Not just your average Tour...
And the countdown begins to next year. True the podium doesn’t reflect it, but this Tour was not just a calculated defense; it was a sit on the edge of your seat, what will happen today RACE!
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And the hits keep coming as the roads go up.
Welcome to the Alps. The next three Stages will give us the man to wear yellow into Paris. All three days in the Alps are grueling and the first is perhaps the worst (the longest at 200km, 124 miles). Sprinters will do their best to not get eliminated.
The GC takes a back seat to the sprinters....but not any crosswinds.
As the third week of the Tour begins, the sprinters have two more opportunities for Stage wins: today and in Paris. Of course, with the Alps in between (Stages that can eliminate sprinters), today is perhaps their best last chance.
Another day, another summit finish....
Three Category 1 climbs, 4700 meters of elevation gain and 185 km in the saddle (115 miles) marks the last day in the Pyrenees. The start will be the same:
The race of truth...
Today’s Stage is the only individual time trial. The circuit course is not very technical, but the first 15km is undulating —up/down/repeat with a few small steep ramps and false flats. The second half is flatter but has a bite at the end and kicks up for about 200 meters.
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In a Tour that continues to defy the expected, to the mountains we go.....
The Pyrenees. Today is a tale of two races. The first 130 km (80 miles) is a gradual, steady slog slightly uphill to an intermediate sprint.
Of Sprinters or breakaway specialists....
Another day of undulating, hilly terrain. The climbs are easier. The finish offers an opportunity for a bunch sprint. So, perhaps, the peloton and sprinters’ teams will be motivated to keep the breakaway in check? We can hope.
Just another day for a breakaway and Stage win glory or.......
After a long, steady day in the saddle (a welcome respite in the relentlessly tough first week of the Tour and a rare gift for the sprinters) , the Tour comes to yet another day suited for the breakaway specialists. Stage 8 includes 7 categorized climbs
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Hello hilly Vosges! Today is a brand new sorta day......
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We finally enter France.....
Today the Tour organizers continue their quest to make the first week of the race more interesting than the repetitive hours of flat road riding, marketing breakaways, and a field sprint finish. True, the first 170km is exactly that, but with 30km remaining the riders will encounter three Category 3 climbs (climbs are ranked according to certain guidelines and are rated from most difficult 1 to the least 4.
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Every second counts as the team’s race against the clock......
Today’s team time trial is just a short 27.6 km (approx 17 miles) with wide, flat roads (yes there are four “climbs”, but at just 4% grade these guys will barely notice!) so today is all about big engines and solid technique.
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And 3 weeks of suffering begins.....
Today will be a calm day on the bike with a breakaway and an exciting sprint finish as the fastest men position themselves early for the green jersey (a jersey OWNED by Peter Sagan —6 so far—more on each jersey and the races within the race later). And a tiny Sagan tangent here: I think he wants yellow today...perfect stage for him).
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