Bastille day in France but not quite a route to celebrate. Expect big crowds and a bunch sprint. Today’s finish is the first genuine flat finish of the race so far and will be hectic as it’s the last chance for the sprinters for a long time and several big names are under pressure to deliver.
The longest stage and possibly the longest day too. A sprint finish awaits, only with another uphill rise to the line.
Two climbs at Mûr-de-Bretagne await, a lively stage finish and a test for the GC contenders.
What a relief, in more than one sense of the word. Today’s stage features plenty of sharp climbs and narrowroads and should make for a lively finish to watch and a hectic day inside the bunch.
Chris Froome and Team Sky have been booed at the Tour de France. Is the salbutamol case behind this? You’d have to go and ask those doing it what their motivations are but Sky have got plenty of boos in previous years too. Hostility from the sections of the crowd goes right back to the earliest editions of the race. Over the years Gino Bartali almost got lynched in the Pyrenees and Jacques Anquetil even named a boat after the jeering crowds who didn’t like him winning.
A few incidents might still shock but the wonder is why an event that passes 12 million people with barely a barrier, tape or fence between athletes and spectators doesn’t see more trouble.
A likely sprint finish and with a long straight road to the line making for a less technical finish, a dragstrip finish albeit with a rise to the line. Expect huge crowds as the race reaches Brittany, one of the hotbeds of French cycling.
Every year a few riders lose out on a start in the Tour de France. The likes of Caleb Ewan and Nacer Bouhanni are left fuming and other strong riders who may have been able to go for stage wins are left frustrated too. At the same time the wildcard teams lack lustre, reduce to going on fruitless long range breaks for notoriety. What if instead of inviting an uncompetitive team from the lesser ranks, a special invite went to a composite team made up of those who lost out in the selection for their team?
A team time trial to reshape the overall classification. It may not make for great TV but today’s stage should leave a lasting impact on the race, a set-piece stage to define the coming weeks.
Another likely sprint finish for sure. A hectic finale? Possibly, because the wind will get up later in the stage.
201km and a yellow jersey waiting at the end. A likely sprint finish and a certain high stress day for the peloton and convoy to start their Tour. Don’t get caught out by the early timing of today’s finish.