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78 Articles

100 YEARS OF YELLOW

Jacques Anquetil 1957, 1961-64 Paul Howard’s entertaining biography of Anquetil, Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape, captures the unique character of the man who won eight Grand Tours, but reserved enough energy to father children by both his step-daughter and daughter-in-law. Still, he was loved by millions and the thousands attending his funeral included a former prime minister plus cycling legends like Eddy Merckx. Eddy Merckx 1969-72, 1974 The list of the Belgian’s career achievements are incredible and are why Merckx is considered the greatest cyclist in history. His 11 Grand Tour wins are the most ever and, in 1974, he became the first rider to win the Tour, Giro and Worlds in one season. He also found time to win classics 28 times, of which 19 were monuments. It all contributed to 525 victories over…

100 YEARS OF YELLOW

THE BIRTH OF THE YELLOW JERSEY

The idea was a good one. It appeared in the form of a mere snippet, in the columns of L’Auto, the organising newspaper, on the morning of 10th July 1919, while the race was already in the Pyrenees having left Paris in late June. “In order to enable ‘sportsmen’ to recognise the leader of our great trek without hesitation when he’s within the Tour de France peloton,” the story read, “our editor-in-chief, Henri Desgrange, has decided that in future the rider holding first place in the general classification will wear a special jersey – a yellow jersey.” Why yellow? The distinctive emblem is similar to the colour of the paper on which the organising newspaper was printed. The commercial benefits stretched to the practical. Not only did it make the…

THE BIRTH OF THE YELLOW JERSEY

CONSUMED BY A CANNIBAL

Your Belgian doesn’t leave you crumbs. He’s a real cannibal.” The description of Eddy Merckx by the daughter of Christian Raymond, a rider on the Peugeot team, who was visiting her father during the 1969 Tour de France. July was drawing to a close and suspense had disappeared into the Parisian moonlight. On debut Merckx had crushed everyone; the peloton was stunned. The peloton should have been wary. Although a Tour rookie, Merckx was hardly unknown. He’d already won almost everything. He’d turned pro in 1965 at 20 years old. In 1966 he captured his first monument, Milan-San Remo. In 1967 he was world champion. In 1968 the Giro d’Italia. Thirsty for revenge In 1969, after winning Paris-Nice, he was on the verge of claiming a successive Giro title when he tested…

CONSUMED BY A CANNIBAL

Yellow Jersey The yellow jersey, or maillot jaune, is worn by the general classification leader – the rider who has taken the least cumulative time to complete the race after each stage. Time bonuses are available at each stage finish, which means the yellow jersey contenders will fight even harder for stage wins. Green Jersey The green jersey is worn by the leader of the points competition, usually a sprinter. The maillot vert rewards the race’s most consistent finisher based on points gained from intermediate sprints and end-of-stage placings. This year, points are weighted to favour sprint stage winners. White Jersey The white jersey is calculated on the same cumulative basis as the yellow jersey but is only open to riders aged 25 and under. If the white jersey is held at the same time…

What’s at stake? In a peloton of 176 riders, there are a number of objectives, depending on the temperament, qualities and targets of each racer. The most collective of individual sports ensures that most of the riders have a tactical part to play in most of the stages. Some have their eyes set on one or more of the various jerseys, while others go all-out chasing stage wins over the course of the three weeks. Most hope that fortune will favour them if and when they manage to infiltrate a breakaway, which may then stay clear to the finish and give them a shot at what could be a career-changing victory. Yellow Jersey LCL The honour of wearing the yellow jersey goes each day to the leader of the general classification. Prize: 500,000 to…

Every second counts

The 2018 Tour de France saw the introduction of a system of sprint bonus points in order to animate the racing towards the end of stages. Included in addition to the intermediate sprints counting towards the points classification, these bonuses were largely ignored by the contenders for the yellow jersey… with the notable exception of Geraint Thomas, who showed his colours on the stages at La Roche-sur-Yon and Mûr-de-Bretagne. While the Welshman’s success wasn’t built around the handful of seconds he collected at these points, the candidates for his overall crown probably won’t neglect these bonus points again as they should have a more significant effect this year. This change of emphasis is likely to occur as the eight places where they are located are spread throughout the Tour, either…

Autobus _ The last pack of riders on mountain roads, usually comprising a mix of sprinters and domestiques. Baroudeur _ Translates as a ‘battler’ or ‘adventurer’, and describes those riders who spend a lot of time and energy trying to escape from the peloton. Bidon _ A plastic water bottle. Bonk or knock _ Both are bad news for cyclists. To ‘bonk’ or to ‘knock’ is when your body runs out of easy-to-access energy and you drop off the pace and sometimes out of the race. Chute _ Nobody likes to see a chute, or crash, but generally cyclists get up quickly, unless the crash has been more serious. Col _ French word for a mountain pass. Commissaires _ The officials appointed to ensure teams and riders stick to the rules of the race and sport. Directeur…

CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME

The Grand Départ in Brussels will be the third from Belgium in 15 years. There are plenty of symbols at this year’s Tour to support this allegiance… We’re starting in Brussels in 2019 to celebrate the centenary of the yellow jersey and the 50th anniversary of the first victory taken by Eddy Merckx, the man who symbolises the jersey better than anyone. It couldn’t have turned out any better. Belgium is the heart of cycling, so it’s logical to return so often to this country. When I’m in Brussels I’m always surprised to see Eddy stopped in the street by 15-year-olds. He’s still as popular as [Zinedine] Zidane would be if he walked through the streets of Paris or Marseille. The 2019 route once again has La Planche des Belles Filles as…

CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME

IN GOOD COMPANY

Team Sky lined up for the 2018 Tour de France in a unique position: who would be their leader? Would it be Chris Froome, the four-time Tour winner? Normally, yes, but Froome already had three weeks in his sinewy limbs after claiming the team’s first Giro d’Italia title. Or would it be Geraint Thomas, Froome’s lieutenant for each of his quartet of yellow jerseys but the recent winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné? As it transpired, of course, Thomas calmly took on the leader’s mantle, holding off Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin by 1:51mins to become the first Welsh rider to win cycling’s most hallowed prize. Froome finished third, helping Thomas every pedal of the way. We recently caught up with the pair of them to see how 2019’s edition might pan…

IN GOOD COMPANY

SKY REWRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS

Team Sky were created in 2010, driven by Sir Dave Brailsford, who’d masterminded British Cycling’s run of Olympic success on the track. At the time, Brailsford was quoted as saying the team’s ambition was for a British rider to win the Tour within ive years. They didn’t have to wait anywhere near that long, Sir Bradley Wiggins becoming the irst Brit to win the world’s greatest bike race in 2012. Helping Wiggins to yellow was Chris Froome, who many felt could have beaten Wiggins if he’d been given free rein. Instead, the Kenyan-born rider finished second. It was a different story 12 months later with Froome leading the team at the Tour while Wiggins rode the Giro. A chest infection ended Wiggins’ chances, the Brit withdrawing after stage 11. Froome, however,…

