By Chris Carmichael Fortune favors the bold, and Stage 18 of the Tour de France was the perfect setting for bold moves. At 200 kilometers in length, featuring three “beyond category” climbs, and finishing at the high-altitude summit of the Col du Galibier (8678 feet above sea level), there was no doubt that Stage 18 …
Stage 18 Pinerolo – Galibier (200.5km) Even though Stage 19 finishes on the fabled Alpe d’Huez summit, Stage 18 is the Queen Stage of the 2011 Tour de France. It is brutally difficult because it’s long (200 kilometers), contains three gigantic climbs (the 23-kilometer Col Agnel, the 14km ascent of the Col d’Izoard, and the …
By Chris Carmichael What goes up must come down, and while Stage 17 of the 2011 Tour de France featured some very big ascents, it was the descents that had the biggest impact on the race. Of the final 62 kilometers of Stage 17, only 8 kilometers were uphill and there may have been another …
Stage 17 Gap – Pinerolo (191.5km) Stage 17 is unique in that there is a cluster of significant climbs in the middle of the stage, and then there are 40 kilometers of generally downhill roads leading to one final Category 2 climb. The Cote de Pra Martino features some of the steepest pitches in the …
By Chris Carmichael As soon as the Tour de France route is announced, riders and teams start plotting and planning. They examine the balance of the challenges – mountains vs. time trials vs. long windy stages, etc. – and that information sometimes influences the composition of their Tour squad. The yellow jersey contenders, sprinters, and …
Stage 16: Saint Paul Trois Chateaux – Gap (162.5km) Stages like this are often referred to as “transition” stages. They’re not easy, but they’re not terribly hard, and they move the peloton from one type of terrain to another – typically into the mountains. Stage 16 introduces the peloton to the Alps, and gradually …
By Chris Carmichael With a flat and windy race today and the Tour de France’s second rest day tomorrow, the majority of the peloton was probably hoping for a relatively easy day. And while in some ways it was easier than the previous three stages in the Pyrenees, the high speeds, high winds, and somewhat …
Stage 15: Limoux – Montpellier (193km) With the Pyrenees behind them and rest day immediately in front of them, there will be some riders who are happy to take it easy on Stage 15 and other riders who want to take advantage of tomorrow’s rest day by going full-gas today. And to make matters worse …
By Chris Carmichael The climb up to Plateau de Beille is really difficult. By itself it’s as hard or harder than Luz-Ardiden, and when it’s preceded by 5 other big climbs in the Pyrenees, it transforms into a brutal ascent. But today in Stage 14, Plateau de Beille didn’t break the stranglehold that the yellow …
Stage 14: Saint Gaudens – Plateau de Beille The Plateau de Beille climbs for nearly 16 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.9%. It’s steepest for the first six kilometers, and there are a few steep pitches further up, before the climb levels out to just 2.5 percent over the final kilometer (hence the plateau…). …