Event of the Day: Stage 18 of the 2018 Tour de France
Our event of the day is Stage 18 of the Tour de France. Riders will get a brief recess from the gruelling Pyrenean mountain stages as they cycle 171 kilometres from Trie-sur-Baïse to Pau. This is a relatively flat stage that will give sprinters the opportunity to make up some ground they may have lost in the mountains. The biggest inclines of this stage are the Category 4 climbs Côte de Madiran and Côte d’Anos. The cyclists will come across the Côte de Madiran 53.5 kilometres into the stage. It is a 1.2km climb at 7% and reaches a height of 260 metres at it’s highest point. The race then winds through Aurensan, Aire-sur-l’Adour, and resort town Eugénie-les-Bains before going through the small village of Arzacq-Arraziguet.
After that the riders reach the Côte d'Anos, which is a 2.1km climb at 4.6% and reaches a peak of 301m. The cyclists reach the high point of the day shortly after at Morlaàs (336m). It’s a downhill sprint to the city of Pau after that. Team Sky's Geraint Thomas will begin the day as the overall leader after he finished third in Stage 17 behind Irishman Dan Martin (2nd) and Colombian Nairo Quintana (1st). Thomas now leads the Tour by one minute and 59 seconds. On his tail are Team Sunweb's Tom Dumoulin and fellow Team Sky teammate Chris Froome. With four stages left in the Tour de France, the 18th stage is all important for those jockeying for position to claim the yellow jersey.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 4 of WTA Tennis at the Moscow River Cup. This inaugural tournament is being played on the clay courts at the National Tennis Centre in Russia’s capital. It features big name player such as Daria Kasatkina and Julia Görges. Elsewhere in tennis, the ATP World Tour is in Hamburg as the German Open enters its fourth day. In cricket, Middlesex take on Hampshire in a South Group Natwest T20 Blast matchup at Lord’s in London. A busy day in Major League Baseball sees a number of ball games being played across the United States. In San Francisco, the Giants host the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park. The Chicago Cubs welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Wrigley Field and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in Atlanta to take on the Braves. Major League Soccer action takes place at the Banc of California Stadium as Los Angeles Football Club play their cross-town rival LA Galaxy. In golf, the PGA Tour makes its annual stop in Canada as the RBC Canadian Open gets started at Glen Abbey Golf Club in beautiful Oakville, Ontario. On the European Tour, the Porsche European Tour tees off at Green Eagle Golf course just outside of Hamburg, Germany. In National Rugby League, the Broncos have a round 20 matchup with the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. In Super League, St. Helens host the Warrington Wolves at Totally Wicked Stadium. There are a number of Europa League matches on the docket today. One match to watch will be Burnley against Aberdeen in a second qualifying round match at Pittodrie Stadium in Scotland.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Tour de France