SKY REWRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS

WAITING IN THE WINGS

“This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2018]. All rights reserved. The hotel Le Top du Roulier is an old staging post on the D6113 between Carcassonne and Narbonne. These days, cars and the occasional lorry thunder past, but back in the day it was a stopping place for horse-drawn carriages. Now modernised into a pleasant roadside hotel, still retaining its large central courtyard, it’s a good place to stop before embarking on the final part of a journey, a chance to recuperate, rest, refuel and, if necessary, take stock. So it seems apt that Tom Dumoulin, one week away from his eventual second place overall at the 2018 Tour, stayed there for the final rest…

WAITING IN THE WINGS

Nothing really worked out as planned for Romain Bardet at last year’s Tour de France. After second in 2016 and third in 2017, the 28-year-old’s ambition to mount the top step of the Parisian podium quickly came unstuck due to a series of unfortunate events. He suffered a mechanical setback at Mûr-de-Bretagne on stage six, punctures on the cobbles, the abandon following a crash of his most faithful lieutenant, Axel Domont, while Alexis Vuillermoz and then Tony Gallopin were subsequently sidelined in the same manner. The AG2R La Mondiale team was decimated during the first part of the Tour, nullifying a strategy intended to blow the race apart. “We found ourselves on the back foot against opponents who are rouleurs,” reflects Bardet’s coach, Jean-Baptiste Quiclet. “Whether it was Primoz Roglic’s Lotto NL-Jumbo…

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

“This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2018]. All rights reserved.” Primo Roglic’s victory in Laruns on the final mountain stage of the 2018 Tour encapsulated the spirit of his LottoNL-Jumbo team during the three-week race: daring, unexpected and aggressive. On the 20km descent to the small Pyrenean commune in the valley below, Roglic, hunched over his bars, out of his saddle, blazed around the sweeping bends of the descent of the Col d’Aubisque at the helm of the strung-out leading group. He’s a former ski jumper, used to flying down steep ramps with nothing more than skis attached to his feet, so cycling down Pyrenean roads, hitting a top speed of 92.2km/hr, held no…

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

“It’s a time trial in a couple days so I could slip back. I’ve lost upwards of three minutes in my last few time trials. We’ll see…” The words of Mitchelton-Scott’s Adam Yates when I caught up with the Bury rider back in Bern, Switzerland, on the second rest day of the 2016 Tour. Yates, in only his second Tour, sat in third overall. He’d shrugged off an inflatable gantry deflating in his path, leaving him with stitches in his chin, to sit two minutes and 45 seconds behind leader Chris Froome. It’d been a stoical effort but ahead lay a 17km time-trial – a stage where absolute power rather than power-to-weight reigns. As predicted, Yates lost nearly two minutes on stage 18 winner Froome but would still take fourth…

STANDING OR SEATED?

Adam Yates and his brother, Simon, are renowned for standing on their pedals and gliding up the climbs. But would it be more efficient for the Yates brothers to sit or stand? It’s a subject investigated by Professor Ernst Hansen, who discovered that road cyclists were more economical when remaining seated until the gradient hit 10%. Tip over to 11% and standing becomes more efficient. In fact, during short (less than 30secs) all-out bursts, peak power output’s been measured at 25% greater when standing compared to sitting. Of course, there is payback. It’s been reported that shallow gradients of around 4%, ascending at 19km/hr, requires 10% less oxygen seated than completing the same distance and pace when standing. That means, as an example, the majority of the 11.8km ascent of Prat d’Albis…

STANDING OR SEATED?

Will this finally be Thibaut Pinot’s year? This July the Frenchman will line up at his seventh Tour de France. It’s a race with which he seems destined to have a complicated relationship, mixing ups with downs, the former coming thanks to stage victories (in 2012 and 2015), of a podium finish and the white jersey as best young rider in 2014; the latter in the shape of bronchitis, abandons and misunderstandings… To date, the relationship between him and the world’s biggest race is incomplete despite an idyllic start. Once the race gets underway in Brussels, the racer who is one of France’s leading hopes is aiming to assert himself on a route that truly inspires him. It’s an important statement of intent in a sport where it’s imperative to lead…

TEAM INEOS CHRIS FROOME Tour de France appearances 8 Rating 5/5 Pros_Already the winner of six Grand Tours, Chris Froome is undoubtedly the outstanding performer in three-week races. The perfect combination of rouleur and climber, the Briton wants to join the legendary names of Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain in the record books by matching their five victories, a prospect that seems to have boosted his motivation. Froome’s capable of reinventing himself and surprising his rivals, and has always been able to adapt his qualities to the Tour route. In the past he’s made decisive moves on the climbs, occasionally on descents or even when echelons form in the wind. Cons_Already the winner of six Grand Tours, Chris Froome is undoubtedly the outstanding performer in three-week races. The perfect combination of rouleur and climber,…

THE FIRE STILL BURNS

This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2019]. All rights reserved. May 21 2019 was Mark Cavendish’s 34th birthday. The number 34 is looming large over his life and career from the perspective of 2019. A decade or two ago, turning 34 might have meant retirement, but 34 is only getting towards the upper end of mid-life for cyclists these days. Alejandro Valverde, the current world champion, is 39; the current Giro d’Italia champion Chris Froome is a day older than Cavendish; and reigning Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas is 33. But 34 is also the single number that will define the life and career of Mark Cavendish between now, its end and far beyond.…

THE FIRE STILL BURNS

MARK CAVENDISH’S RECORD AT THE TOUR

2008 STAGE WINS: 4 After abandoning his 2007 Tour debut, Cav returns to win four stages, starting on stage five. He gets through the Pyrenees but pulls out before the Alps, to prepare for the Beijing Olympics. 2009 STAGE WINS: 6 His best-ever Tour. Starts winning early, on stage two, then adds five more wins. The highlight is the middle mountain stage to Aubenas, capped by a one-two with Mark Renshaw in Paris. 2010 STAGE WINS: 5 A slow start has tongues wagging among Tour followers, but he takes an emotional first stage win on day six. Subsequently wins every time he is sprinting for first place. 2011 STAGE WINS: 5 Another quintet of wins, plus the green jersey in Paris. For the first time, he is outsprinted in a head-to-head for first place, by André Greipel in Carmaux, but is…

MARK CAVENDISH’S RECORD AT THE TOUR

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2018]. All rights reserved. The curtain billowed at the bottom of the steps on to the Katusha-Alpecin bus. Seconds before, Marcel Kittel had thrown his bike against the side of the bus, where it balanced precariously for one of the team staff to pick up. He’d flung the curtain aside and stomped up the stairs. Once inside, he shouted. A long, fierce shout was followed by another. Then, quiet, as the curtain blew in the wind. A lot can change in 12 months. A year before, Kittel took five Tour stages, his biggest haul in a single year. Yet in Amiens, he returned to the bus empty-handed again, having…

