A stage for attackers, a stage in history, an unpredictable stage. Stage number 13 of the Tour de France (you decide if you're superstitious, given that today is Friday the 17th) is the longest of the Grande Boucle, the only one exceeding 200 kilometers: the Dole - Belfort measures 205.8 km with 2,400 meters of elevation gain.

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A stage for attackers because the first 150 kilometers are not demanding and offer the opportunity to attempt the breakaway we should prepare to see a full-gas start. A stage that goes down in history because it brings the peloton back to the Ballon d'Alsace 121 years after its first ascent, which was also the very first climb ever tackled by the Grande Boucle.

Two categorized climbs scheduled for today: the Col des Croix - 3rd category at km 157.4, 5.2 km at 4.8% - will serve to warm up the legs ahead of the Ballon d'Alsace, a 1st category climb, with the summit at km 175.9, after an 8.8 km ascent at 6.9%.

An unpredictable stage because it can end in a thousand different ways, much more so than on other occasions: a breakaway from far back? Sequential attacks until the right one forms in the heart of the Vosges? The law imposed by the race's big guns who will battle it out on the climb? An attack on the descent to plunge at full speed toward Belfort? Or still other solutions? Nothing left to do but wait a few more hours to find out...