Though Froome was clearly the strongest rider in the tour, there was sufficient drama to keep the race interesting. The implosion of Sky on the second Pyrenean stage was unexpected as it was dramatic. I can’t remember a yellow jersey being isolated so early in stage before. If there had been an intelligent Spanish collective, they could even have dislodged Froome.

Though some may prefer to remain suspicious, I believe in the credibility of Team Sky and Chris Froome, so I enjoyed the rare sight of a tour favourite attacking in the mountains. I thought his performance at Aix 3 Domaines and on the Col du Tourmalet to be very exciting.

Just when you could sit back and expect a boring sprint stage, a few crosswinds blew the peleton apart. Hats off to Omega Pharma and Saxo Tinkoff, that was a real bike race. It was probably one of my favourite Cavendish stage victories. He had to work really hard in a different way to usual. It’s funny how reputations can be amended, but Contador played his role in creating an exciting race. He just doesn’t have the same zip as before his drugs ban, and his time trial performances are significantly slower. But, you can never accuse Contador of only following wheels. I was almost wishing he had a little better legs.

In the Alps, Froome showed his first vulnerability and the young Colombian Quintana really rose to prominence. If Quintana can keep making progress, Froome will have a very worthy climbing adversary over the next five years. I hope so. People don’t really like a winner who dominates the tour. If you want popularity, try win it by 8 seconds on the last stage. Quintana could be the man to keep it close in the next few year. 2014 will also have Vicenzo Nibali, and Rigoberto Uran. Two men who were missed at this years tour.

Thank God, the French won a stage. Christopher Riblon really deserved the Queen stage on Alpe d’Huez. You have to feel for Tejay Van Garderen – passed in the last 2km, desperately trying to salvage a disappointing tour. But, it was an heroic failure, and the French victory put a lot of smiles on the French faces.

For quite a few years, Cavendish has appeared unbeatable in the Tour sprints, but, this year he showed that no one is invincible forever. There are still many tour stages in Cavendish – especially if he gets a stronger lead out train. But, will he beat Merckx record of 35 stages now? Perhaps Cavendish will give the Giro a miss next year. He’s already had 90 days of racing this year. He can no longer take it for granted he’s the fastest sprinter. I’m sure he will give the tour 100% next year. It will make for more epic sprint battles like on the Champs Elysees between Kittel, Cavendish and Griepel.

Away from the racing, the elephant in the room, was the continued digestion of the Armstrong scandal. I never knew what to make of Froome. But, I was deeply impressed by the way he handled a hostile media. I kept putting myself in his shoes. How would I have coped with such relentless questioning of your personal integrity? I’m not quite sure how Bradley Wiggins would have fared in the first post USADA report Tour, but I imagine it might have involved a touch more expletives. I think Bradley will be happy he won in 2012.

To be fair to the media, I do remember the bad old days when Armstrong and the like would steamroller press conferences. I was so disgusted with the sport in 2004, when Armstrong chased down Simeoni and received so little reprobation. It’s a good job I didn’t watch the 1999 tour when he bullied Bassons out of the tour. So alas, scrutiny is needed in the sport. But, it would have been hard to do with better grace than Froome and Brailsford. It is politically incorrect to say, but I think Dave Brailsford and Team Sky have done a good job for professional cycling over the past few years, though I don’t advise mentioning that on any cycling forum. m.cyclingnews.com is still my friend for avoiding comments.

One final point, if you’re going to have so much scrutiny – why on just one rider? What about scrutinising the UCI and that investigation into the UCI’s role which nicely got cancelled?

Downsides of the tour?

• Spectators dragging flags into riders.
• Why does French TV insist on switching the cameras away from the lead group 3km from the finish, just when you known they are going to start attacking? Do we really need to see Andy Schleck and Tommy Voekler slipping off the back of the peleton when the action is hotting up at the front? I was enthralled by the 3 podium guys of Froome, Rodriguez and Quintana battling it out on the last climb of the Alps. But, French TV managed to miss every decisive move.

What’s next for 2014?

Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire!

The Tour will want to keep interest for as long as possible. They will probably be scratching their heads trying to think how to reduce the dominance of Froome.

Will the Tour go for a super long flat time trial to encourage Bradley Wiggins to have another go at trying to win the Tour? Or do they find some super steep mountain top finishes to favour Quintana and the Colombians? It would be funny if there was 100km of flat time trials (though not funny for Sky). But, I think the Tour will go for the mountains! As much as I love time trials. 100km of flat time trials would be a heavy price to make Wiggins a contender again.

L’Alpe d’Huez. photo Bryan77

Watching the Tour de France stage to Alpe d’Huez I was in two minds about the spectators. Was this the greatest collection of sporting fans in the world? or the craziest and most dangerous?