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

THE HOLLYWOOD RIDER

This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2018]. All rights reserved. Peter Sagan is maddening. He’s also cycling’s hottest commodity, its most exciting star, the only ticket in town. Races are desperate for him and fans can’t get enough of him. This is now the 10th year of Sagan’s career and the alchemy of his multilayered talent as a racer and his character as a person, continue to make the atoms in cycling’s universe vibrate in unusual ways. Sagan had a great 2018 Tour de France. He was an omnipotent presence. He won three stages and wore the yellow jersey for one day. He finished in the top 10 in every stage apart from the high…

THE HOLLYWOOD RIDER

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SAGAN’S CAREER

2008 As a multi-talented junior, Sagan divides his time. On the road, he finishes second at the Course de la Paix. He wins the Junior Mountain Bike Worlds and is second in the Junior Cross Worlds. 2010 After signing with Cannondale, Sagan is first sighted in a break at the Tour Down Under alongside Lance Armstrong. Wins two stages at Paris-Nice and a Romandie stage. Finishes the year with five wins. 2011 Takes 15 wins, including two stages at Suisse, two more and the GC at the Tour of Poland and three at the Vuelta. Emerges as a contender for the flat Worlds course, but slides to 12th. 2012 Three wins on his Tour debut lead into a sizable green jersey victory. He wins 15 races, and for the first time also makes the top five in…

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SAGAN’S CAREER

This article is reproduced from ProCycling magazine and is copyright of or licensed by Future Publishing Limited, [a Future plc group company, UK 2018]. All rights reserved. Patrick Lefevere, the team boss of Quick-Step Floors, knows a thing or two about riders who transcend the world of sport and become genuine superstars. He used to point out that his former rider Tom Boonen, the idol of the Belgian cycling public, was popular across the board. “All the women, between 15 and 95, loved him. Even the children,” he once said. Julian Alaphilippe is not quite at the world-beating level of Boonen yet (though at 26, he’s already won as many Tour jerseys as the Belgian, with four more stage wins to go to equal Boonen’s total of six). However, Lefevere realises he…

AG2R La Mondiale

Established 1992 Bike sponsor Eddy Merckx Team manager Vincent Lavenu DS Julien Jurdie, Arturas Kasputis, Gilles Mas, Didier Jannel, Stéphane Goubert, Cyril Dessel AG2R’S TALISMAN ROMAIN Bardet is aiming to end France’s 34-year barren run without a Tour triumph. Ever since Bardet finished sixth in 2014, he’s carried the expectation of a nation on his slender shoulders. Turning 29 in November, the Frenchman should enter his best years and will feel that if he’s going to win yellow, the time must be soon. With just 27km of individual time trialling and numerous high-altitude summits, Bardet was drawn to this year’s route. But it’s rouleurs rather than pure climbers like Bardet who have thrived in recent Tours, a trend he will have to combat. Oliver Naesen, second in March’s Milan-San Remo, and Pierre…

AG2R La Mondiale

Astana Pro Team

Established 2007 Bike sponsor Argon 18 Team manager Alexandr Vinokurov DS Bruno Cenghialta, Giuseppe Martinelli, Lars Michaelsen, Dmitri Sedoun, Alexandre Shefer, Sergey Yakovlev, Stefano Zanini ASTANA PRO TEAM BLAZED a trail at the start of 2019, enjoying a personal battle with Deceuninck-Quick-Step for number of victories, both tied on a staggering 19 each before the main cobbled season kicked in. Whether that success continues in France remains to be seen with likely leader Jakob Fuglsang looking to improve on his disappointing 12th overall in 2018. Still, the Kazakh team did enjoy back-to-back Tour stage wins through Spain’s Omar Fraile and Danish powerhouse Magnus Cort. The Spanish duo of Jon and Gorka Izagirre have been poached from Bahrain-Merida and, if they make the Tour eight, will provide welcome back-up in the mountains. TEAM RANKING 6 SEASON…

Astana Pro Team

Established 2017 Bike sponsor Merida Team manager Brent Copeland DS Gorazd Stangelj, Borut Bozic, Tristan Hoffman, Alberto Volpi, Rik Verbrugghe AFTER A FORGETTABLE debut year, 2018 saw Bahrain-Merida make big improvements. They doubled their win tally and took a monument thanks to Vincenzo Nibali’s San Remo victory. There are signs the team’s depth is improving, too, with the victories shared among 15 riders. Yet while Nibali shone in the Classics, the lack of a grand tour podium will not have gone unnoticed at the top: Domenico Pozzovivo’s fifth at the Giro was the best it got. Nibali remains the team’s best bet, though challenging for both the Giro and the Tour is a tall order. Time trial world champion Rohan Dennis comes in to act as a secondary leader behind Nibali. TEAM RANKING 7 SEASON…

Established 2010 Bike sponsor Specialized Team manager Ralph Denk DS Enrico Poitschke, Christian Pomer, Patxi Vila, Steffen Radochla, Jens Zemke BORA’S STICKING TO what it knows best at the Tour and that means two things: sprints and Peter Sagan. In 2018, the Slovak won three Tour stages and his sixth green jersey. This July he’ll be gunning for number seven, which would elevate him above Erik Zabel in the all-time rankings. Sagan always races beneath a spotlight but arguably it’ll shine even brighter in France as Rafal Majka, who historically provides a welcome distraction by challenging for the mountains classification, is unlikely to light up the Tour as he’s racing both the Giro and Vuelta. Still, Sagan can seek a modicum of shelter – albeit drag-reducing rather than media intrusion – from…

Established 2007 Bike sponsor Giant Team manager Jim Ochowicz DS Piotr Wadecki, Fabio Baldato, Gabriele Missaglia, Valerio Piva, Jackson Stewart, Steve Bauer DESPITE HAEMORRHAGING RIDERS as a new sponsor was hunted, Jim Ochowitz saved BMC Racing by brokering a deal with Polish ProConti squad CCC. BMC’s parent company, Continuum Sports, still holds the WorldTour licence, meaning the team’s 12-year legacy lives on, but it’ll have a very different feel at the Tour de France – and not just because of the new name and orange kit. With stage racers Richie Porte, Tejay van Garderen and Rohan Dennis among the 17 riders who left and no designated grand tour leader, the team’s ambitions fall squarely on the shoulders of Greg Van Avermaet. Still, as the 34-year-old showed with his eight days in yellow…

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits

Established 1996 Bike sponsor Kuota Team manager Cédric Vasseur DS Roberto Damiani, Nicolas Daniel, Jacques Decrion, Alain Deloeuil COFIDIS IS ONE of the few squads that increased its roster for 2019, and the new arrivals are part of the changes that team manager Cédric Vasseur has been ringing to rebuild the struggling ProContinental team. His impact has already been evident, with the team almost doubling their win tally in 2018 over the year before. Part of Vasseur’s policy has been to not rely so heavily on the erratic sprinter Nacer Bouhanni, who has ‘enjoyed’ an up-and-down relationship with his new boss. Christophe Laporte was given a more equal sprint billing and it’ll be interesting to see who lines up in Brussels. Elsewhere, Darwin Atapuma and Jesper Hansen, climbers from UAE and Astana,…

