A recent geographical survey says Mont Ventoux is not as high as previously thought. The road at the top is lower than 1900m despite signs proclaiming it sits at 1911m. It’s tempting to imagine Mont Ventoux collapsing under the weight of clichés piled on every time the Tour de France visits. It’s telling that if nobody can agree the height then there’s space on the mountain for dreams, mysteries and more. No other venue seems to capture the imagination.
The return of the mythical Mont Ventoux, home to fantasies, legends and clichés – more of which later today. There’s a race on and a decisive summit finish. The final climb has been abbreviated because of the windy conditions and this only means more stress on the approach roads.
A stage to Montpellier, almost a copy of a stage from 2011 won by Mark Cavendish. A sprint finish is likely and crosswinds are forecast again.
Team Sky’s annual accounts for the year ending 2015 have just been published and they report a budget cut for the first time since the team’s creation. Here’s a look at their budget, spending, wage bill and a comparison with other squads.
Most people visit Andorra for the skiing or to buy tax-free cigarettes so the Tour de France’s summer visit makes an odd choice. As the race prepares to leave the Pyrenees here’s a look back at the opening phase of the race and a quick take on what’s coming up.
The first summit finish of the race, a 184km stage with almost 5,000m of vertical gain. It’s all live on TV from start to finish.
“We were expecting him tomorrow, he attacked today. We expecting him to attack uphill, he went on the descent”
– Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme
Prudhomme summed up the events at the finish of today’s stage after Chris Froome’s late attack brought him the stage and the yellow jersey. It marked a moment of excitement in an otherwise steady stage and if Froome won this more symbolic than substantial with only seconds in it.
The first mountain stage of this year’s Tour but almost a route in reverse as the climbs get easier towards the finish. Expect a selection but don’t hope for a decisive verdict.
Another stage win for Dimension Data, this time with Stephen Cummings while behind biggest attack to the GC contenders came from the finishing arch. The first day in the Pyrenees delivered the kind of results we expected.
Even there was no Froome-Quintana duel there was more than enough in today’s stage to merit a separate review.
