Tour De France 2016: Route Location, TV Schedule and Live Stream for Stage 19
Great Britain's Chris Froome took one step toward becoming a three-time Tour de France winner when he stormed to victory in Stage 18's time trial.
The reigning champion can take one more stride to glory on Stage 19 between Albertville and Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, as intense climbing becomes the order of the day over the 146-kilometre ride on Friday.
Froome extended his lead in the general classifications to three minutes and 52 seconds over the Netherlands' Bauke Mollema, and only a disaster will now see the leader lose the most famous grand tour on the planet.
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Here is how you can catch the action, including start time and stage profile:
Date: Friday, July 22
Start Time: 11:55 a.m. BST, 6:55 a.m ET
Route: Albertville—Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Stage Profile: Mountain
Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)
TV Info: ITV 4, Eurosport 1 (UK), NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)
For the full Tour de France schedule, visit CyclingNews.com.
The stage profile was shared by columnist and former professional cyclist Michael Rasmussen as western Europe's highest peak takes centre stage:
Team Sky have protected Froome expertly throughout the current Tour, and caution will once again be the focus of the day as preservation becomes key.
Froome has looked motivated and concentrated during every stage, but his team have led him from danger when it was brewing on the horizon.
Sky Sports Cycling provided the latest GC standings:
The stage is challenging with lots of turns and double-backing, and the peloton is likely to be packed over an extended period of the race.
This will suit the yellow-jersey holder as the stage pans out, allowing Team Sky to review their tactics as other teams chance a rapid attack.
Despite not being a long ride, Stage 19 is an aggressive race. Challengers have to decide early whether to make the break and force Froome's hand.
The climbs and complicated and gruelling, but the descents will offer genuine pace once the peloton train slightly fragments.
The big climb of the day comes at Montee de Bisanne, and the GC will be defined at this point. The road viciously offers 1,723 metres of gradients which will punish the field. The remaining sprint specialists will not enjoy the stage as endurance and tactics take over.
The beauty of Mont Blanc will dominate the end of the stage, and if Froome controls the peloton once more, he can start to think about Paris.
A technical mishap can still derail the Brit's challenge, so he will be nervous to attack at any point of the race. His current lead is very strong, leaving the GC pack scratching their heads for ideas.
All they can do is hope Froome makes a costly mistake and loses the yellow jersey in freak circumstances.
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