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits

Deceuninck-Quick Step

Established 2003 Bike sponsor Specialized Team manager Patrick Lefevere DS Davide Bramati, Brian Holm, Klaas Lodewyck, Wilfried Peeters, Tom Steels, Rik Van Slycke, Geert Van Bondt DESPITE BEING THE most prolific team for the seventh consecutive season, team manager Patrick Lefevere still had to scramble to find a sponsor for 2019. Window manufacturer Deceuninck saved the Belgian team’s immediate future, but two stars were lost: Fernando Gaviria and Flanders winner Niki Terpstra. Its impact? Very little during the spring campaign as they racked up victory after victory. However, the loss of Gaviria, who won two stages at the 2018 Tour, leaves question marks over their 2019 Tour success. Still, with 2018 mountains classification winner Julian Alaphilippe and sprinter Elia Viviani in their ranks, you can rest assured Quick-Step will be there or…

Deceuninck-Quick Step

EF Education First Pro Cycling

Established 2005 Bike sponsor Cannondale Team manager Jonathan Vaughters DS Charly Wegelius, Tom Southam, Fabrizio Guidi, Andreas Klier, Juan Manual Garate, Ken Vanmarcke CYCLING’S MOTLEY CREW, EF Education First, operate a little differently. The wins didn’t flood in last year, but wins don’t mean everything to a team that proved its popularity – and therefore its worth – to sponsors after a crowdfunding campaign secured its future in 2017. Key to the team’s survival was Rigoberto Urán’s runner-up spot at that year’s Tour. Repeated crashes saw the Colombian withdrawal from 2018’s edition and a light racing calendar in 2019 means it’s difficult to gauge his form. What we do know is that he’ll be aided by new signing Tejay van Garderen, whose overall ambitions seem to have dissipated since twice finishing fifth…

EF Education First Pro Cycling

Established 1997 Bike sponsor Lapierre Team manager Marc Madiot DS Martial Gayant, Thierry Bricaud, Franck Pineau, Yvon Madiot, Frédéric Guesdon, Jussi Veikkanen, Sebastien Joly LIKE COMPATRIOTS AG2R, Groupama-FDJ knows what works for them. For the last few years the focus has revolved around Thibaut Pinot in the grand tours and Arnaud Démare in the sprints. Little looks like changing in 2019. Despite Pinot falling short in the grand tours – he was struck with pneumonia on stage 20 of the Giro and then finished sixth in the Vuelta – he enjoyed one of his most successful seasons in 2018, capped with a debut monument win at Lombardia. Having ridden the Giro the last two seasons, the 28-year-old will concentrate on the Tour this summer, finding much to savour in the mountainous route.…

Established 1985 Bike sponsor Ridley Team manager John Lelangue DS Mario Aerts, Herman Frison, Bart Leysen, Kurt Van de Wouwer, Marc Wauters, Frederik Willems FOR THE LAST eight years, Lotto-Soudal’s star rider has been sprinter André Greipel. The German claimed 95 wins in that time. But last summer the relationship between the German and the Belgian squad began to crumble, when management decided not to renew the 36-year-old’s contract. In Greipel’s place comes a younger sprinting model in 24-year-old Australian Caleb Ewan, who will be desperate for a Tour debut after being sidelined last year by his then team Mitchelton-Scott. Without a GC rider, Lotto will rely on its strategy and let a host of plucky, attacking riders do their thing, including one-day revelation Tiesj Benoot and breakaway specialist Thomas De Gendt. TEAM…

Mitchelton-Scott

Established 2012 Bike sponsor Scott Team manager Shayne Bannan DS David McPartland, Matt White, Mat Wilson, Vittorio Algeri, Julian Dean, Laurenzo Lapage 2018 WAS THE best in Mitchelton-Scott’s seven-year history. Their 37 wins included a debut grand tour thanks to Simon Yates’ Vuelta title. With Caleb Ewan leaving, the focus has firmly shifted to the Yates twins and Esteban Chaves. Simon will return to the Giro having fallen agonisingly short in 2018. That leaves Adam to focus on the Tour after a disappointing tilt at the GC last year. Chaves, who started the Giro brightly before a mid-race collapse, was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr, so regaining full strength will be his priority. Hence, it’s too early to call whether the Colombian will make the Tour team. Whoever shines for Mitchelton-Scott, they’re sure to…

Mitchelton-Scott

Established 1980 Bike sponsor Canyon Team manager Eusebio Unzué DS José Luis Arrieta, José Luis Jaimerena, Chente Acosta, Pablo Lastras, Max Sciandri MOVISTAR’S TRIO OF super-star leaders, Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa, all fell flat at the grand tours last year when they failed to crack a podium finish. Still, little has changed in the 2019 roster. Once, Quintana looked liked a rider who would make history; now his chance of becoming the first Colombian to win the Tour looks ambitious at best. Nevertheless, he will be the team’s jewel in the crown come July. New world champion Valverde hinted he’d prefer to do the Giro and Vuelta so may miss out. Movistar also has two bright young talents in Richard Carapaz – fourth at the 2018 Giro – and…

Team Arkea-Samsic

Established 2005 Bike sponsor Look Team manager Emmanuel Hubert DS Sébastien Hinault, Roger Tréhin, Yvon Caer ARKEA-SAMSIC, FORMERLY known as Fortuneo-Samsic, pulled off quite a coup by signing Warren Barguil off the back of his polka-dot jersey victory wearing Sunweb colours in 2017. In 2018, despite finishing second in the mountains classification, he never looked in contention. Whether he can repeat his 2017 form this year remains to be seen as he’s suffered several crashes that have stalled his training. Still, on paper the Breton squad had things relatively covered by signing André Greipel from Lotto Soudal. That was off the back of the big German winning eight times in 2018. The problem is, he’s won just once in 2019 and has publicly started to question whether he’s too old to challenge. TEAM…

Team Arkea-Samsic

Team Dimension Data

Established 2007 Bike sponsor BMC Team manager Douglas Ryder DS Alex Sans Vega, Bingen Fernandez, Jean Pierre Heynderickx, Gino van Oudenhove DIMENSION DATA HAS been firmly rooted to the bottom of the WorldTour rankings for the last three seasons. With reforms planned for 2020 that will potentially see the bottom team relegated to ProConti level, the squad needs to prove to prospective recruits and sponsors that it won’t be in danger. After an injury-hit 2018 for most of their star riders, having a fully fit and healthy roster would be a good start, especially when it comes to the team’s talisman Mark Cavendish, who’s struggled to rebound from injury and illness. If Cav doesn’t make the Dimension Data cut, their best chances of needed Tour de France exposure will come in the…

