The Tour heads east towards the Vosges mountains and this is a final transition stage ahead of the mountains. Two late climbs add some suspense to the finish, it’s uncertain if the sprinters can cope. There’s nothing severe but it makes for a finish that’s harder to control.
The Tour de France attracts about 12 million people to the roadside. That’s the biggest audience in the world. Subtract the foreigners on holiday and roughly 15% of the French population will watch the race, impressive given the route has to miss many regions each year.
It’s easy to imagine cycling as a wildly popular sport in France and assume the crowds flock to cheer on the champions. In fact the French are surprisingly indifferent to cycle racing. Whilst you might watch the race for its sprints and climbs, your average French viewer wants roadside freebies and helicopter panoramas on TV.
The aftermath of Stage 5. Today should see a sprint finish as well as giving riders a chance to stretch their legs after yesterday’s battering.
As well as the race we’ll get a history lesson plus a presidential visit.
Lars Boom was first today but Vincenzo Nibali was the winner. It’s only Wednesday and already the Tour de France has seen enough drama to fill an HBO series.
The fear stage. Today the Tour de France borrows a day from April and uses the cobbled farm tracks of Paris-Roubaix and if there’s not a mountain in sight this stage is crucial for all the overall contenders. A summer classic? Perhaps but the weather forecast predicts grim conditions straight from the spring.
One of the great things about the Tour de France is the amount of coverage and content available. This includes podcasts. I’m a fan of podcasts as you can listen whilst doing something else and the way they are recorded means analysis and debate of the day’s racing as opposed to live coverage.
With this in mind here’s a selection of podcasts covering the Tour de France if you want to try them.
Another day for the sprinters. Is a Marcel Kittel win inevitable?
As the Tour de France convoy returns to French soil via the port of Calais it passes right by the village of Ardres, a nondescript place except it was once the site of an extravagant display of wealth and power between the Kings of France and England in 1520.
The Tour’s visit to Yorkshire and London has its similarities with pomp, sport, business and exchange.
A short stage to London where a sprint finish looks certain given the flat terrain and wide roads in the British capital. After yesterday’s slog across the climbs of Yorkshire today’s stage is almost a rest day but it’s never easy when the race speeds through at city at 60km/h. If you plan to watch note the earlier than usual finish.
There’s hardly a flat bit of road in today’s stage and when the roads climb or descend they’re irregular with varied gradients and tight descents. Today’s stage offers a tricky course and it’s hard to pick a winner but Marcel Kittel seems bound to surrender the yellow jersey.