Tour de France Stage 20 Preview: Arensman can make amends – if Pog permits!

Stage 20, the final competitive stage of this year's Tour de France ahead of Sunday's processional ride into Paris, sees the peloton head up Alpe d'Huez for the second day in a row.

Race leader Tadej Pogacar won Stage 19 up to the famous ski resort in the French Alps and now the riders head there again, this time at the end of a testing day which features four more brutal climbs. Read on for my Tour de France Stage 20 preview.

Stage 20, a 170.9km slog from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, is the queen stage of the 2026 Tour, which signifies the hardest of the lot - and it's easy to see why.

Four categorised climbs featuring over 5,500m of elevation will test the strength of all the riders after three weeks of brutal cycling in generally searing heat.

And with just the show-pedal into Paris to follow this is the last chance for any GC contenders to throw down a challenge to Tadej Pogacar for the yellow jersey, try to force their way on to the podium or simply bask in the glory of winning up one of the most legendary climbs in cycling.

The Route

The 170.9km 20th stage of this year's Tour - second leg of back-to-back finishes on Alpe d'Huez - is merciless from the off.

The hors categorie Col de la Croix de la Fer (24km of climbing at an average gradient of 5.2 per cent) is followed by a sharp descent down to the sprint at Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis.

Then it's up into the clouds once more with the Category 1 Col du Telegraphe (11.9km at 7.1%) followed by the legendary hors categorie Col du Galibier (17.7km at 6.9%).

A brisk descent precedes the HC Col de Sarenne (12.8km at 7.3%) before they pierce the crowds to Alpe d'Huez, not the usual route up, a shortened (but still sapping) 3.7km at 6.2%.

Tour de France Betting Odds

Thymen Arensman to win Stage 20 @ 28/1

It's a long shot given how hard it is to oppose Tadej Pogacar on anything with a hill involved, but Thymen Arensman could well be a contender on Stage 20.

The gutsy Dutchman had actually targeted Stage 19 and was third over the Col du Noyer before the grand plan went awry early on the final climb.

Arensman was fourth in the mountains classification in last year's race clocking up victory on Stage 14 in the Pyrenees into Superbagneres and then on Stage 19 in the Alps to La Plagne.

It's obviously a last shot at glory this year for the Netcompany INEOS rider who is certainly a big price and maybe a spot of value. And INEOS could do with a stage win after a blank Tour to this point.

Stage 19's run to Alpe d'Huez was the first of the mountain stages where Arensman threw down a challenge and he looked strong, strong enough to go again in Stage 20.

Valentin Paret-Peintre to win Stage 20 @ 80/1

Pogacar has a yellow jersey to protect so while he would love to sign off the competitive part of this year's Tour with a 27th stage win, the Slovenian may back off after yesterday's extraordinary efforts.

The battle for yellow may be as good as done but the scrap for the polka dot jersey, however, is seriously interesting and with a whopping 70 King of the Mountain points up for grabs there is a glut of genuine contenders.

Valentin Paret-Peintre is in the hunt after yesterday's successful ascents of the Col Bayard and Col du Noyer before the Soudal QuickStep raised the white flag going up the Col d'Ornon.

The Frenchman, the winner up to Mont Ventoux last year, has come alive in the Alps, finishing fourth into Orcieres-Merlette and hopefully has plenty left in the tank after cutting short yesterday's effort.

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