Team Dimension Data

Established 2010 Bike sponsor Pinarello Team manager Sir Dave Brailsford DS Dario Cioni, Oliver Cookson, Servais Knaven, Brett Lancaster, Nicolas Portal, Gabriel Rasch, Matteo Tosatto, Xabier Zandio THE TOUR OF YORKSHIRE saw Sky’s sponsorship of the British team end after a decade in the sport. Whatever your views on the team now known as Ineos, there’s no doubting they’ve changed the sport, especially in Britain where they’ve provided three ‘home’ Tour winners in Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas. It’s those last two who’ll line up in Brussels, currently as joint leaders. If that doesn’t change before the Grand Depart, it’ll play out like 2018 when Froome eventually played support to a stronger Thomas. This time around it could be role reversal as Froome isn’t racing the Giro. Colombian youngster Egan…

Team Jumbo-Visma

Established 1996 Bike sponsor Bianchi Team manager Richard Plugge DS Nico Verhoeven, Mathieu Heijboer, Sierk Jan de Haan, Jan Boven, Addy Engels, Frans Maassen JUMBO EXCEEDED ALMOST everyone’s expectations in 2018 by finishing in the top 10 at all three grand tours: eighth at the Giro, fourth and fifth at the Tour, and fourth at the Vuelta. Despite not having a big budget or a host of stars, the Dutch team proved that canny investment and the right team attitude goes a long way. Dylan Groenewegen had a coming-of-age year, and his two Tour stage wins mean he is capable of beating any sprinter in 2019. With Primo Roglic many observers’ bet for a time-trial-heavy Giro, it’ll be interesting to see if he or Steven Kruijswijk, who was metronomically consistent last year,…

Team Jumbo-Visma

Team Katusha-Alpecin

Established 2009 Bike sponsor Canyon Team manager José Acevedo DS Claudio Cozzi, Xavier Florenco, Dmitry Konyshev, Gennady Mikhaylov, Dirk Demel THE 2018 SEASON was a write-off for the Switzerland-registered team. They won five races all year, and only finished second and third 18 times. Marcel Kittel, their marquee signing last winter, won just two races. He claims to know the root of his misfiring and has talked it through with team management whom he seemed at odds with at points last season. But in 2019, still the results haven’t come. For the sake of team morale – not to mention global exposure to their sponsors – let’s hope the form returns and Kittel can add to his 14 Tour stage triumphs. The team’s great GC hope, Ilnur Zakarin, finished an anonymous ninth…

Team Katusha-Alpecin

Established 2005 Bike sponsor Cervélo Team manager Iwan Spekenbrink DS Luke Roberts, Aike Visbeek, Arthur Van Dongen, Hans Timmermans, Brian Stephens IN TERMS OF WINS, 2018 was a disappointment for Germany-registered Sunweb, whose 12 victories were their lowest tally since they joined the WorldTour in 2013. Tom Dumoulin, however, did come close to achieving a historical Giro-Tour double, finishing runner-up in both. The 29-year-old is down to race both again this year. Michael Matthews enjoyed a strong end of 2018 and has started 2019 well, winning two stages of March’s Volta a Catalunya. It looks like he’ll make Sunweb’s Tour team, but might have to sacrifice his sprinting ambitions in support of Dumoulin. Aside from the veteran Nicolas Roche, winter recruitment has focused on youth - 11 riders are aged 23 or…

Total Direct Energie

Established 2000 Bike sponsor Wilier Team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau DS Lylian Lebreton, Dominique Arnould, Benoît Genauzeau, Thibaut Macé WITH 16-TIME TOUR finisher Sylvain Chavanel retiring, Jean-René Bernaudeau had a sizeable hole to fill, but he managed to do so with the surprising transfer of Roubaix and Flanders winner Niki Terpstra. While Quick-Step searched for a new title sponsor, Bernaudeau made the Dutchman an offer Patrick Lefevere couldn’t match. Terpstra’s never won a stage of the Tour but, certainly with Quick-Step, his role’s been to support the main sprinter. Now he should have the freedom to seek out stage wins – as will Lilian Calmejane. The 26-year-old lit up the 2017 Tour with a succession of attacks plus a well-earned stage victory. He had a quieter 2018 but don’t bet against stage win…

Total Direct Energie

Established 2011 Bike sponsor Trek Team manager Luca Guercilena DS Yaroslav Popovych, Adriano Baffi, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Grégory Rast, Kim Anderson, Steven De Jongh, Giorgia Bronzini, Luc Meersman TREK-SEGAFRADO TOOK advantage of the uncertainty around BMC Racing’s future (now absorbed by CCC, of course) to sign up Richie Porte. The Tasmanian’s arrival should give them the focus they lacked in the grand tours last year. That said, the Australian is now 34 and though he’s among the best one-week racers, he is still to prove his consistency in grand tours. His past two Tours have been derailed by bad crashes. The dependable Dutch rider, Bauke Mollema, is targeting the Giro d’Italia but is scheduled to assist Porte in France. And after two years hit by bad luck and injuries, John Degenkolb should go…

UAE Team Emirates

Established 1999 Bike sponsor Colnago Team manager Giuseppe Saronni DS Marco Marzano, Matxin Fernandez, Simeone Pedrazzini, Allan Peiper, Neil Stephens, Bruno Vicino UAE TEAM EMIRATES’ big money backers are likely to have expected a bigger return than the team has so far produced. Fabio Aru had a bad 2018, and while Dan Martin won a Tour stage, a crash ruined his chances of challenging for the podium. The pair will again share grand tour duties in 2019 with Martin pencilled in for another stab at the Tour. This winter the team attracted Fernando Gaviria to bolster the team’s sprinting force. How he will gel with Alexander Kristoff will be an interesting sub-plot. The team is investing well for the future, however, and signed two of the best U23 riders on the market…

UAE Team Emirates

Wanty-Groupe Gobert

Established 2008 Bike sponsor Cube Team manager Hilaire Van der Schueren DS Jean-Marc Rossignon, Demarbaix Sébastien, Steven De Neef THE TOP-RANKED team on the European Tour for the third year, Wanty-Groupe Gobert have found their formula – never give up trying. Their plucky spirit was rewarded with a stint in a competition jersey at the Tour last summer, thanks to New Zealander Dion Smith’s three days in the polka dots. The 2019 route visits Wanty’s home in Binche, which probably guaranteed their third invite to the Tour. With Smith and Classics rider Guillaume Van Keirsbulck moving on, greater emphasis will fall on Guillaume Martin. The Frenchman has been steadily developing with the team since he turned pro in 2016 and last year won the Circuit de la Sarthe. Sprinter Andrea Pasqualon also enjoyed…

Wanty-Groupe Gobert

PLACES TO WATCH

Stage 01 Atomium, Saturday 6 July The futuristic-looking Atomium, comprising nine connected 18m-diameter stainless-steel-clad spheres, was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and depicted nine iron atoms in the shape of the body-centred cubic unit cell of an iron crystal, magnified 165-billion times. It’s recently been renovated and is now a museum. Stage 04 Place Stanisla, Tuesday 9 July This large pedestrian square has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983. In 1752, Stanislaw Leszczynski decided to create a royal square in honour of his son-in-law, Louis XV. It took three years to build and was inaugurated with a bronze statue of Louis XV at its heart. The square is famous for its wrought-iron railings decorated with gold leaf, town hall, Grand Hotel, Nancy Opera House and Museum of…

