Julian Alaphilippe will be the enfant du pays when stage 11 will enter his Allier department after 45km of racing. He’ll pass through the town of Montluçon where he grew up and lived until he moved to Andorra just after the 2018 Tour de France. But clearly, this is not a stage for him to win, at the difference of stage 10 in which he took part in the breakaway. He was aiming for a better result than 10th in Issoire. A bunch sprint finish is expected in Moulins and the big question is: who among the sprinters left in the race will have recovered the best from the very demanding previous stages in the heat of the Auvergne region even though they were separated by a rest day? Alaphilippe’s team-mate Fabio Jakobsen just made it within the time cut along with Caleb Ewan in Issoire. On paper, green jersey holder Jasper Philipsen remains the hot favourite for a fourth stage victory.
