Tour de France 2022 stage 13 preview: A day for the sprinters after mountain mayhem

Stage 13 of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Le Bourg d’Oisans and finshes in Saint-Étienne.

The focus switches back to the fastmen as the Tour begins its trek across France to the Pyrenees, and the inevitable showdown.

Tour de France stage 13: expected timings

Tour de France stage 13 route

From Le Bourg d’Oisans, the race will head west to Grenoble and then pick its way between the Chartreuse and Vercors massifs to reach the flatlands of the Rhône valley. After crossing the river at Vienne, the route becomes a little more undulating as it cuts through the northern edge of the Pilat natural park, then rises more steadily approaching St Étienne, where the sprinters should return to the centre of the action.

Useful Tour de France 2022 resources

• Tour de France 2022 route
• Tour de France 2022 standings
• Tour de France 2022 start list
• Tour de France 2022 key stages
• How to watch the 2022 Tour de France
• Past winners of the Tour de France
• Tour de France leader's jerseys
• Tour de France winning bikes

Tour de France stage 13: what to expect 

The Tour last raced into Saint-Étienne in 2019, when Thomas De Gendt managed to hold on from the breakaway on a stage that featured seven categorised climbs and almost 4,000 metres of vertical gain. This stage is very different, the terrain rolling in parts but otherwise flat for long sections. A small group of breakaway hopefuls will come together, but they are unlikely to hold off the sprinters. The peloton should come back together approaching Saint-Étienne, where a bunch finish looks to be nailed on.

Tour de France stage 13: riders to watch

Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl have shown in recent seasons that they’re the sprint team to beat on not just pan flat stages but the ones like this that are a little less straightforward. Their chosen sprinter Fabio Jakobsen has already won a stage this year, but he finished second to last on stage 12 on Alpe d'Huez so will he have anything in his legs today? Whichever sprinter feels confident as the peloton speeds out of Bourg and down to Grenoble, he’ll be the one to put his team-mates on the front to control the gap to the break.