The second half of the Tour selection arrives with the entrance to the Swiss Alps. The race is far from over and this stage will be the last penultimate mountain top finish before the riders conquer Mt. Ventoux.

Starting in Verbier, for the first time, the riders will make sure nothing happens like what occurred in the 2001 Tour that finished here. A group of fourteen riders went up the road and instead of the peloton chasing they let them finish a full 35 minutes in front. This allowed Eric Dekker to take the win while Stuart O’Grady pulled on the yellow jersey.

A break will surely form on the first climb right out of the starting gate on the Cote de Rafou but the peloton might wait to respond until they reach the 13.8km Col des Mosses. After passing through Martigny the riders will start the tough 7% grade for 8.8km up to the ski resort in Verbier. For the riders that rode the 2008 Tour de Switzerland they will be familiar with the climb and perhaps Kim Kirchen can carry over his victory from the Swiss race to win this Tour stage. 

The riders fighting for the overall will have to have good legs and the finish here will be a good indication of what to expect when we reach the Ventoux summit. The following day is a rest day as the riders will have to prepare to tackle more mountains once the race continues.