The last time there was a stage finish in Carcassonne the day after Mende, two riders from the same team (Astana) successively won and it was Magnus Cort who took his first Tour de France stage in the magnificent medieval city in 2018. Is it a good sign for Dylan Groenewegen after Michael Matthews imposed himself in a spectacular manner atop the côte de la Croix-Neuve in Mende? It can be a sprint finish at Carcassonne, like last year when Mark Cavendish, brilliantly led out by Michael Morkov, equalled Eddy Merckx’s record of 30 Tour de France stage wins. Albeit injured, Caleb Ewan fought all day on the way to Mende to make the time cut in order to sprint for a victory somewhere… and maybe without waiting for the Champs-Elysées. But the candidates for breakaway might be numerous again, inspired by the stage winners of the past three days.
