The 2nd stage of the 2017 Vuelta a España went in the opposite direction. The race from Nîmes to Gruissan spanned over 200 kilometres and featured less than 600 vertical metres. Strong winds shredded the peloton in the finale before Yves Lampaert launched his attack in the final kilometre. The Belgian seized the stage win and the leader’s jersey.
The route from Gruissan to Nîmes heads more inland, with an altitude gain of almost 1,200 metres, which still favors the fast men. This is especially true since the toughest climb, Côte de Fambetou, 1,2 kilometres at 5%, appears around the midpoint.
While Gruissan was not part of the Tour de France before, the opposite is true for Nîmes. The race has visited the ancient city three times in the past decade. Alexander Kristoff (2014), Caleb Ewan (2019), and Nils Politt (2021) claimed victories in those editions—Kristoff and Ewan in sprints, and Politt from a breakaway.
The first three riders across the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 16th stage 2024 Tour de France.
Another interesting read: results 16th stage 2024 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2024 stage 16: routes, profiles, videos
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It says a Gruissan start. But Narbonne plage/St Pierre la Mer is not exactly Gruissan, but 14km away