Tour de France: Stage 1 Preview

Tour de France Stage 1

Corsica is labelled “l’Île de Beauté,” the Island of Beauty and the Tour de France is a way to show this to the world.

But there’s more to Corsica than the rocky mountains and the shimmering Mediterranean sea. It’s the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte and by some measures it’s Europe’s crime capital, an outpost of omertà.

The mix of natural beauty and man-made violence is the perfect introduction to the Tour de France. The peloton rolls past pine forests, beaches and blue seas with freewheels clicking like cicadas. But the closer the finish gets, the more the tension rises. The race funnels into Bastia for a high stakes finish where the best sprinters will fight for the yellow jersey.

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Who Will Win The Tour de France?

Chris Froome Dauphiné Time Trial

Having looked at the other jerseys, now it’s time to assess the contenders for cycling’s ultimate prize, the yellow jersey and the overall win in the Tour de France.

Chris Froome is everyone’s pick and it’s easy to see why. But who are his rivals and how can he be beaten? Also the quantity of top-10 contenders stands out, promising a battle in the mountains.

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Film Review: “La Grande Boucle”

Grand Boucle film

It’s not often you see the Tour de France in the cinema so when a film arrives it can be default viewing for many cycling fans. La Grande Boucle is a newly-released French film and the tale of one man down on his luck who attempts to ride the route of the Tour in a bid to prove he’s worth something.

Sadly it’s a stinker of a film. Watch it if you must but be warned, this is the cinema equivalent of a ride on the indoor trainer, you’ll do it because it’s cycling but it takes mental strength to finish the session.

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Tour de France: Who will win the White Jersey?

Thibaut Pinot FDJ

It’s said the mark of a champion is to win the Tour de France right from the start. Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault are amongst those who came, saw and conquered the race in their first attempt. But most Tour winners take time to establish themselves and the Tour de France’s best young rider competition is a useful staging post and prestigious line for the CV. However a look at the past winners suggests the white flower of youth rarely blooms into a Tour de France winner.

Who will win this year? Here’s a brief analysis of the contenders, the rules and the history of this jersey. Plus there’s an explainer of what happens when a rider leads more than one competition in the Tour.

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Tour de France: Who will win the Mountains Jersey?

Nairo Quintana

The Tour de France mountains jersey should be one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport. The mountains often define the race and offer spectacular drama. Even the title of King of the Mountains brings a regal tone, albeit in English as the official title is classement général du meilleur grimpeur, just the best climber.

But in recent years the contest has become a sideshow, albeit a valuable one. Rather than going to a proven climber it’s often awarded to a breakaway artist with a talent for mental arithmetic and a dose of good fortune. In fact it’s the hardest competition to assess as over the years the outcome can be quite random. Still, we can break down where the points are available and extrapolate potential contenders.

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The Imperfect Past of Laurent Jalabert

Laurent Jalabert 1998

L’Equipe reports Laurent Jalabert tested positive for EPO after tests were done on samples collected from the 1998 Tour de France. Like many a scandal it’s not the evil deed but the cover-up that causes controversy. A pro cyclist from late 1990s using EPO? Big deal. But a contemporary media figure stuck in a tangled web of half-truths and denials? Awkward.

But look beyond the headlines and the promise of sample storage is an added deterrent. Whilst many in France shoot the messenger, being able to test samples from the past is an advance, the only problem is that the test results needed an enquiry by the French senate to link names to the positive sample. More names are coming.

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Tour de France: Who will win the Green Jersey?

Mark Cavendish Napoli

A straight battle between Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan? That seems to be the settled view. But how does the route suit each rider and what of other contenders?

The more you look at the 2013 Tour route, the more chances Mark Cavendish will have but if he’s good, he’s got plenty of competition from others. The Tour de France is arguably the only race of the year where we get to see all the top sprinters in competition.

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Tour de France Overview

Tour de France map 2013

If you want a simple and accessible online Tour de France guide, here it is. There’s a concise preview of every stage, with my quick take on the day added.

In addition, before 8.00 am on the morning of every stage you’ll find a dedicated preview for the day ahead. This daily analysis will be as freshly baked as a baguette, updated to reflect current news, race strategies and detailed information on the route with the kind of precision normally reserved for a team briefing as well as trivia on the route, riders and race.

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An Alpha State of Mind

Galibier by Mavic

A ride doesn’t just clear my mind, it fills it with fresh ideas. If I go out for more than an hour then often answers appear and new ideas flash into my mind. This might sound like spurious justification but for me it’s true, issues I might have been weighing up can often get resolved. Some say sleeping on a tricky decision helps, I say go for a ride.

Tour fever might be building but ahead of daily previews, TV, L’Equipe and more, it’s time to go away for a few days riding.

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