Tour de France stage 17 predictions and cycling betting tips
GC showdown on the cards as race hits the high Pyrenees
Free cycling tips, best bets and analysis for stage 17 of the 2022 Tour de France
Where to watch
Eurosport 1 & ITV4, 12.25pm Wednesday
Stage 17 preview
Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard is one stage closer to Paris after maintaining his 2mins 22secs lead over Tadej Pogacar on stage 16, which was won by Canada's Hugo Houle from a breakaway .
As expected, Pogacar was a constant menace to the yellow jersey, attacking at every opportunity and proving that he will not relinquish his title easily.
Stage 17 is the first of two key days in the high Pyrenees and everything looks set for another GC showdown between Vingegaard and Pogacar.
The shortest road stage of this year's Tour bar the processional final stage into Paris, the 129.7km route packs four categorised climbs, all of which are in the second half of the day, with a summit finish into Peyragudes Altiport, made famous as the setting for the opening scenes of James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
It's a steep ascent all the way to the finish line, which has previously staged a Tour finish in 2012 and 2017, and only the strongest climbers will succeed.
If a breakaway has any chance of succeeding then it will have to gain as big an advantage as possible on the flat first half before the real action begins on the Col d'Aspin.
But with Vingegaard and Pogacar both now low on teammates due to illness and injury, it really is man against man in the battle for the yellow jersey.
Race leader Vingegaard will be hoping he can avoid being shaken by a motivated Pogacar seeking to stir up the general classification with time running out for him to claw back some of the time he lost to the Dane on stage 11.
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