived his prospects of claiming a fifth Tour de France. He eventually wrapped up the win in the stage to Puy de Dôme.