They’ve changed the rules but can they change the ruler? Peter Sagan won the points competition by such a large margin last year that he’s an obvious pick to win again.
Here’s a look at the contenders and pretenders for the points competition and a wider look at the sprinters and their teams too.
The Tour de France attracts interest like no other race and an unrivalled degree of coverage. If “hope dies last” then hype might be born first. Certainly the Tour can be over-promoted but the excitement is justified right now.
The Big Four of Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana have been talked up all year but now the talk turns to action. All four appear in good health and ready to challenge.
Chris Froome won the Dauphiné, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana marked each other up the Port de Balès which leaves Vincenzo Nibali as the big name with questions over his form. He was thereabouts in the Dauphiné but his epic ride to Villard de Lans confirmed his audacity and not his form. When it came to combating gravity he lost a lot more time on the Alpine climbs than he did last year. Today’s Italian championships make a good test with the uphill finish to the Superga outside Turin, 5km at 9% and more famous to cyclists as the tough finish of the late season Milano-Torino race and to others of a grizzly air accident.
Alpe d’Huez – Cycling’s Greatest Climb by Peter Cossins
Is Alpe d’Huez cycling’s most famous climb? There are many better roads to ride but the Alpe draws in the crowds like no other.
What makes Alpe d’Huez so popular? You might say the numbered hairpin bends, you could enjoy the views or maybe it’s all those famous stages of the Tour de France. But surely it’s the crowd that defines this climb, no other ascension sees such a communion between the riders and the fans? This book takes a closer look at the famous climb and how it gained it’s status and tells the story of those who suffered and shined on the way up.
Here’s the 2015 Tour de France reference guide with facts, rules, figures and a profile of every stage with a quick take on the day added. In the coming days there will be more previews including a look at the candidates for to the overall win.
During the race just visit inrng.com/tour or use the links at the top of the page (menu if you’re on a mobile device)
Thanks to Trek for sponsoring the site for June, as ever sponsorship makes a big difference here and is always worthy of a personal thank-you.
Trek’s ad campaign is for a new bike to be launched on 30 June. We might have seen it already in the Dauphiné… but you can sign-up to get all the info.
It’s been a great season so far with plenty of lively races supplying action, sport and drama. But what makes the perfect race for viewers? There seem to be several ingredients ranging from a tight contest to a satisfactory winner.
The UCI and Tour de France owners ASO are clashing over reforms to the sport and even the UCI has its splits after its President Brian Cookson has reportedly been overruled by his own Management Committee.
Teams are announcing their long list for the Tour de France. The Tour is the cornerstone around which many teams build the season. Riders want to race, the prestige means just starting and finishing is a big deal. But it’s never simple knowing who to pick. The big budget teams worry about who to leave out, the smaller teams find it hard to balance the chances of a stage win and a tilt at the top-10 overall.
With just over two weeks to go here’s a downloadable calendar of the Tour de France for your electronic diary or smartphone with brief details of each day’s stage.