Tag: tour de france 2013

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Sky Rethink Tour de France Tactics

Sky Rethink Tour de France Tactics

Sky Rethink Tour de France TacticsYesterday’s Tour de France rest day was about more than relaxing and working on tans for Team Sky. Despite Chris Froome retaining yellow after Sunday’s tough Stage 11 he was largely left on his own to defend the position after teammate Peter Kennaugh crashed, Richie Porte finished some 18minutes off time and Vasili Kiryienka ended up outside of the time limit. Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford admits that tactical changes are now needed, commenting, ‘There are some valuable lessons to be learned that we will take into the rest of the race… You learn more from adversity than success and we have learned a lot.’

 

Sunday’s 168.5km leg from Saint-Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre included four category 1 climbs with Froome – who remains a race favourite – tweeting afterwards, ‘That was one of the hardest days I’ve ever had on a bike. Bring on the rest day tomorrow! #TDF’. The Tour de France continues today with a flat course through ‘the heartland of cycling’, Brittany, with a 197km run from Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to Saint-Malo.

 

For details of the six British riders competing in the Tour de France click here and for information on the origins of the Tour de France see the Cyclo feature here.

 

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Tour de France: Once is Not Enough

Winning the Tour de France just once might be considered something of an achievement – but what of those who have managed the seemingly impossible twice? Or three times? Or five? (Oddly no one has won the TdF four times without going on to make it five for good measure…) Thanks to those good people at RoadCycling UK we’re delighted to bring you their latest info-graphic on the Tour de France, this one celebrating those incredible riders with multiple TdF wins. Enjoy…

 

Tour de France Multiple winners

To see the Tour de France in Numbers click here, take a look at RoadCycling UK’s Anatomy of Chris Froome info-graphic here or take a look at our guide to the six British riders in this year’s Tour de France here.

 

Want more? The Origins of the Tour de France here and our review of the Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition book here. And, of course, for more great content from RoadCycling UK visit their website.

 

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The Tour de France in Numbers

Cyclo is delighted to bring you yet another beautifully crafted info-graphic from our friends at RoadCycling UK – this one really crunches the numbers on the Tour de France. Did you know that by the time the peloton reaches Paris on Sunday July 21, the Tour will have covered 383,053km in total. Well now you do – you may never lose a pub quiz again…

Tour de France in Numbers

Take a look at RoadCycling UK’s Anatomy of Chris Froome info-graphic here or take a look at our guide to the six British riders in this year’s Tour de France here.

 

Want more? The Origins of the Tour de France here and our review of the Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition book here.

 

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24th Tour Win for Cavendish

24th Tour Win for Cavendish

24th Tour Win for CavendishBritain’s Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-Quick Step, expertly led out by teammates, delivered a textbook finish on yesterday’s Stage 5 of the Tour de France (Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseille) to claim his first stage victory of the year. Claiming the win in a time of 5h 31’51” – with Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, second and Connondale’s Peter Sagan, third – brings Cavendish’s total Tour haul to 24 wins, just one shy of all-time third position’s Andre Leducq and a step closer to Eddy Merckx record 34 wins.

 

Despite the toughness of yesterday’s stage – at 228.5km, the second longest of the Tour – Omega Pharma-Quick Step clearly had more than enough left for the end; post-win Cavendish commented: ‘I usually don’t start winning until about the 5th stage of the Tour anyway. This has been pretty on the norm, but we were really motivated today. ORICA-GreenEDGE did the chasing today which was nice, for once we could sit behind and save it for the end…’

 

The TdF continues today with Stage 6, 176.5km Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier. For more information on the other British riders in the 2013 TdF click here.

 

Want to know how the Tour de France began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France.

 

Image © TDWsport.com

 

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Anatomy of Chris Froome

Contador and Froome Near Miss

Anatomy of Chris FroomeThanks to our friends at RoadCycling UK we’re delighted to bring you their latest beautifully crafted info-graphic, this one on Team Sky’s golden boy Chris Froome. Cyclo’s take on Froome: Snapping at the heels of Wiggins last year and likely only team tactics that held him back. Unencumbered and leading Team Sky for 2013, it’s going to be interesting to see what he can pull out of the bag, especially after such an impressive build to the TdF with wins including the Tour of Oman and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Take a look at all the Brits on tour in our special feature here. RoadCycling UK will be adding more info-graphics throughout the Tour de France.

