Eight teams have a stage win, 14 don’t and this should make for a lively start as this is the last stage open to half the peloton.
Postcard from Evian
Thirsty? Today’s stage starts in Evian-les-Bains to give it the full name, but as Evian it’s one of those places more famous as a consumer brand of than a town.
Tour de France Stage 15 Preview
After the Vosges, now the Jura and into the Alps for the Tour de France with a summit finish.
Roads to Ride: Mont Salève
One of the most selective climbs in this year’s the Tour de France. If it’s not as fierce as the Angliru or Zoncolan, it still sits in a category of steep climbs that deserves to be explored in this series and ought to be raced more. So far it’s played a greater part in art history than the Tour de France.
Postcard from the Ballon d’Alsace
The Tour de France tackles the Ballon d’Alsace today, and will do again tomorrow too. It’s the first big mountain climbed by the Tour de France and the first celebration of climbing in the race and possibly the origin of the mythology of the climber as a lone rider ahead of the rest. And recently it’s been the subject of a mini-polemic.
The Race For Survival (updated)
Having looked at the team sponsors and what they do the other day, time to reprise a post from February looking at the sponsorship prospects, the topic keeps coming up with several teams facing financial challenges and things have changed since then.