PLACES TO WATCH

LE GRAND DÉPART

On Saturday 6 July, the Tour de France Grand Départ takes place in Belgium. The organisers, ASO, often start the world’s greatest bike race in another country. Who, for instance, can forget when Yorkshire embraced the race Why did Brussels apply to host this year’s Tour de France Grand Départ? Philippe Close (PC) First and foremost it’s down to Belgium’s love for cycling. At home, cycling has the power to stir up extraordinary passion. It’s an integral part of our national culture. The central figure within this phenomenon is Eddy Merckx. The city’s former Deputy Mayor for Sport, Alain Courtois, wanted to pay tribute to him on the 50th anniversary of the first of his five Tour victories back in 1969. Every Belgian, even the youngest ones, grew up with the image…

LE GRAND DÉPART

WALKING IN MERCKX’S FOOTSTEPS TO MARK THE centenary of the yellow jersey, we wanted to pay homage to the champion who’s worn it most often, Eddy Merckx, by visiting his home city of Brussels. On this inaugural stage, we will also offer tribute to one of the country’s specialities – sprinting. A bunch finish in front of the royal palace is the most likely scenario. Prior to that, the peloton will reacquaint itself with roads that feature in the Flemish classics, notably the iconic climb of the Mur de Grammont. That should see a fierce contest as the first rider over the top will pull on the polka dot jersey. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 4 (%) gradient the riders face over the final kilometre. This could suit a rider like Peter Sagan. 1975 The year Charleroi…

TIME TO STEP ON THE GAS THE YELLOW JERSEY will almost certainly change shoulders if the previous day’s winner doesn’t have a cohort of specialists in this collective discipline around him. On what is only the second day, we’re serving up a test that’s as fearsome as it is spectacular – the team time trial. In this case, the course through Brussels will demand the use of big gears. On a course without any climbing as such, we may even see a new record speed! On the final straight, with the Atomium in the background, victory should come down to a gap of just a few seconds. ROUTE ITINERARY 18th FEB 2006 The Atomium was officially reopened by Prince Philippe after a €26-million renovation project. Originally completed in 1958, it was only designed…

PUNCH NEEDED TO CONQUER THE ‘WALL’ THE STAGE STARTS in Binche, a bastion of Belgian cycling, and is the first to finish in France. It’s relatively long (215km) and particularly testing. The route’s been designed with the thinking that a gusting wind could create echelons and split the peloton into several pieces during the first part of the stage. This would then make the second half very tricky because we’ve found a succession of pretty steep hills, including one at Mutigny with a gradient that averages 12%. Mention should also be made of the finish in Épernay, which sits at the top of a “wall” of 15%. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 1963 The last time a Tour de France stage finished in Épernay. The winner that day was Belgian Eddy Pauwels. As it was…

A STAGE SET UP FOR A SPRINT A STAGE OF 213.5km between Reims and Nancy with few difficulties and a 1,500m-long finishing straight, this has a classic look and has been designed as an offering to the sprinters, who won’t often be centre stage this year. We know that this Tour de France, in which the mountains take pride of place, could discourage some of them during the final week. To boost their morale, but also to add some balance to the Tour, we wanted to give them a clear opportunity here. The pick of them should be clocking 70km/hr at the finish line. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 1952 The year Fausto Coppi won his second and last Tour de France after his first in 1949. In both races, Coppi won the individual time…

BATTLE OF THE VOSGES

The climbers won’t be complaining. With the exception of 2017, no Tour in the 21st century has featured a summit finish this early in the race. Like two years ago, La Planche des Belles Filles will be the first rendezvous for the climbers. On stage five, the test extends to 169km, starting in relatively straightforward fashion with a trip across the Alsace plain from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, a new stage town. At Obernai, around 62km in, the riders head south towards the Vosges Mountains. The day’s three main climbs all come in the final 70km. The first ascent is the Côte du Haut-Koenigsbourg (5.9km at 5.9%), which will offer the chance for an admiring glance at the eponymous château that was close to William II’s heart. Next up are the Côte des Trois-Epis…

BATTLE OF THE VOSGES

MEDIUM MOUNTAIN, MAXIMUM EFFORT THE 106TH TOUR de france is designed for climbers. We’re inviting them to come out of the shadows when the race enters the Vosges and the medium mountains. On a route that passes Alsatian villages that are each as stunning as the next, the standout points are the Côte du Haut-Koenigsbourg, which climbs in front of the medieval château of the same name, and the Côte des Trois-Épis. It’s a picture-postcard setting, but on the road there’ll be a big sort-out within the peloton. It should be a straight fight between the baroudeurs and puncheurs at the finish. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2009 The Tour visited Colmar on the rain-swept 13th stage of 2009. Henrich Hausler soloed to victory. 4 The number of categorised climbs – two category two, two category three…

THE BRUTAL MOUNTAINS ARRIVE EARLY NOW WE’RE IN the mountains with what has become the familiar appearance of a La Planche des Belles Filles summit finish. I hasten to add, though, that this finale has a new look as the climb has been extended by a kilometre, so that it not only finishes higher than before but also tackles some ramps of up to 24%. This should mean that GC starts to take shape. It’s even possible that the late mix of the Col des Chevrères and La Planche des Belles Filles, coming after the Grand Ballon and the Ballon d’Alsace, might knock some leaders out of contention. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 24 Percentage of final kick up La Planche des Belles Filles, which is a new addition to the Tour. 2012 The first La Planche…

A STAGE DESIGNED FOR TACTICIANS WITH THE FIRST mountainous section of the race completed, we move straight into a stage for the sprinters that’s also the longest of this Tour: 230km between Belfort and Chalon-sur-Saône, passing via Ornans to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of painter Gustave Courbet. As so often after one of the race’s key strategic moments, the stage could come down to a pursuit match between the peloton and the breakaway. But as we’ve seen many times before, we should see the sprinters deciding the verdict between themselves at the finish. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 3:56:10 Thibaut Pinot’s stage-winning time when the Tour last started from Belfort in 2012. The Frenchman was just 22 years old. 2017 The year Chalon-sur-Saone hosted the stage three finish of Paris-Nice. Bora-Hansgrohe’s Irish sprinter Sam…

A TEST OF NERVE

The eighth stage of the 2019 race sees the riders clock up a staggering 3,800m of vertical gain over 200km between Mâcon and Saint-Étienne. For those in the know, Mâcon means the Beaujolais hills with their severe ramps. The riders know them well from stages of Paris-Nice held on the roads around Belleville, which lies close to Mont Brouilly and the Col du Fût d’Avenas. In other words, there’s not a metre of flat. The way of the cross Unless you’re a well-travelled cyclo-tourist, few are aware of the intricacies of this stage, and the “way of the cross” that the mountains form other than what they’ve seen on Google Maps. But you can judge these tests for yourself: Croix Montmain (6.1km at 7%), Croix de Thel (4.1km at 8.1%), Croix Paquet…