Watching the riders battle through a sea of flags, cameras, running spectators, people dressed as giant condoms – is a truly bizarre situation. There must be few more annoying things than dying up  your second ascent of Alpe d’huez only to face the indignity of a guy in a mannequin and large beer belly running past you in a zig zag fashion draping a flag over your back wheel.

How there are not more accidents is truly surprising. So much for the dangerous descent off Alpe d’Huez. The true danger was climbing through the hordes of spectators, flags and cameras on poles.

Yesterday was a really gripping day of racing, yet in a perverse way your eyes kept drifting away from the action and looking at spectators. But, then when you saw how some spectators were dressed, you felt slightly nauseous.  Though in the climb, I did spot an Ilkley CC top, and I did spot Simon Warren’s 100 climb flag.

Dutch spectators having a good time, but I don’t think they would be allowed in the Lord’s Pavilion.

David Walsh (journalist at Sunday Times) made the comment that being in the Team Sky car was like being a Manchester United supporter walking around Liverpool.

L’Alpe d’Huez. photo Bryan77

Like Moses parting the sea. This time it’s Lance Armstrong in the background.

Spectators in the Tour

The Devil at the Tour de France – from Loving Photography

They say cyclists are a strange breed, and who can blame them – shaving legs, tight fitting lycra, masochistic training and racing schedules. But, that’s nothing compared to the strange breed of people who go to watch the Tour de France.

I’ve never made it to the Tour de France, though I remember sitting for quite a few hours in our car whilst on holiday in France. We were shocked to learn roads could be closed all day for the benefit of a small cycle race called the Tour de France. (As a youngster on holiday, I remember thinking – this was a strange country – not only did they speak a foreign language and serve steak dripping with blood, they also gave priority to cyclists over motorists.)

Anyway, I have been to see a few professional cycle races. The hours of eager anticipation, admiring the empty roads, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the cyclists. Then the flotilla of cars, and then the breakaway – wow, they are going so fast. A few more minutes, then the peleton comes, the riders look pretty relaxed as they gently pedal along at 27mph. Before you can say ‘that’s very impressive, ther’re gone. Only the flotilla of following cars and service cars.

Here’s a few of the Spectator Types at the Tour.

The Runners – usually drunk and wearing a silly outfit like a ‘I love Texas T-shirt’ replete with bull horns. (though the I Love Texas T-Shirt is not quite as common as they used to be) If they don’t have a silly T-Shirt they usually will have a sunburnt beer belly which they proudly display. Perhaps they just want to show – look at me – I’m fat, ugly and drunk, but I can still run up an Alpine pass for two minutes. These over-enthusiastic supporters have the ability to irritate everyone – the cyclists, other spectators, the race officials. It’s a marvellous example of egoistic exhibition. When watching I always get distracted from the actual cycling and start wishing and hoping that someone will  just rugby tackle them into an Alpine ravine. Can you imagine travelling to watch the tour with all the time and money it entails; then, after waiting for days with sunburn and dehydration,  and just as Contador and Froome are duelling with each other in mountains, the only thing you see is the back of a  “I love Texas T-shirt worn by a guy with fists flying up and down? Yes, thanks a lot guys.

The Devil. What more can I say. Perhaps how appropriate the devil supports the Tour De France

Good old English Spectators at Houses of Parliament

Photo by Tristam Sparks

If Froome had crashed out on the first stage, there would have been just as many questions on doping – just to different people. The questions would be asking Mollema about his spectacular rise to wearing the yellow jersey. Questions about how Quintana, a newbie at the tour, did so well on Mont Ventoux after attacking a long way out. There would have been more questions to Saxo Bank and Movistar about their performance.

It’s a sad aspect of the sport that everyone at some stage as felt let down after they later realised how prevalent doping is in the sport. It could well take a generation for the sport to recover from the legacy of doping scandals. But, until then, this will be the pattern of professional cycling. Do very well and prepare for the suspicion. I sometimes wonder about what would life would be like if I’d been a pro. To be honest, I’m glad I didn’t make it!

In some respects, it shows a lot of progress. The days of Armstrong steamrollering the press conference, despite bullying clean riders e.t.c – are hopefully over.

I wonder if part of the intensity of the current journalistic questioning is a sense that they were too placid in the Armstrong days. Despite a few notable exceptions, there was little scrutiny of Armstrong from the press corp during his seven triumphs. This was despite so much circumstantial evidence for journalists to ask questions about -  it wasn’t just a case of Armstrong pedalling fast. It’s a sign of the times that Froome has probably had as many penetrating questions on doping this year – than Armstrong had in his entire 7 tour triumphs.

Perhaps there will come a time, when you can win the Tour de France and people will simply celebrate it as a great sporting achievement, but unfortunately, I can’t see it happening for quite a while. But, I hope it will happen sometime in the future.

