Tour de France 2016: Live-Stream Schedule, TV Info, Wednesday Stage 17 Route

The 2016 Tour de France will enter the final stretch on Wednesday, as Stage 17 marks the first of four gruelling stages in the mountains before the final ride to Paris.

The peloton had the chance to catch their breath during the rest day in Berne, but after 16 stages, none of the riders will be well-rested. The Col de la Gueulaz, Wednesday's final climb, is a nightmarish ascent with gradients well over 10 percent, so expect the peloton to take a major hit.

Here's everything you need to know about Stage 17.

Date: Wednesday, July 20

Route: Berne—Finhaut-Emosson

Profile: High Mountains

Time: 1 p.m. (BST), 8 a.m. (ET)

Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)

TV Info: ITV 4 (UK), NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)

Preview

Here's a look at the stage profile, via cycling commentator Patricio Cornejo:

Out of the four remaining Alpine stages, Wednesday's ride to Finhaut-Emosson profiles as the least challenging, but the final ascent up the Col de la Gueulaz will surely do some damage.

The Tour has never used the climb. But when it featured in the 2014 Criterium du Dauphine, it caused all kinds of carnage, and several contenders for the general classification lost time in the final kilometers.

Cyclingnewstv profiled the ascent, noticing how the steepest gradients all come toward the end:

As a result, the top climbers and contenders for the yellow jersey will likely be patient and attempt to make the difference toward the top. The less heralded riders looking for a stage win will have a good chance of staying ahead of the likes of Team Sky's Chris Froome, provided they pace themselves well.

Pacing becomes vital when tackling long Alpine climbs that grow steeper near the summit, and it's something the best riders in the world, including Froome, do well. Sky tend to get their tactics spot-on in the mountains, and that shouldn't be any different on Wednesday.

Their showing in the 2016 Tour has been nearly flawless, and top domestiques—such as Wout Poels—have done a sensational job of parrying attacks. Velocast's Cillian Kelly wondered whether the Dutchman will get the chance to lead a team into the Tour in the near future:

"

If Wout Poels is single handedly dropping guys like Tejay Van Garderen on climbs, shouldn’t he be trying to win the Tour de France himself?

— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) July 18, 2016"

Some lackluster racing from the other teams, most notably Movistar, has helped Team Sky. Nairo Quintana, who was widely regarded as the biggest threat to Froome's crown, hasn't been nearly as strong in the mountains as expected, while Astana's Fabio Aru has also come up well short.

The final week in the Alps was supposed to be Froome's biggest threat, but the defending champion is certain he has prepared for the challenge well, as he told Cycling News' Patrick Fletcher:

"

It has to be pretty discouraging for some of the other guys.

[...]

From myself personally I feel as if I’m more ready for this third week than I have been in previous editions.

Starting the season early helped that, and having a quieter run-in to the Tour helped that. At the beginning of this race I said my personal ambition is to be at my best in the last week and I think I’m on track for that.

I wouldn’t say the best is yet to come but I certainly feel as if I’m not like I was in the two previous editions – hanging on in the third week.

"

Froome has a tendency to fade during the final week of racing, and last year, Quintana did all sorts of damage during the final days in the high mountains. If the Colombian has recovered well during the rest day, he should try his luck on Wednesday, eyeing the steeper sections to claw back some time.

But Sky have been so good so far that a major comeback from Quintana seems unlikely. If he couldn't drop Poels and Froome on Mont Ventoux, it's unlikely he'll be able to do so on the Col de la Gueulaz.