Some more thoughts on the Tour de France route and the presentation earlier in the week. Once the presentation’s been digested and the profiles poured over there’s more to think about.
First up this is a route to look forward to and the closer your inspect it, the better it gets.
Every year the route of the Tour de France is the subject of a long guessing game before the official presentation of the route. It’s testimony to the race’s importance that many want to know next July’s route already. With the racing season ending it’s good to project to next summer.
Autumn’s here and with it, the last televised race of the year. Labelled “the sprinters’ classic”, this Sunday’s Paris-Tours might have a flat route but most of the winners in recent years have come from breakaways thanks to attacks launched late in the race. It’s this tension between the sprinters and breakaways that makes the race so thrilling.
Once a very prestigious race, Paris-Tours has slipped in status still provides a thrill worth watching. More so because it’s the last classic until the 2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, some 140 days away.
Europcar manager Jean-René Bernaudeau has found a replacement sponsor in Direct Energie, a supplier of electricity and natural gas that operates in France and Belgium. It keeps the team on the road and also does the whole sport some good because here’s a sponsor from outside the sport that wants to use the team as a means to win new customers.
Chris Froome attacks on the road to La Pierre Saint Martin, dropping Nairo Quintana, putting both time and doubts into all his rivals. This was the moment the race was won.
It’s been infernally hot on the Tour de France with the temperature in the shade reaching 39°C (102°F). Only the riders can’t sit in the shade they must race in the open. Reports said riders drank up to 20 bottles each during yesterday’s stage.
Thirst and heatstroke are obvious factors but the heat takes its toll in many ways.
The Critérium du Dauphiné heads for the Vercors, a high plateau surrounded by precipitous cliffs. The race takes the Col du Rousset, an impressive road but other approach roads are even more stunning. The Combe Laval is famous for its vertigo-inducing cliffhanger section, a narrow road cut into the cliff with a terrifying drop off the side. But is it France’s most overrated road?
This Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix has to be the unique race on the calendar. Its cobbles are enough to make the Oude Kwaremont look new. The velodrome finish is unusual but the exceptions don’t end there, this is a race where reaching the showers has become part of the ritual. Even the name stands out, Roubaix is celebrated as a strong brand by the cycle-trade when in the reality it’s France’s poorest town and rarely something to celebrate.
The King of the Alps. Europe’s highest mountain pass is more regal still thanks to the views and its length. At 48km this France’s longest paved climb. Used sparingly by the Tour de France, it’s a big high altitude test in two parts, a busy traffic artery, then the calm upper slopes.
There’s been talk that the Tour de France could be up for sale, various journalists have published pieces saying the Amaury family have held discussions with potential buyers, often concluding that a sale seems unlikely.
The Tour de France is a very valuable asset but not the money-spinner some might take it for. A little-known government decree prevents the owners from maxxing out on the TV rights. However the changing media landscape could see the race become more valuable as more channels hunt for an audience.