Photo top I got from searching at Flickr – ‘Tour de France Press conference. Creative commons’

It is Greg Le Mond talking at a conference Play the Game by Jens Astrup

Play the Game is an international conference and communication initiative aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport and promote democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport. It is run by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idan), an independent institution set up by the Danish Ministry of Culture. – very apt!

It would have been ‘interesting’ if Merckx had been riding in the present generation of riders. In 1969, Merckx won his first tour de France by a margin of 17 minutes 54 seconds.

On the 17th stage, over four cols from Luchon to Mourenx, he won by eight minutes after riding alone for 140 km. He climbed the col du Tourmalet in a small group including Roger Pingeon and Raymond Poulidor, having dropped Felice Gimondi. On the final bend to the summit, Merckx attacked and opened a few seconds. By the foot of the col d’Aubisque he had more than a minute and by the top eight minutes. He maintained the pace for the remaining 70 km to Mourenx, an industrial town near Pau.

Different days.

When he was winning everything, Merckx wasn’t always popular – at least until he retired – where he became revered as the mini-god of cycling. (Eddy Merckx biography)

It’s often the case Tour de France winners are not popular. Probably the most popular Tour de France rider was Raymond Poulidor ‘the eternal second’. Heroic failures are usually more popular than dominating wins.

But, I suppose the Tour de France is not a popularity contest.

Yesterday, the tours stage was run at an average of over 47 km/h. That’s 47 km/h for 217 km. Usually, that kind of stage would be run at 41-42 km/h, with nothing really happening until the last 5 km, where you have a predictable surge in pace, inevitable crash and sprint. It’s a good spectacle for 10 minutes, but it’s pretty weak reason for giving up three hours of work / training / doing something useful. I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel guilty for thinking on those July afternoons during the tour -  ‘surely I could be doing something more productive than listen to Carlton Kirby’s description of his previous evening’s meal.’ So you learn to try and pick your stages. Leave the flat boring sprints, save your time for the mountains.

Yet, like every other cycling pundit, I got it wrong and yesterday’s stage was anything but boring. Crazy splits and the biggest shake up in GC since the first mountain stage.

I first flicked the TV on to find Valverde had been dropped. The misfortune of a badly timed puncture. Perhaps he will regret not just jumping on another team mates bike rather than change wheel. But, then I wouldn’t want to race 150km on an ill fitting bike.

I managed to turn off TV and go and do something productive (actually an afternoon nap, but it’s a kind of productivity in it’s own way).

I came back with 20-30 km to go. Almost immediately I saw an unexpected split as Saxo Tinkoff rode on the front. In the distance I saw an uncertain Froome wondering what to do. The obvious thing to try was sprint on to the back of the echelon. But, a break like this would never stay away – surely, the peleton will catch and bring it back together? Looking behind him for team mates, Sky riders seem a little thin on the ground. Saxo seemed to be 100% committed with great self-belief. Over the next 20km, they were somehow able to put over one minute into a much bigger pack. By contrast, the bigger peleton lacked the same 100% drive and energy. There was a steady stream of flotsam and jetsam dropping off the back – it’s not often so many riders get dropped on the flat. It brought to mind an ill Wiggins dropping off on a flat stage in the Giro.

I suppose I’m rooting for Froome and Team Sky in this years tour. I’m not a great fan of Contador, but I like to see an animated cycle race, and from a spectator’s point of view – it was great stuff. You had to admire Saxo Tinkoff’s commitment to attack. It was also great to see Cavendish squeeze his way onto that lead group. Cavendish certainly knows how to experience the highs and lows of life. This was one of those highs; after winning an epic stage, a beaming Cavendish looking as happy as a seven year old boy finding a ton of presents in his stocking from Santa Claus. It was Cavendish’s 25 Tour victory, but it must rank as one of his greatest – more like a great one day classic stage win, than routine tour sprint.

On Sunday, I saw a film about Cavendish – Born to race - you can still see it on ITV player. (try getting a UK IP if overseas). It definitely highlighted the good side of Cavendish, and was really good to watch. The guy certainly has something special. He might have a capacity to generate controversy. But, if you see the film, you can’t help but root for the guy.

It was also interesting what Cavendish said about echelons

“It’s incredible to be able to win that. Echelons are like falling through ice, you have five seconds to make it or it’s all over.

So that’s the armchair pundits piece of advice. Team Sky should go on winter training camp in Norway and practise getting out of icey waters in 5 seconds or alternatively just learn to sprint on to the back of echelons.

But, trust me it’s much easier to say sprint on to every echelon when you haven’t already been racing for 10 days and racing for four hours at 47 km/h….

