The final act and they’ve saved the best for last with an intense mountain stage that gets harder as it goes on with the Joux Plane and its toboggan-run descent into the finish as the climax to this year’s Tour de France. Once again it’s all live on TV from start to finish.
A lively stage in the Alps that was transformed by the rain and the audacity of Romain Bardet. Chris Froome crashed and if he got up quickly he was wincing on the podium as he collected his yellow jersey with a giant bandage on his knee.
Just 146km with plenty of mountains and a summit finish. It’s all live on TV including the cruel start up the Collet du Tamié.
Watching the Tour de France on TV? It’s only one way to see the race. Every year an estimated 12 million people line the roads and a day beside road reveals plenty about the event.
A tricky time trial with some fast moments and some surprisingly steep sections making harder than a classic mountain time trial. How much will Chris Froome extend his lead by today?
The racing resumes as the Tour de France and a summit finish awaits. This time there’s no bad weather to cut the stage short and the barriers are in place.
A deserved rest day and as the riders soft-pedal around Bern and the surrounding cantons in the sunshine they can see the Alps on the horizon.
With no stage preview tomorrow, a quick review of Stage 16 and a chance to examine a few other matters in and around the Tour de France today from Oleg Tinkov to prize money to the quality of hotels this year.
If you’re able to catch the Tour de France live on TV most days, chances are this is only part of your experience of the race during July. There’s lots more to read about and listen to and French sports newspaper L’Equipe is required reading for many on the race.
Sprint or breakaway? Today’s stage is accessible to the sprinters but it’ll depend on their teams and their ambitions and whether they can wrestle with the many breakaway hopefuls who’ll want to pick off the stage, the last non-Alpine opportunity before Paris. Many others will fancy their chances in a breakaway. A spicy finish in the Swiss capital awaits with climbs and cobbles before the finish line.