After two arduous stages through the French Alps, Stage 19 will present the peloton with a long stage into the south of France from the town of Embrun to the city of Salon-de-Provence, 50 kilometers northwest of Marseille.
Once riders depart from the town of Embrun at the foot of the French Alps, they will cover 20 kilometers before reaching their first of three category 3 climbs on the day, to the summit of the Col Lebraut.
This ascent will be the steepest of the day, covering 4.7 kilometers at an average grade of 6%.
After reaching the summit of the Col Lebraut, riders will descend for the next 10 kilometers before reaching the base of their second climb of the day.
The second climb of the day will be a shorter ascent up the Cote de Breziers, taking the peloton up a 5.8% average incline for just 2.3 kilometers.
Once the field has summited the Cote de Breziers they will gradually descend for the next 40, making their way down to town of Sisteron.
For the next 50 kilometers riders will make a series of rolling climbs and descents before reaching the stage's only intermediate sprint in the town of Banon.
From Banon, the peloton will still have over 86 kilometers remaining on the stage, and will reach the base of their final categorized climb of the day 50 kilometers from the finish in Salon-de-Provence at the Col du Pointu.
The ascent to the top of the Col de Pointu will take riders on a 5.8 kilometer climb with a 4.1% average gradient, with the remaining 45 kilometers to the finish being primarily all downhill on a gradual descent.
Stage 19 will be another day for the sprinters, and with the exit of Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors), Team Sunweb rider Michael Matthews has taken hold of the points classification. Matthews will be looking for his third stage victory at this year's edition of the Tour de France, while many other sprinters will be looking for their first stage win of the 104th Tour. Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) has finished in third place on three separate stages, but has yet to make his mark on this year's Tour. Greipel currently sits second in the points classification, but it 160 points down on green jersey holder Michael Matthews. The German veteran did win the final stage on the Champs Elysees at last year's Tour however, and could be looking to repeat at this year's Tour de France. Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin), and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) will be other sprinters to keep an eye on at the finish line of Stage 19.
With Fabio Aru (Astana) falling off the pace in the Alps, it leaves only Chris Froome (Team Sky), Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) in the tight group at the top of the general classification. Bardet moved into second place after Stage 18, taking third on the stage, and currently sits 23'' behind yellow jersey hold Chris Froome. Uran finished fifth on Stage 18, and is 29'' down on Froome. While major time gaps will likely not be made between the three riders at the top of the general classification on Stage 19, all three of the riders are sure to be putting in strategic moves and tactical attacks to gain whatever ground possible on their competitors.
Other riders to watch throughout Stage 19 include Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors), Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Simon Yates (Orica-Scott), and Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates).
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