A TEST OF NERVE

MAELSTROM OF MEDIUM MOUNTAINS THERE’S NOT MUCH respite – here we are again with a medium mountain stage. We went looking for every imaginable hill we could find between Mâcon and Saint-Étienne. Some are longish climbs of 6-7km, others shorter at 2-3km but averaging 10%! They’ll make it hard enough to ensure that there’s no guarantee of a puncheur being in the mix at the finish because we’ll be at the limit of what a non-climber can cope with. And if the GC leaders decide to take advantage of all of these ramps, it could result in an intense day and even one where there’s considerable upheaval. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 3,800 Total metres of ascending on today’s menu. At an elevation of 827m, the highest point of the day is the summit of…

AN INTRIGUING PUZZLE FOR THE PUNCHEURS IT’S A STAGE FOR giving the puncheurs a second opportunity to set the Tour alight. Logic suggests that the action should kick off at the end of the first hour, on the Mur d’Aurec-sur-Loire: 3.2km at 11%. That’s like climbing Flèche Wallonne’s Mur de Huy three times. This will scatter the field and it’ll be interesting to see how the leaders exploit the situation. Will they let the dropped riders get back on? Or will they wait for the last test, the Côte de Saint-Just (3.6km averaging 7.2%), to make their move? One thing is certain, the pure sprinters won’t be having a say. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 19 Maximum gradient (%) during the ascent of Mur d’Aurec-sur-Loire, the taxing climb that comes 36.5km into today’s 170km stage. 1990 The…

A KEY DAY FOR THE GREEN JERSEY THIS STAGE MARKS the end of the first part of the Tour, coming before the riders’ first rest day. We’re heading for Albi having tracked diagonally across France through the Vosges and the Massif Central. Who will win this stage? A sprinter or a baroudeur? The question is worth asking – 217.5km on a leg-breaking route may, in theory, favour a breakaway group more than a peloton that’s expecting a sprint finish. What is certain is that the battle between the contenders for the green jersey will be watched because any points earned in Albi could dictate the final result. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 1,000 Riders will spend most of the day toiling at an altitude of 1,000m. That could make it tricky to manage escapes so…

A STAGE FOR THOSE GOING FOR GREEN A RATHER SHORT stage that has no significant difficulties and which should, therefore, not escape the sprinters. In other words, we’re giving the peloton a straightforward test for the return to action after the first rest day. This is deliberate to enable the riders to preserve their resources before the trio of Pyrenean stages and the individual time trial. Consequently, in their quest for the green jersey, the sprinters will have to score points. That’s because, beyond this point, they will only have two more opportunities – in Nîmes and on the Champs-Élysées. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 1992 The year Total Direct Energie rider Lilian Calmejane was born in the day’s start town of Albi, southern France. Calmejane won stage eight of the 2017 Tour. 2008 Mark Cavendish won…

FINALLY, THE RIDERS HIT THE PYRENEES THE TOUR’S PYRENEAN segment will begin on the plains. After a three-hour approach, the race’s entry into the high mountains will start with a classic – the Col de Peyresourde. It will be followed by a pass introduced in the 21st century, the Hourquette d’Ancizan, which was first tackled during the 2011 Tour and has featured twice since. What can we expect before the race drops from that summit to the finish at Bagnères-de-Bigorre, 30km away? Will we see a significant contest between the big guns or will they prefer to keep their powder dry for the future? ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2013 The last time Bagneres-de-Bigorre hosted a stage finish. Dan Martin beat Jakob Fuglsang in a two-up sprint. 13.2 Length of the Col de Peyresoude (in kilometres), which…

SOLE INDIVIDUAL TT OF 2019 THIS IS THE Tour de France’s sole individual time trial. It’s particularly significant because, contrary to tradition, we’ve chosen not to position it at the end of the race but right in the middle, like a Tour de France tipping point. This 27.2km solo test is divided into two parts – the first peppered with a few climbs over 15km and the second much more rolling all the way to the finish. In Pau, we’ll also celebrate a glorious anniversary, as it’s the centenary of the yellow jersey, which was first worn by Eugène Christophe on 19 July 1919. ROUTE ITINERARY 26th JULY 2018 Groupama-FDJ’s uber-sprinter Arnaud Démare unleashes his celebratory running man after winning stage 18 between Trie-sur-Baise and Pau STAGE IN NUMBERS 71 This year’s Tour is the 71st…

When Jean-Pierre Danguillaume won the 1974 stage that was the first to finish at the top of Tourmalet, the mountain delivered a whimper rather than a roar. The slopes of the Pyrenean pass, which had been made more human “thanks to the widened road and re-engineered bends”, wrote Pierre Chany in L’Équipe, didn’t upset the general classification. Eddy Merckx had the Tour under control and the contest was done. This short stage (119km) essentially boiled down to a hill climb and a magnificent effort on the part of Peugeot’s Danguillaume, as it didn’t include any major difficulty prior to the Tourmalet save for the Col d’Aspin, which the riders tackled soon after the start. This year’s 14th stage, which starts in Tarbes and will finish at the Tourmalet’s summit for the…

THE GC CONTENDERS REVEALED WHEN WE PRESENTED this 106th edition, we described it as “the Tour of the high peaks”. This is the first of those occasions as the finish line is located on the Col du Tourmalet, 2,115m above sea level. It’s a 19km climb following on from the ascent of the Soulor. The contenders will emerge, especially as the stage is short. That should provide stimulation, as well as thought about the strategy that needs to be employed. I can imagine specialist climbers being sent ahead on the Soulor in order to provide support for their leaders later on before being joined by the big guns. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2015 The year Chris Froome won the stage when the Tour last set off from Tarbes. Froome beat Richie Porte atop the…

BEAUTIFULLY BRUTAL

This year, Foix will experience its first summit finish at the end of an exhilarating stage that starts in Limoux and crosses the Côte de Montségur, the Port de Lers and the infamous Mur de Péguère. The breakaway may well have formed before Bélesta at the foot of Côte de Montségur, above which the eponymous château looks out over the region and encapsulates the essence of the Albigensian Crusades, the religious war that led to the disappearance of Catharism in the 13th century. From the Côte de Montségur (6.8km at 6%), the route links to the Port de Lers (11.4km at 7%) and then the Mur de Péguère (9.3km at 7.9%). At this point, the peloton should thin out considerably. “When I turned pro, I took riders to the Mur de…

BEAUTIFULLY BRUTAL

A STAGE DESIGNED FOR ATTACKERS HOW IS THE route put together? With the aim of ensuring balance and, if possible, to maintain suspense to the end. To achieve this, we have to create what could be described as “catch-up sessions”. This stage is in that mould, as it provides those leaders who lost ground the day before with a chance to get back into the contest. Much can be expected from the combination of the Port de Lers, Mur de Péguère and Prat d’Albis, which overlooks Foix. Overall, the riders will accumulate 4,700m of vertical gain on the eve of the second rest day. It’s ideal for attackers. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 18 The steepest ramps of Mur de Péguère reach 18%. The total climb’s a brute, measuring 9.3km and averaging 7.9%. 4,700 Staggering climbing metres…

