Tour de France 2014: Stage 18 Route, Live Stream, Predictions, Updated Standings

Stage 18 represents the last of three days in the Pyrenees for the 2014 Tour de France and much is expected after Tuesday and Wednesday's stellar racing.

Although the race for the yellow jersey is effectively wrapped up—Vincenzo Nibali's lead is more than five minutes ahead of Alejandro Valverde in second—podium places are still very much up for grabs and will be fought for.

Equally, Thursday's stage represents a final opportunity for many teams and riders to claim a win as the last three days include a time trial and two potential sprint finishes.

The final day in the mountains contains the two hardest ascents of the entire race and a summit finish, so a tough day is in store for the riders.

Date: Thursday, 24 July

Distance: 144.5 km

Profile: Mountain (High)

TV Info and Live Stream: NBCSN (for U.S. viewers) and ITV4 (for U.K. viewers) will be broadcasting every stage of the 2014 Tour de France, with mobile coverage available via NBC Sports' Live Extra and the ITV Player app.

Updated Standings

Position	Rider	Nationality	Team	Time
1	Vincenzo Nibali	Italy	Astana	76:41:28
2	Alejandro Valverde	Spain	Movistar	+5:26
3	Thibaut Pinot	France	FDJ.fr	+6:00
4	Jean-Christophe Peraud	France	AG2R	+6:08
5	Romain Bardet	France	AG2R	+7:34
6	Tejay van Garderen	United States	BMC Racing	+10:19
7	Bauke Mollema	Netherlands	Belkin	+11:59
8	Laurens ten Dam	Netherlands	Belkin	+12:16
9	Leopold Konig	Czech Republic	NetApp	+12:40
10	Pierre Rolland	France	Europcar	+13:15

Route

Pau plays host to the start of Stage 18, from where there is about 80 kilometres of relatively easy going before the bottom of the first ascent and the infamous climb of Tourmalet.

However, there are still two categorised climbs in the opening section which could cause splits in the peloton with breakaways being launched.

The first ascent is very tough, and the climb to the first summit is just over 17 kilometres long and with an average gradient of 7.3 per cent.

Cyclingfans.com's Pete Geyer provides the full stage profile for a challenging day:

On the back of a tiring day on Stage 17, it will be very tough going for the riders. Another very hard climb to the final summit finish of the 2014 Tour at Hautacam should see plenty in the mix as they look for a stage win.

Preview, Prediction

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

There are fewer, less frequent peaks for Stage 18 than there were for the previous day, but that will be no comfort for the riders, as it does include two of the toughest climbs of the whole race.

Breakaways are to be expected, particularly from those teams who have no general classification contenders to worry about—perhaps Team Sky, who would love a stage win after a dire Tour.

However, those battling it out for the podium spots behind Nibali—and who feel they may lose time in Saturday's time trial—will also be looking to make some serious headway.

Kristof Van Accom/Getty Images

That means the likes of Valverde and French trio Thibaut Pinot, Jean-Christophe Peraud and Romain Bardet will likely all be in the mix come the final ascent of Hautacam.

The 34-year-old Spaniard Valverde looks vulnerable and was dropped in Wednesday's stage, and he must show his mettle if he wants to preserve his second place.

While Nibali's lead is such that he needs to take no risks whatsoever and will likely be content to ensure he maintains his lead, his skill and determination are such that it would be no surprise to see him attack the final climb.

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

Wednesday's stage-winner, Rafal Majka, will also be keen to keep the polka-dot jersey and thus will likely be in the mix, he sits 31 points ahead of Nibali in the race for the King of the Mountains with Joaquim Rodriguez six points further back.

There will be plenty of movement throughout the stage and attack after attack taking place on the climbs; however, expect someone in the early break to reach the finish first.