Stage 6: Dinan – Lisieux (226.5km) Stage hunters must be salivating over Stage 6 of the 2011 Tour de France. With three categorized climbs spaced out during the stage and a small but significant hill just 1.5 kilometers from the finish, this is the first stage of this year’s race that’s ideally suited to …
By Chris Carmichael Crashing is a painful reality that all cyclists are familiar with, and during Stage 5 of the 2011 Tour de France there were at least 10 crashes involving more than a dozen riders. The most seriously injured appeared to be Radioshack’s Janez Brajkovic, who crashed heavily with a number of other riders …
Stage 5: Carhaix – Cap Frehel (164.5km) This is a somewhat lumpy stage through Brittany, where the roads are often described as “heavy”. This just means that the surface isn’t super-fast, and you feel like you’re experiencing more resistance from the road than in other areas of the country. The wind in this region can …
By Chris Carmichael Stage 4 of the 2011 Tour de France was an homage to the Spring Classics, and it certainly played the part. At the start the temperatures were in the low 60s and the peloton rode in and out of rain showers throughout the duration of the 172.5-kilometer race. And of course there …
Stage 4: Lorient – Mur-de-Bretagne (172.5km) Last year the Tour paid homage to the Spring Classics with a stage that featured cobblestone roads more frequently associated with Paris-Roubaix in April. This year’s homage to the Classics is Stage 4, which features some of the same short and steep climbs the riders raced over in La …
By Chris Carmichael July 4 was a brilliant day for Garmin-Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar – and the entire Garmin-Cervelo team – but Stage 3 of the 2011 Tour de France was not without controversy. First to Tyler Farrar and Garmin-Cervelo. Yesterday the team celebrated a few firsts. They won their first team time trial of any …
Stage 3: Olonne-sur-Mer – Redon (198km) The wind may play a significant role in the intensity of Stage 3. Riding predominately south along the west coast of France, strong on-shore winds could lead to splits in the field and a very hard day of aggressive racing. On the other hand, if the weather is calm, …
By Chris Carmichael The Tour de France made a wise move with the Stage 2 Team Time Trial in this year’s race. They didn’t make it a 50-55km test like we’ve seen before, but instead shortened it to just 23 kilometers. That doesn’t necessarily make the stage much easier for the riders, but it does …
Stage 2: Les Essarts – Les Essarts (23km) The team time trial is one of the hardest – yet most beloved (by fans, at least) – disciplines in cycling. Every rider on the team has to give 100% to the team effort, and the team’s time for the stage is taken on the fifth rider …
By Chris Carmichael The opening road stage of the Tour de France is always a nervous affair. Everyone is fresh, ready to ride aggressively, and urged on by the crowds and excitement of the Tour. There are other important races throughout the year, but everything is amplified at the Tour de France. To add to …