Tour de France

So many potential challengers saw their hopes dissipate pretty quickly after just the first week. After the first mountain stage about half the peleton must have finished much lower than they would have liked. Thibaut Pinot of Ag2R was last year seen as the great new hope of French cycling. But, this year just can’t replicate the form – despite having prepared all season. It’s a story of heaven to hell. Other French climbers, like Pierre Rolland must be similarly disappointed not to be able to build on previous years.

After the first two mountain stages and it’s chaos. Riders probably not happy include:

• Mark Cavendish has one won stage (which for many riders would make their career), but even before the unfortunate drama of the TT stage, it’s been another tough year. He might end up lucky to replicate the three stage wins in 2012 where he was acting as partial domestique for Sky. (However, having written that,  I’m sure he’ll win today now)
• BMC duo of Cadel Evans and Tejay van Garderen will have been training all year and must have fancied their chance of challenging for the podium. But after one stage, one climb, their hopes dissipated as soon as you could say – does it matter whose team leader now?
• Vasil Kiryienka. One of Team Sky’s strongmen and mountain domestique, somehow failed to meet time limit after working hard to try and get Richie Porte back on. It must be tough for a climbing domestique to suffer the indignity of missing time cut off. That’s a big blow for SKY’s supposed invincible mountain train.
• Damiano Cunego. Once a winner of the Giro, now languishing in mid podium mediocrity.
• Alberto Contador. Those gravity defying surges up the mountain passes seem to be no more. Struggling to keep up with team mate Roman Kreuziger. Perhaps he will have something special in the third week?
• Richie Porte was climbing to the seventh heaven of delight after the first mountain stage. But, then the next day  dropped off the pace. From 2nd to 33rd just for losing a minute on the first climb. It was kind of great tactics by the Spanish. But, they may rue not being able to do more to an isolated Froome.
• Andy Schleck. A former winner, but the way he time trials, it’s hard to see how he ever did.

Probably the only riders to have met and exceeded expectations?

• Chris Froome – clearly strongest rider in the tour, but relative weakness of his team, must be a cause for concern. Who would of thought it a British rider winning the Tour de France, but no chance of winning sports personality of the year?
• Marcel Kittel. Two sprint victories. If first one was fortuitous for missing the  other top sprinters. The second one showed he is one of the world class sprinters. As an added bonus Kittel was one of few pro-cyclists to challenge the likes of Contador and Valverde when they came out to support Armstrong, despite the USADA report.
• Jan Bakelants. ( A rare occurrence of a breakaway winning a stage. A fine way to win, and a mighty boost for Leopard Trek, who might struggle to do much else in this year’s tour.
• Orica Green Edge. Undreamt of publicity. They say no publicity is bad publicity. But, they must have been glad to finally win a stage in the Tour, and not just rely on a stuck bus to get on to the front pages of the cycling news. But, after winning stage and tour, they go onto win team time trial and put a second guy (and first South African) in yellow. Good tour for Orica Green edge, it should partially make up for losing the Lions tour and the Ashes

In other words, ‘eyebrow raising performances’ are not sufficient for an anti-doping unit to begin an investigation of an athlete. There needs to be other evidence. This evidence does not necessarily have to be failed drug tests, it could be testimonies, interviews e.t.c.

In 1999, US postal and Lance Armstrong dominated throughout the tour and in particular on the first mountain stage, with many in the press room raising eyebrows at the unbelievable performance of Armstrong – only a short time after his recovery from cancer. 13 years later, and many who watch the sport of pro-cycling are (due to repeated doping scandals) much more suspicious / cynical about any dominating performance. The problem is that suspicion is becoming a deeply embedded part of the sport.

When Team Sky dominated the first Pyrenean stage (Froome, Porte and Kennaugh), it seemed impossible for anyone to report the stage without making the comparison with US Postal of 1999 and referring to it as an ‘eyebrow’ raising performance.

But, I see a whole world of difference between the 1999 US Postal experience and the era of 2013.

After Lance Armstrong’s eyebrow raising performances, it seemed that anecdotal evidence of his doping kept falling from the sky.

• The non-existence of EPO tests at the time.
  His failed test of Cortiscone
  Armstrong’s bullying of anti-doping rider Christophe Bassons
  The later testimonies of masseurs, riders on the team.
  The lying about use of actovigen e.t.c.
  The persistent use and payment to notorious doping doctor Michael Ferrari

I could go on, but no-one really wants to drag up the whole Armstrong case file. The point is that to the ‘suspicious performances’ evidence kept coming to support suspicions over performance. The case against Armstrong was not based on the evidence that he was 4 minutes better than everyone else. It was based on the fact that even his teammates were saying he doped.

If we look at Team Sky, the only major blot on the copybook is the temporary hiring of Doctor Leinders in 2011 and 2012, who has increasingly being implicated in blood doping at Rabobank. But, Leinders was only at Sky a relatively short time.

