A summit finish stage and after the Pyrenees, the first long ascent to the finish line. The Grand Colombier awaits and it’s 14 July, Bastille day, so expect big crowds on the roads.
Tour de France Stage 12 Preview
The other baroudeur stage of the Tour de France, today’s stage is a crucial day for many riders and teams desperate for a stage win given they’ll be harder to come by in the remaining mountains and sprint finishes.
Where’s The Beef?
With the Tour de France celebrating Raymond Poulidor last weekend, one tangential aspect was the enduring rivalry between Poulidor and Jacques Anquetil. Even if they’d happily chat as retired riders they were always seen as opponents. It’s been a while since cycling has had any contest that continued once the finishing line was crossed, let alone a dividing line that’s split families and a nation alike.
Tour de France Stage 10 Preview
Can’t climb? Can’t sprint? Then today’s an opportunity for a stage win and a lot of the peloton will have this stage in mind.
Tour de France Stage 9 Preview
The legendary Puy de Dôme climb is back in the Tour de France and offers a unique summit finish, visually spectacular and a tough climb with steep slopes that never relent.
Roads to Ride – The Puy de Dôme
The Puy de Dôme is an extinct volcano in central France with a road that winds around the cone to the top. It’s been the scene of one of the greatest duels in the Tour de France and a famous photo, you can read the story of both below.
It had become a road that belongs to cycling’s past because the construction of a railway line to ferry tourists to the top has meant the road is now closed but this Sunday it’ll be open to the Tour de France.
Tour de France Stage 8 Preview
A sprint stage but with some rolling roads and an uphill finish to change the cast of characters.
Mayors Make The Wheels Go Round
If the Tour de France is a business, who are its clients? Certainly TV audiences and roadside spectators alike. But there’s third group: mayors and local government officials.
While President Macron’s visit yesterday matters – name another race where the head of state visits every year – mayors and their colleagues in local government are the hidden VIPs of the Tour de France, they make route happen, they help pay for the race and they’re changing the shape of the sport more than you might think.
The Tour goes to Bordeaux today, a city that’s been on the race route more often than Pau, and is second only to Paris for Tour visits. Only the race hasn’t been here since 2010. The fact that it’s back is a tale of sports and politics.
Tour de France Stage 7 Preview
Normally the heart sinks a touch at the mention of “sprint stage”, a day with an inevitable conclusion and minutes of action but if it helps riders rebuild their arsenal of fireworks for the weekend and gives followers more time to digest the last two days’ sport, so be it.