It’s only Thursday in the first week of the Tour, a yawning 17 days before the finish in Paris, but the race is already starting two days in the mountains. Maybe not the high mountains, but the rugged terrain through the Massif Central has plenty of climbing to split the peloton into small groups. This near-200km stage into the Auvergne has four categorized climbs, including a Cat. 2 summit finish, but there are also dozens of ups and downs. Neither the start town of Aigurande (southeast of Châteauroux) nor Besse (and its small ski station of Superbesse) has a population of more than 2,000. The climb to the finish is not particularly severe, but it does finish on a steep kicker with 12-percent pitches.