If you believe and value in the truth, you develop an intuition for when people are clearly lying or not. Modern day riders may come across as overly defensive, but it must be irritating for any athlete who rides clean only for Tom, Dick and Harry who spend most of their time on internet chat forums to assume they know everything. Off guard, dopers often gave clues away in interviews. Do you take drugs – “I have never failed a dope test”

Performances

The problem with basing doping suspicion on performance, is that anyone who does well in the Tour de France, will be labelled suspicion. And this will change from day to day. If you are suitably cynical, the only people not to be suspicious about are those who fail to make the cut off time. One day, Team Sky have 3 riders doing well, the next day Sky fall off the mountain, and we see the bizarre site of six Movistar riders surrounding the last Sky man standing Froome.

It is unfortunate, that relatively bad performance these days are seen by some as a good thing. The fact that Sky riders aren’t super-human and ride with robotic strength every day, is seen to be a good thing. Apart from Froome, Peter Kennaugh, (and Porte in one stage), Sky must be a bit disappointed with some of their domestiques; they probably had a stronger team in the Giro.

In the current climate, it is unbelievable how US postal got away with so much. Can you imagine Froome bullying an anti-doping rider? Can you imagine Froome getting a back dated certificate for a failed dope test? Can you imagine TV crews finding bags of actovigen in Sky hotels?

Conclusion

It is good to have reservations and ask intelligent questions. But, there is a danger of overdoing the cynicism and coming to false conclusions on the basis of good performances.

Do I trust cyclists who paid a lot of money to go and see Dr Fuentes? no. I don’t. But, I’m going to enjoy the Tour for what it is. I believe there are many riders who are now riding clean, but ironically face much greater inquisition than the doped generation ever did. To ride the tour clean, despite having to deal with the extra suspicion is a great achievement, and I value their efforts.

Maybe in five years time, we will again be disappointed as doping use is proved. If it is, so be it. I won’t have lost anything. But, I’ll wait for that evidence to be proved before I become the cynical cycling watcher. The Tour after all is a chance to admire the efforts and courage of the riders. And what will happen in the next few weeks? Who knows, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Froome neatly packaged in a few Spanish sandwiches. Just remember talent and performance is not proof of doping. Sit back and enjoy the race.

Related

• Cycling doping scandals

Tour de France – All Time Greats

Not often a winning margin of less than 5 minutes.

Related

Full list of winners

The Tour de France is many things, but a gentle amble around the country lanes it is not.

But, whatever happens, the Tour will always remain the pinnacle for any rider. Riders sacrifice so much to race, they desperately want to be at their best and finish. The crazy determination and willingness to suffer, leads to some epic moments of pain transcendence. Off the top of my head, I can remember at least a couple of guys riding with broken collarbones (one used an inner tube in his mouth to get grip on the handlebars) I can’t even bear to watch the Youtube clips of the unfortunate Johnny Hoogerland who crashed into barbed wire (in 2011), but still continued – stitched up like a teddy bear knitted together by a 10 year old

This year, there are already the unfortunately predictable crashes, and riders somehow making it to the start line the next day. Tony Martin suffering double concussion, still made it to the start line and even more impressively finished the stage. Despite a broken pelvis, Gerraint Thomas is still forging ahead.

“I’m going to continue, to give it a good go even if my mum doesn’t want me to,” Thomas added in good spirits.

“Like I said, it’s the Tour; it’s not your average race. I’m definitely going to keep fighting. It felt a lot better today than yesterday and it felt a lot better [at the finish] than at the start today, but I got a crack at on my bone so it’s always going to hurt.” (Thomas at Cycling Weekly)

Sometimes, when you’re racing up a long hill, you can imagine it would be fun to be in the Tour de France, riding the hills of the mountains. But, when you see the more painful reality of professional cycling, you kind of become glad you didn’t give up the day job.

The tour is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. No matter how many scandals and tearful confessions on Oprah , we can’t resist the allure of watching the Tour. The tour has everything, beautiful scenery, drama, excitement, raw passion and the opportunity for endless hours of Sean Kelly say ‘erm, well, I don’t think so.’ Summer wouldn’t be the same without getting a birds eye view of France’s finest Chateauxs.

The British knowledge of the Tour de France has vastly increased in recent years. (I no longer get asked why don’t I do it. (it’s not quite the LOndon Marathon where you can turn up in a diver’s suit and raise a bit of cash for charity)

But, if you’ve ever wondered at the range of seemingly strange tour vocab, hopefully, this will explain the mysteries of echelons, bidons and the white jersey with red polka dots.

Note to mother and anyone flatmate. You don’t ask any questions after the 1km banner.

How Long is the Tour?

Modern versions are roughly about 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) spread out over three weeks. Early Tours were longer. In 1926, riders had to cover 5,745 km over 17 stages.

