Furthermore, Matthews’ teammate, Warren Barguil, is defending a lead in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. So the perfect scenario for Sunweb would be one in which both Matthews and Barguil go on the attack early, with Matthews winning the intermediate sprint and Barguil holding-on to the summit of the day’s second climb, the Beyond Category Col de la Croix de Fer. Winning the first two climbs would give Barguil another 25 points toward the polka dot jersey competition, essentially wrapping-up the competition for the Frenchman.For the Tour’s GC contenders, the race won’t likely begin until they start the day’s third climb, the Category 1 Col du Télégraphe. With only a short descent between the top of the Télégraphe and the base of the Galibier, it’s here that Romain Bardet’s AG2R La Mondiale teammates might try to put Team Sky under pressure in an attempt to isolate Chris Froome. Combined, the Télégraphe and Galibier present the riders with almost 30 kilometres of climbing, which is a lot of ground to work with for a team hoping to isolate someone. Should Froome find himself alone, expect Bardet, Fabrio Aru, and perhaps Rigoberto Uran to try and make the most of the situation.RELATED: How Fabio Aru Swiped the Yellow Away from Froome Earlier in the Tour
But that task is easier said than done, especially since Froome’s teammate, Mikel Landa, looks to be one of the strongest climbers in this year’s Tour. And with 28km from the top of the Galibier down to the finish line and a slight cross/headwind expected on the valley road to Serre Chevalier, it will be tough for a lone rider to stay away. The best Froome’s challengers can hope for is that he either blows-up completely (unlikely) or finds himself in a small group of chasers with no one willing to cooperate with the yellow jersey. If those things don’t happen, Stage 18’s summit finish on the Col d’Izoard will be their last chance to gain time on Froome before Saturday’s final time trial.