 

Anatomy of Chris Froome

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Tour de Farce

tour de france bus

tour de france busCertainly not the start that organisers had hoped for the 100th edition of the Tour de France. Whilst the first four-and-a-half hours or so of the 213km route from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia was relatively uneventful, with riders less than 15km away from the finish it became clear that the team bus of Orica GreenEDGE had become wedged under the finish line gantry. Whilst officials worked frantically to dislodge the bus, the decision was made to bring the finish forward to the ‘3km to go’ mark – arguably this had the benefit of being both a bus-free spot and coming equipped with photo-finish technology, but it came at a dangerous bend and looked far from ideal for a sprint finish. With teams working hard to position themselves for the truncated distance, the Orica bus was freed and the finish reestablished at the full 213km mark in Bastia. Then things got worse…

 

With around 4km to go a crash took out many of the main sprint contenders including Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan with Lotto-Belisol’s André Greipel initially looking unscathed but left standing with mech failure by the side of the road moments later. With what was left of the field hastily reforming it was Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) who won through in a time of 4h 56′ 52”.  Kittel later tweeted ‘I don’t know what to say. I will remember today forever. Thanks to my team mates (!!), family, friends and fans! This win is for you all!’

 

Orica GreenEDGE have been fined 2,000 Swiss Francs (£1,393) by organisers with Orica’s Sport Director, Matt White, saying: ‘Obviously, this was a really unfortunate situation. The bus was led under the finish gantry, and it we took for granted that there was enough clearance. We’ve had this bus since we started the team, and it’s the same bus we took to the Tour last year… Our bus driver was told to move forward and became lodged under the finish gantry. He followed all instructions in the process that followed thanks to the hard work by ASO that allowed him to remove the bus before the finish. It was the best possible outcome given the situation.’

 

Race officials neutralised finish time for those involved in the 11th-hour crash, a decision that has baffled and angered some – Cavendish tweeted: ‘I’d love an explanation from @UCI_cycling as to why time was neutralised on yesterday’s stage, but not points. Were only GC riders affected?’

 

The Tour de France continues (in less dramatic fashion?) today with the 156km route from Bastia to Ajaccio.

 

Want to know how the Tour de France began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France here.

 

In the mood for more TdF? Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition book review here.

 

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Featured Features

British Riders of the Tour de France

British Riders of the Tour de France

22 teams, 219 riders, 21 stages and 3,404km of road, hill and mountain. Wiggins may be missing this year, but the British riders of the Tour de France 2013 are more than worth getting to know better. With 22 TdF appearances between them, an impressive amount of Giro and Vuelta experience plus an Olympic medal or two, the six Brits tackling the historic 100th edition of the Tour will help keep patriotic hearts in the mouth…

 

Chris FroomeName: Chris Froome

DoB: May 20, 1985

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 2008 and 2012

Top TdF Placing: 2nd in 2012

TdF Stage Wins: 1

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: chris-froome.com

Follow on Twitter: @chrisfroome

 

 

Need to Know: Snapping at the heels of Wiggins last year and likely only team tactics that held him back. Unencumbered and leading Team Sky for 2013, it’s going to be interesting to see what he can pull out of the bag, especially after such an impressive build to the TdF with wins including the Tour of Oman and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

 

 

Geraint ThomasName: Geraint Thomas

DoB: May 25, 1986

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 2007, 2010 and 2011

Top TdF Placing: 31st in 2011

TdF Stage Wins: None

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: geraintthomas.com

Follow on Twitter: @geraintthomas86

 

 

Need to Know: Thomas has his full attention back on the road following Olympic glory on the track in the Team Pursuit in 2012. Despite often being tagged a Time Trial specialist, he is rapidly proving himself a dependable all-rounder and he’s already proved his climbing legs during the 2011 TdF. Thomas will be lending strong support to Froome on this one.