How Fast do the Riders Go?

In 1926, the tour winner averaged 24Kmph over the whole 5,745Km. By comparison in 2010, the average speed was just under 40Kmph for the 3,642Km

What Does the  Yellow Jersey Mean?

The yellow jersey is worn by rider at the top of the overall classification. (the quickest time over combined stages so far).

The yellow jersey was introduced in 1919 several years after the Tour started. It was chosen it was felt the yellow jersey would help identify the  leader to spectators on the road. Yellow was chosen because the newspaper L’Equipe which sponsored the Tour was printed on yellow paper. The first yellow jersey wearer was Eugène Christophe in 1919. (see: birth of yellow jersey) Some riders said they were offered a yellow jersey in previous years but they didn’t want to wear it.

What is the King of the Mountains Competition?

A separate competition within the Tour. Riders are given points for being the highest placed rider over the summit of mountains. The best climber was first recognised in 1933, and the distinctive white and red polka jot jersey was introduced in 1975 to show person with most points in the King of the Mountains.

For example, on the most difficult climb (hors category) e.g. Alpe d’Huez a rider is given 20 points for being 1st and 16 points for being second. For smaller and easier climbs less points are available.

What is the Green Jersey for?

Another points competition. Points are awarded for placings in stages. e.g. in a flat stage finish 1st place gets 45 points, second place gets 35. You can also pick up points during intermediary sprints during a stage. The green jersey ignores overall time and just the number of points you pick up at end of stages.

What is the White Jersey for?

For the young rider (under 26) who has the highest placing on overall classification. Winners of the white jersey who went onto win overall include:

• Laurent Fignon 1983 (FRA) (also won Overall that year)
• Greg LeMond 1983 (USA)
• Marco Pantani 1994, 1995 (ITA)
• Jan Ullrich 1996 (GER)
• Alberto Contador 2007 (ESP) (also won Overall that year)

Why do the riders spend most of the time in the Peleton (big bunch?)

Riding behind another rider saves unto 25-30% of your energy. In some cases, right in the middle, it is estimated you can save upto 50%. If you ride ahead of bunch you will need much more energy. Therefore it is very difficult to ride off on your own away from the bunch. However, some riders will try to win the stage and get into a break ‘a group of a few riders’ trying to get to finish before peleton.

What is the Autobus?

Riders have to finish within a certain time frame, otherwise they get eliminated. This is calculated by a % slower than winners time (e.g. 40 minutes on big mountain stage). On tough mountainous stages, riders may join together to try and make sure they are not eliminated. The autobus is usually the last big group on the road. Also by being in a big autobus, riders hope that on really hard stages, even if they finish outside the time limit the Tour organisers won’t dare eliminate half the field. In exceptional circumstance the organisers can increase time limit to make sure they don’t eliminate the whole autobus.

Why don’t they do every Stage as a Time Trial?

A time trial or contre-la-montre, (“against the clock”, or literally against the watch) means riders rely solely on their own efforts. There is no chance of race tactics or hiding in bunch. Arguably, this is truer sporting test as the strongest rider wins. However, it is not the most spectator friendly event. The race tactics and speed of bunch sprint is much more exciting than repeated time trials. Therefore, they are usually limited to one or two.

What is a Domestique?

Most riders in the tour have no chance or expectations of winning. Therefore they act as ‘servants’ or ‘support riders’ for their team leader. They will drop back to pick up water bottles ‘bidons’ from their team car and then bring them back to their leader. If a break needs chasing down, ‘domestiques’ will work on the front enabling the team leader to save his energy for later. In some circumstances they will be expected to give up their wheel or even their bike to save their leader time. It is hard to win the Tour without a very committed team of domestiques willing to sacrifice themselves for their team leader. It is said Lance Armstrong’s dominance was built around a team with unflinching loyalty (though that loyalty didn’t extend to belated doping allegations).

Also, there are domestiques and there are super-domestiques. It sometimes happens that the domestique turns out to be stronger than the team leader (Hinault and LeMond in 1985). Froome v Wiggins 2012. This can be embarassing all round. The moment of greatest interest in the 2012 tour was when the loyal Froome – dog wanted to let go of his leash and started ‘attacking’ Wiggins. Wiggins was said to be in near tears at the end. Though in the time trials, Wiggins was able to dish out his power and show Froome who was the boss.

What is an Echelon?

Usually, you want to ride behind another rider to save energy. However, in a very strong side wind you want to ride by their side. Therefore in a strong side wind, everyone tries to ride to the side of another, leading to these diagonal looking ‘echelons’. This can be dangerous for leading contenders because the peleton is split up into different groups and they can drift away from main pack.

What is the Lantern Rouge?

