For the 4th stage of the Tour de France, the riders will face their first summit on Tuesday.
For Richard Virenque, consultant of Europe 1, Julian Alaphilippe can keep his yellow jersey by following the best, or even win the stage.
For the favorites of the Grande Boucle, serious things could start on Tuesday.
The riders of the Tour de France took the start of the 4th stage between Sisteron and Orcières-Merlette, the scene of the first arrival at the top.
The stage thus offers four climbs listed before the last climb, towards Orcières-Merlette and its 7.1 km at 6.7% average.
For the consultant of Europe 1 Richard Virenque, this step could already allow the leaders to explain themselves.
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"It will be a stage where we will be able to see who is there to win the Tour de France, all those who are in the limelight," he said.
On the side of Julian Alaphilippe, who took the yellow jersey Sunday after his victory in Nice during the second stage, this course could be "a pretext to increase his lead, or in the other direction, to lose his yellow tunic".
"Pinot can show great shape"
But while the Frenchman from Deceuninck-Quickstep assures those who want to hear him that he is not on the Tour to aim for the general, will he be able to follow the best in the mountains?
"He won the polka dot jersey three years ago, and last year he gave us 14 days in yellow," recalls Richard Virenque.
And to continue: "Given his aptitude in the mountains, it is a stage where he can follow the adversaries, but also win it".
According to the former rider, this final could also be an opportunity for the title holder Egan Bernal to "come back to the first level", while Thibaut Pinot, who fell on Saturday, "can show great form".