 

 

Peter KennaughName: Peter Kennaugh

DoB: June 15, 1989

Team: Team Sky

TdF appearances: 0

Top TdF Placing: NA

Stage Wins: NA

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: peterkennaugh.com

Follow on Twitter: @petekennaugh

 

 

Need to Know: Another rider who focused much of 2012 on the track, bagging Gold as part of GB Team Pursuit, but making his TdF debut. Despite his lack of experience through France, Kennaugh brings experience of the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia and with four podium positions in his last four National Championships he is a massively well respected member of Team Sky. At just 24, Kennaugh is the youngest Brit taking on the TdF this year.

 

 

Ian StannardName: Ian Stannard

DoB: May 25, 1987

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 0

Top TdF Placing: NA

Stage wins: NA

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: ianstannard.com

Follow on Twitter: @istannard

 

 

Need to Know: The fourth Brit riding for Sky, like Kennaugh Stannard is making his Tour de France debut but as the 2012 British Road Race Champion and his reputation as a solid domestique he will be bringing plenty to the mix. Both his TT skills and climbing ability are improving year on year, making Stannard a cliché-making ‘one to watch’.

 

 

Mark CavendishName: Mark Cavendish

DoB: May 21, 1985

Team: Omega Pharma-Quick Step

TdF Appearances: 2007 (withdrawn), 2008 (withdrawn), 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012

Top TdF Placing: 130th in 2011

Stage wins: 23

Team Website: omegapharma-quickstep.com

Personal Website: markcavendish.co.uk

Follow on Twitter: @markcavendish

 

Need to Know: With six TdF appearances to his name, despite the 2007/8 withdrawals, Cav has an impressive number of stage wins to his name and with excellent looking form going into the 2013 Tour he will surely add to them to close in on the legendary Eddy Merckx’s tally of 34. Clearly frustrated at Sky, he now effectively has a team assembled around him hell-bent on making his ambitions come to fruition. It’s hard to imagine the Champs-Elysees without Cavendish launching himself hell for leather on the final day…

 

 

David MillarName: David Millar

DoB: January 4, 1977

Team: Team Garmin-Sharp

TdF Appearances: 2000, 2001 (withdrawn), 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Top TdF Placing: 59th in 2006 (2003’s 55th place was achieved doping)

Stage wins: 3

Team Website: slipstreamsports.com

Personal Website: NA

Follow on Twitter: @millarmind

 

Need to Know: At 36 Millar is the oldest Brit in this year’s Tour, but just look at the experience he brings – 11 TdF appearances and one of the very few British riders (and youngest of any nationality) to have worn the leader’s maillot jaune. A dark past – despite plenty of penance – make Millar a controversial figure but his time trialing skills and general work ethic always make him worth watching.

 

Want to know how the Tour de France began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France here.

 

In the mood for more TdF? Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition book review here.

 

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Team Saxo-Tinkoff: Secret Weapon

Matteo Tosatto Team Saxo-Tinkoff

Matteo Tosatto Team Saxo-TinkoffThere’s no doubting that Team Saxo-Tinkoff are fielding a strong team for the 100th edition of the Tour de France; a solid base balance for speed, mountain and TTT that will be aiming to deliver Alberto Contador safely to the Champs-Élysées. Amongst them though is a rider that could be their deadliest; Italy’s Matteo Tosatto has been a pro since 1997 and ‘experienced’ doesn’t even begin to describe him. An undeniably tough rider, he has no fewer than 25 Grand Tours already under his pedals – seven appearances at the Vuelta a Espana, eight at the Tour de France and 10 at the Giro d’Italia.

 

Approaching his ninth TdF, Tosatto describes his job in the squad as: ‘…to protect Alberto on the flat sections and in the hilly terrain where it’s important to position ourselves correctly in the field to avoid being caught behind and to prevent being involved in crashes. And there will be crashes…’ And who does he consider the ones to watch at this year’s Tour? ‘In my opinion, Chris Froome and Joaquim Rodriguz are the most dangerous opponents in this year’s mountainous Tour. But like Sky, we have a strong team for both the flat stages and in the mountains and I think it will be a close contest.’

 

Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s TdF squad will comprise Spaniards Alberto Contador, Jesus Hernandez and Benjamin Noval, Italy’s Matteo Tosatto and Daniele Bennati, Nicolas Roche (Ireland), Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic) and Michael Rogers of Australia.