The last rider overall on general classification. For a time the lantern rouge would carry a little red light under their saddle. It became paradoxically a cool thing to be. Lantern Rouge’s would gain more fame than person second to last. For a few years in the 1940s,  organisers experimented with sending the last rider (lantern rouge) home to try and discourage this unofficial competition to be the lantern rouge.

Even now some riders really don’t mind being lantern rouge as they are domestiques and it means at least they are still in the race. There can even be a little light competition to get lantern rouge.

Kenny Van Hummel gained fame after being lantern rouge by a huge margin during 1999 tour (cycling news)

As David Duffield once said:

De las Cuevas is so far down on GC you could time him in with a calendar!

Why is Mark Cavendish not in the lead despite winning so many stages?

The overall leader of the Tour is based on time. In many stages that Mark Cavendish wins, he gets the same time as all the other riders. He is just the fastest sprinter. However, in mountain stages, he may finish 30 minutes behind the leader of the tour because although good at sprinting he doesn’t have a good build for climbing. The winner of the tour will have to be good at time trials and climbing.

Why does Mark Cavendish not Get the Green Jersey despite winning the most stages.

In 2009, Mark Cavendish won 6 stages but still didn’t win Green jersey. This is because the Green jersey competition rewards most consistent finisher. You can win Green jersey just by finishing high up in stages and sprinting for intermediate stages. He would probably have won green jersey if he hadn’t been disqualified during one sprint, which saw him relegated to back of bunch

Can you Win the Tour De France Without Winning A Stage?

Yes, this has happened 6 times, including Alberto Contador in 2010. The overall is just fastest time.

Who Was the Greatest Tour de France rider of all time?

Cue endless debate on cycling forums. You can really take your pick from any of the riders who won more than five times

• Jacques Anquetil in 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964;
• Eddy Merckx in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974;
• Bernard Hinault in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985;
• Miguel Indurain in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 (the first to do so in five consecutive years).

In terms of number of victories Lance Armstrong (7) stands out 1999-2006. Though Lance also has the record for the most number of Tour de France victories stripped away from him. It leaves his official career palmeres with as little as Fleche Wallone (1995) and San Sebastian.

Lance Armstrong’s 7 consecutive victories stand out as most impressive, though recent ongoing drug allegations have tarnished his reputation somewhat.

How many winner in the past 20 years can you believe won the tour ridding clean?

Of winners in the past generation, David Walsh said he only had faith in Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans, and Greg LeMond. I would agree with that. Perhaps also Carlos Sastre, I don’t know.

Who Was Least Well Known Rider to Win the Tour?

In modern times Óscar Pereiro was undoubtedly a surprise in 2006. He befitted from Flloyd Landis’ disqualification. His only other major win was a stage in the Tour of Switzerland, and 10th overall in the Tour de France in 2005 and 2004.

Who was the Greatest Tour de France rider never to win?

Perhaps an easier one to answer. Most people would give Raymond Poulidor or ‘Pou Pou’. His nickname was also the ‘eternal second’ Despite an 18 year old career which involved winning 189 races he could never win the Tour. He finished second or third a combination of eight times. Perhaps he just had the bad luck to be riding in same generation as Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. To make it even better he was an attacking rider, good in the mountains. In many ways we prefer a plucker loser to a ‘boring’ winner. ‘Pou Pou’ probably gained greater love than Jacques Anquetil or Miguel Indurain who ground out wins by dominating in time trials.

The closest Tour de France?

Everyone remembers the 1989 Tour. The American Greg Le Mond v the bespectacled Frenchmen, Laurent Fignon. On the last stage, a Time Trial on the Champs Elysees, Greg Le Mond managed to overturn a 50 second deficit and wins overall by a mere 8 seconds. Greg Le Mond made use of new technology – triathlon style time trial bars, leavin Laurent Fignon distraught at the side of the road.

Most Popular Towns for Stages?

• Paris – 135 (most recent finish: 2010) (has finished on Champs Elysees on every year since 1975
• Bordeaux 80 (most recent: 2010)
• Pau 62 (most recent: 2010)

The Most Scandalous Tour de France?

It would be a mistake to think that scandal and drug taking are a modern phenomenon of the Tour. On the early tours, riders were specifically told they had to bring their own stimulants. Early tours were full of intrigue like riders being disqualified for taking the train or riders facing roads full of tacks to give their rivals an advantage.

It was only in the 1960s when drug testing came in, and even then it was sporadic and by all accounts quite easy to dodge.

However, for the sheer scale of scandal and upheaval it’s hard to forget the Festina Scandal of 1998.

During the tour, Willy Voet  a soigneur for the French team Festina, was found with a car full of doping products. The Festina team were sent home, and amidst drug raids by the authorities on other teams, the riders began to protest on mass. Only half the field finally made it to Paris, where Marco Pantani’s win was overshadowed by the massive drug controversy. (Pantani himself was later to tragically die young from drug related problems)

The biggest scandal was the downfall of Armstrong

Don’t they all just Dope – How Can anyone ride the tour without?

