The Pyrenees are here with the Col d’Aspin climbed from its harder side. This is no summit finish but cross the top of the pass with 30 seconds and the stage is yours.
Month: July 2016
Roads To Ride: Puy Mary – Pas de Peyrol
Yesterday’s Tour de France stage was in central France and the Cantal with its volcanic landscapes and lush green valleys. The race doesn’t visit this region very often, few do and all the more reason to enjoy cycling on these roads.
Tour de France Stage 6 Preview
A likely sprint finish awaits as today is followed by three consecutive stages in the Pyrenees.
Tour de France Stage 5 Preview
The first mountain stage is here and the racing is going to change. There should be a struggle to get in a breakaway at the start and battle for the stage win at the end as the race heads to the volcanic landscapes of the Cantal.
Raiders Of The Lost Art
The Tour de France returns to Limoges today and the city has a small niche in the race’s history as the last place where a long distance solo breakaway triumphed, 16 years ago with the victory of Christophe Agnolutto.
Tour de France Stage 4 Preview
Yesterday felt like the longest day but today’s stage is the longest when measured by distance. The race heads south, the weather gets warmer and there’s an uphill finish. A sprint finish is still likely but the tactics will vary.
Rethinking The 3km Rule
Look at the image above and what do you see? André Greipel’s on his way to winning Stage 6 of the 2015 Giro d’Italia but look again through the gap of riders to the background and the pink jersey sat on the road. It’s Alberto Contador who has suffered a crash in the final hundred metres. What was he doing in the sprint you might ask and the answer is trying to stay out of trouble. The irony is that in a stage race those aiming for the overall classification have to be near the front even in the finish of a sprint stage to avoid losing time but this only raises the risks.
Is it time to rethink the 3km rule and reserve the finish of certain stages for the sprinters?
Tour de France Stage 3 Preview
A long day and a likely sprint finish, today probably isn’t the day to tune in for hours of TV expecting action or stunning scenery, save your anticipation for the sprint royale in Angers.
Tour de France Stage 2 Preview
Mirror, mirror, up the wall, who is the fastest of them all? Today’s stage is 180km to an uphill finish via the Côte de la Glacerie, “Glassworks Hill”, with its 14% section just before the line.
Tour de France Stage 1 Preview
The race begins and the first stage seems to have a known ending: surely a sprint finish? Probably but the riders have to get to the finish first and there are some obstacles in the way including plenty of crosswinds and a fraught finish. It’s live on TV from start to finish.