With no prologue we’ve had a week with a tightly-packed general classification and only the cruel elimination of riders by crashes. Now it’s time to impose some order on the race with the first visit to the Pyrenees and a summit finish to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
The final climb is short, enough to tell us about form but not big enough to allow sweeping conclusions that stretch all the way to the Alps. If you plan to watch on TV, note the early finish.
After six stages by the sea the race heads inland. There’s a different feel to this stage with more climbing but the real mountains are on the horizon with the Pyrenees tomorrow. For now a sprint finish is likely.
Every evening the Tour publishes an official bulletin with the results and other technical information including a note of who was fined during the day with the crimes and punishments listed.
For example yesterday Sylvain Chavanel was fined 100 Swiss Francs for ravitaillement portant atteinte à l’image du cyclisme or “feeding that damages the image of cycling.”
A transition for the sprinters as the race heads to Montpellier. The race crosses the Rhone delta, land of a thousand camp sites and a million mosquitoes.
The profile might suggest an easy day – it’s the flattest day so far in the Tour – but strong crosswinds are forecast, a force of nature to split the bunch. But don’t get your hopes up for an action-packed day where the overall contenders get tested in a stage that resembles a Belgian semi-classic. There’s a good chance the wind dies down for the stage finish.
A long day with a sneaky surprise in store at the end as the hardest climb of the day isn’t a categorised climb. The Col de Gineste comes fifteen minutes from the finish. It’s nothing savage but provides some spice and scenery.
With crashes and climbs we’ve yet to have a full bunch sprint with the superstars and today could be the day.
Meet Magalie Thierry, Tour de France “podium girl”, cycling fan and doctorate student. It’s a visible job and not without controversy this year thanks to Peter Sagan.
If you think the job is just about smiling once every day on the podium at 5.30pm, think twice. There are early starts and a lot of logistics to manage, all whilst appearing calm and welcoming.
Here’s a short “day in the life” explanation of the daily routine and tasks to complete as well as a quick Q&A about the role.
After the Corse thrills, spills and bellyaches it’s time for the race to step on the French mainland. A team time trial awaits to shake up the overall classification.
The course is fast and injuries sustained in recent days are likely to affect the results. We’re likely to see yellow jersey change shoulders too.
Mapping the Tour by Ellis Bacon
+ Givewaway competition to win a copy of the book
The idea is simple, recount each year’s Tour de France along with a collection of statistics such as the distance, number of starters and finishers, the winner and more and then add the map of the race to accompany the words. But the ability to see how the route changes is special, making this more than a list of winners and stories from times past but an aerial view on how the the race as evolved.
As well as the review, there’s also a chance to win a copy of the book if you can guess the weight of Tour de France podium lion.
The final stage on Corsica but the most scenic. The route twists and turns before heading to the Col de Marsolino, a short but selective climb close to the finish. It could be enough to eject some sprinters denying them a chance to enjoy the finish with a fast and flat approach to the line.
One difference today for race followers is the timing. If you’re planning to catch the finish on TV, see the info below because today’s schedules are adjusted to allow the race to fly back to the mainland.
It wasn’t long ago that problems with a coach meant the Fuentes scandal or a police raid in Italy so yesterday’s finish line confusion doesn’t look so bad. A quick update on the bus and the gantry. Orica-Greenedge’s bus lost the air conditioning. If you watched the TV coverage closely you could see fluid spraying out of the top of the bus after the crash. The bus can’t be too comfortable in Corsica given the sunshine outside.
According to RIDE Cycle Review’s Rob Arnold the gantry needs repairs. The two engines that hoist the thing into place are damaged. The hydraulics are fine but the alloy structure is damaged and should be repaired within the next two days.
The structure is provided by Movico, a Dutch company who had to think quickly yesterday with disaster struck and the race was 13km away and moving at 60km/h. It was their idea to let the air out of the tyres.