All to play for. In recent years the final stage has been a bit of a let down, a fight for the stage win but a procession for the overall classification. This year it’s different with just eight seconds separating Alberto Contador and Chris Froome and time bonuses on the finish line.
Sportsmanship and Ethics in Pro Cycling
Watching the opening game of the FIFA World Cup reminded me why I don’t watch much football. A Brazilian player called Fred felt a rival’s hand on his shoulder and collapsed to the ground as if struck by a sniper. In football they call it a professional foul, elsewhere it’s called cheating.
Not that cycling is superior. Here cheating is elevated to an art and the rulebook can at times resemble an à la carte where participants, including the governing body, select the rules they want like a diner picking their dinner. What ever happened to sportsmanship?
Dauphiné Stage 7 Preview
The Queen Stage of the 2014 Critérium du Dauphiné promises to settle this month’s duel between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador although it’s so close we might still need Sunday’s final stage. This is a tough day with the two hardest climbs saved for last. If that’s not hard enough the hot weather could break into thunderstorms for the finish.
Note today’s stage is forecast to finish later than usual.
Dauphiné Stage 6 Preview
Glance at the profile and it looks like a day for the sprinters but look more closely and the final 30km include some disruptive roads that promise a tense finish with several sharp climbs including a 15% wall with two kilometres to go.
Dauphiné Stage 5 Preview
Many riders have marked today as the obvious day for a breakaway. With over 100 riders now over 10 minutes down on GC riders there are a lot of riders with a ticket to ride but only one winner awaits in La Mure.
Breakaway Management
With the Dauphiné having arrived in a town called Gap what better time to talk about the science and art of managing a breakaway?
Everything about a breakaway says freedom, liberty and space. But as well as a hard physical effort it’s also a tricky game of poker with bluff and counter-bluff and the bigger the race, the greater the tactics.
Dauphiné Stage 4 Preview
The race heads to the Alps with a classic stage finish in Gap with the Col de Manse followed by a steep descent to the finish. It’s a tricky stage with the action packed in the finish. There’s also a new leap in the evolution of TV today.
New Names in the Dauphiné
Read the results and you can see who won yesterday but also who might win tomorrow. Yesterday’s stage of the Dauphiné saw several promising riders in the top-20.
Dauphiné Stage 3 Preview
A fast and flat finish, today’s stage says bunch sprint in every language. But the race has a shortage of sprinters and sprint trains. Could Chris Froome go for a third stage win in a row? Just joking.
Dauphiné Stage 2 Preview
One day in and a summit finish already. The Col du Béal is a long slog on a rough road and if it’s not Alpine, it’s still a tough climb. It won’t select the winner it will thin down the list of contenders and pretenders all while offering some scenic roads.