I would say emphatically that you can ride and people do ride the tour without taking any illegal stimulants. Yes, the tour is difficult but it is feasible for professional athletes. Doping products just enable you to ride it at a faster average speed.

Is the Tour Cleaner than Before?

Perhaps subjective, but I would say it is cleaner and there is less doping. In the 1990s and 2000s, by all accounts doping was  rife.  However, regular doping tests and biological passports have made it more difficult to take drugs. I feel more teams are now sincere when they say they want to ride clean.

Who has died whilst riding the Tour de France?

• Adolphe Heliére, France. Drowned while swimming during a rest day of the 1910 Tour de France.
• Francisco Cepeda, Spain, Tour de France, 1935. Died after crashing on the descent of the Galibier
• Tom Simpson, July 13, 1967 (combination of heat exhaustion, overuse of stimulants) amphetamines found in his back pocket)
• Fabio Casartelli,  Italy, Tour de France, July 19, 1995. Casartelli was the reigning Olympic Champion at the time of his crash and subsequent death

Most Bizarre Regulations in the Tour?

In 1925 Herni Desgrange’s planned that riders should all eat exactly the same amount of food each day. Riders striked in protest and it was later dropped.

In early editions of the tour, riders had to do their own mechanical repairs. In 1913, Eugène Christophe was on course to win when his fork broke on a mountain descent. He went to local forge and tried to repair his fork himself. As well as losing time, he was also fined 3 minutes, because a 7 year old boy helped push the bellows.

What happens when a rider wants to answer a call of nature during a long six hour stage?

Sometimes riders stop at the side of the road and many others will join them. There is an unofficial rule not to attack when riders are answering call of nature. Sometimes when racing is hoting up, riders will not stop but urinate on the move. A task not too easy. They are not allowed to do it in built up areas and preferably not when cameras are on.

How Much Do they Eat during a stage?

A Tour de France rider may consume something in the region of 6,000-8,000 calories (daily recommended is 2,000). If you think it’s difficult to consume 8,000 calories try doing it on a vegan diet like D.Zabirskie (Independent)

When Are you Going To Ride the Tour de France?

Tell a non-cyclist I’ve won a local club time trial against a collection of other amateurs, and the next question is often – so when are you going to ride the Tour de France? I guess it’s not quite like the London marathon where you can turn up with good intentions and promise to raise some money for charity. Only the  top 20 pro teams will get invited to the Tour, and they will pick their best 9 riders. This means the field is limited to about 180 riders (which still many consider too many). But, there are huge commercial benefits to being in the tour, so there is always the pressure to allow some teams (mainly French) a wildcard position.

What’s the Most Bizarre TV Commentary you heard whilst listening to the Tour de France?

Let’s be honest, the tour is mostly dull, only watching the breakaway time come slowly down. Fortunately, we have commentators like David Duffield who can manage to get excited by the most trivial of incidents.

“I am sitting here with my chin on the counter, my mouth open like a great big whale scooping up plankton. I am gobsmacked!”

“This is like Wimbledon., Ascot and Silverstone all wrapped in together and plonked in the middle of Paris: amazing!

Why is there always a devil raising a trident by side of road?

I’ve really have no-idea. You could always ask the devil himself but he seems to enjoy himself.

Famous Quotes from the Tour de France

“You’re assassins! All of you!”

- Octave Lapize to Tour officials whilst half way up the Col d’Aubisque in the 1910 tour. In the days before tarmac roads, gears and heavy steel bikes.

Tour Glossary

• Bidon – bottle
• Combativité – Most aggressive rider, person who goes out on long breakaways
• Drafting – riding behind another rider to save aero drag
• Flamme rouge – Red kit showing 1Km to go
• Grand Départ – First Stage
• le parcours – route, course
• le peloton – The big bunch of riders on the tour
• l’équipe – team
• le coureur- rider
• le sprinteur – sprinter
• le grimpeur – climber
• la tête de course – race or course leader
• les domestiques – ‘servants’, riders who protect their leader
• l’étape – stage
• l’étape de plaine – flat stage
• l’étape de montagne – mountain, climbing stage
• l’étape contre la montre – Time Trial
• les classements – standings, rider positions after each stage
• le maillot jaune – yellow jersey – for the leader
• le maillot vert – green jersey – for the best sprinter
• le maillot à pois – polka-dot jersey – for the best climber
• le maillot blanc – white jersey – best young rider
• Musette – bag of food
• Prologue – First time trial stage

Related

• FAQ Tour de France
• Spectators at the Tour
• Crashes in the tour – more FAQ
• List of Tour de France winners
• The official Tour de France