Stage 1 of the 108th Tour de France is entirely held in the Finistère department, from Brest to nearby Landerneau, the home of Leclerc supermarkets that sponsor the polka dot jersey, passing through the elliptical bridge of Térénez, the Pentrez beach where Valentin Madouas spent a lot his childhood holidays, the charming historical village of Locronan, formerly an important centre for the manufacture of sail-cloth for ship-building, the city of Quimper and its famous cathedral, the Stang-Ar-Garront climb of Châteaulin that used to host France’s most renowned post-Tour criterium, the mountain of St-Michel-de-Brasparts and its chapel at the top… It’s quite scenic but also pretty demanding for the cyclists who will ride down from the Monts d’Arrée to Landerneau via a fast road. The technical run in to the côte de la Fosse aux Loups (literally the wolves’ pit) will make the finale a very competitive one. This is probably the stage with the highest number of favourites or contenders, from sprinters like Arnaud Démare and Caleb Ewan who hope to overcome the steep stretch with 2km to go to the GC riders like Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and Richard Carapaz. But the name of Mathieu van der Poel stands out as he’s touted to grab the yellow jersey his grand-father Raymond Poulidor never had – but his father Adri van der Poel got it for one day in 1984.
