Originally due to be held over a parcours of , the stage was slightly shortened due to snow on the Col du Galibier. The snow forced organisers to move the stage finish further down the climb, to the memorial in honour of Marco Pantani. Pantani soloed to a stage victory after attacking on the Col du Galibier during the 1998 Tour de France, before winning at Les Deux Alpes; the catalyst to his overall victory in the race. At one point, both the Col du Galibier and the day's opening climb, the Col du Mont Cenis, were reportedly off the itinerary due to the atmospherical conditions, but both were eventually ascented during the stage. The first-category Col du Mont Cenis climb started in Italy, and crossed over into France with a gradual -long climb, averaging around 6.2%, before the race descended down towards Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, and the start of the second-category Col du Télégraphe. The Col du Télégraphe averaged 7.2% over nearly , although reaching 11% in places. After a slight descent to Valloire, the Col du Galibier ascent commenced, with almost covered before the finish.