PONT DU GARD’S SHADOW

Since the first century AD, at a height of almost 50m, the Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct has spanned the Gardon River. In 1564, King Charles IX halted beneath this monumental work, that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, during a journey to discover more about France’s regions and the realm, under the orders of Catherine de Medici. It’s the highest and most beautiful of the ancient aqueducts. Imposing and grandiose, it comprises three levels, each supported by arches through which the summer sun shines, flooding the landscape beyond with light. It was thanks to the Pont du Gard that water, which was needed by the inhabitants of Nîmes, could be sent from Uzès at an impressive rate of 400 litres per second. Making Tour history The Tour de France peloton…

PONT DU GARD’S SHADOW

THE IMAGE OF THE 2019TOUR DE FRANCE THIS STAGE WILL go down in history as the first when the riders cross the Pont du Gard. When it’s broadcast, it’ll undoubtedly paint a beautiful picture of France all over the world and that alone will guarantee that this stage is a success. The rest of this loop, starting and finishing in Nîmes, lies entirely within the department of Gard and should give the sprinters the chance to take centre stage once again. That’s unless the wind gets up. Let’s not forget the echelons that caused no end of damage on the road into Montpellier in 2016. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2017 Nimes spread its Grand Tour reach two years ago, hosting the Big Start of the Vuelta a Espana. 4:56 Alexander Kristoff’s 2014 stage-winning time in Nimes.…

TERRAIN FOR THE GREAT ESCAPE? THE PONT DU Gard features again, but this time as the stage start. Sticking with the Gallo-Roman theme, we’ll go past the amphitheatre in Orange and through Vaison-la-Romaine, thus providing an additional opportunity to draw attention to France’s touristic splendours. We believe it also provides the chance to highlight the race’s baroudeurs, who should find this perfect terrain. If a breakaway does survive to the finish, today’s the day. That’s simply because the Col de la Sentinelle, less than 10km from the finish, may well discourage the sprinters’ teams. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2015 Gap last hosted a Tour finish four years ago. On that sweltering day, Lampre-Merida’s Ruben Plaza Molina took the win, 30secs ahead of Peter Sagan. 10 Riders crest the 5.2km-long Col de la Sentinelle with 10km left…

When the riders line up in Embrun, on the edge of Lake Serre-Ponçon, to tackle the 18th stage that will finish in Valloire, it’ll be entirely understandable if their breathing is a little heavier than usual as they enjoy one last chance to fill their lungs with oxygen-rich air. Ahead of them on this first day in the Alps lie the Vars, Izoard and Galibier passes, and each of them will send the peloton above the 2,000m mark, a threshold beyond which the body loses its usual reference points. “This phenomenon is explained by a decrease in atmospheric pressure and a dispersion of oxygen molecules,” explains Samuel Bellenoue, coach at the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team and a specialist in high-altitude preparation. “In simpler terms, a litre of air breathed in at an…

A TRIO OF MOUNTAINS ABOVE 2,000 M THE VARS RISES to 2,109m. The Izoard to 2,360m. The Galibier to 2,642m. On paper, this stage undoubtedly promises quite a battle at altitudes above 2,000m. How will the riders tackle this exceptional test? It’s impossible to predict but we do know that, at this altitude, tired bodies can capitulate at any moment. Between Embrun and the climb to Val Thorens, two stages later, it’ll be a race of attrition between the best racers. I hope we’ll witness some incredible moments. This stage extends to 208km and absolutely anything could happen. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2017 When the Tour last started from Embrun two years ago, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, of Dimension Data, brought the early break home for a famous victory. 23 Distance in kilometres of the Col du Galibier.…

THE TOUR’S RARE PEARL

Two days before the race finishes on the Champs-Élysées and the day after a Dantesque stage during which the riders will have ascended four passes above 2,000 metres, there’s still plenty of climbing in store. On the road to Tignes lies the Col de l’Iseran, a vertigo-inducing test that’s Europe’s highest pass at 2,770 metres. The climb that will carry this 19th stage from the Maurienne to the Tarentaise valley isn’t the longest but is the steepest. Located on the southern flank, this old mule track that once enabled cheese-makers to return home after trading in Piedmont is 12.9km long and has an average gradient of 7.5%. Consequently, it’s far shorter than the 33km rise from Bourg-Saint-Maurice on the other side. However, it’ll still be a formidable test… Bobet’s farewell This is only…

THE TOUR’S RARE PEARL

REACHING THE ROOF OF THE TOUR AFTER MORE THAN 200km the day before, there are just 126.5km today. Consequently, this’ll be an action-packed mountain stage. It’ll take the peloton to the summit of the Iseran, the “roof” of the 2019 Tour at an altitude of 2,770m, before the climb to Tignes, where the finish will be at 2,089m. We can assume that there’ll be two big battles: one between the favourites for the general classification and one involving the contenders for the polka-dot jersey. With double points available on all super-category passes, a pure climber should be on the podium in Paris. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2,770 Height in metres of the Col de I’Iseran that’ll be reached for the eighth time in Tour history. This is the ceiling of the 2019 Tour de…

STING IN THE TAIL

The Tour’s passage through the Alps will end on Saturday 27 July in Val Thorens where, for the third time in this 2019 edition, the finish will be above an altitude of 2,000 metres, which is unprecedented in the race’s history. It comes at the end of a 33.4km climb averaging 5.5% that’ll transport the peloton to Europe’s highest ski resort for just the second time. On 20 July 1994, the 17th stage that started in Bourg-d’Oisans, confirmed the form of Piotr Ugrumov, who was able once again to unsettle Miguel Indurain in the mountains, although without threatening the Spaniard’s hold on the yellow jersey. The stage victory went to Colombian Nelson Rodríguez, who completed the whole climb up to “Val Tho” sat on the wheel of the Latvian rider without…

STING IN THE TAIL

STILL TIME FOR CHANGES IN GC AT THE START in Albertville, where will we be after exactly three weeks of racing? We, and you as well no doubt, are obviously dreaming of a situation where the title is still up for grabs, but will that still be the case? Logic suggests that the yellow jersey will attempt to control the situation on the 33km climb to Val Thorens. Or even, if he really is dominating, that he will try to affirm his supremacy definitely and inevitably, and in doing so will serve up an impressive show of panache… Or will we perhaps witness a final and unexpected twist? Let’s dream a little. ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2,365 Height of Val Thorens, the final climb of the day. This is the third stage to finish…

THE SUNSETS ON THE 2019 TOUR WHAT WE WILL REMEMBER from this Tour de France that has no obvious ambushes in the shape of cobbled roads, but is mountainous with an unprecedented three finishes above 2,000m? Will we see another British success? The first victory by a Colombian? The French success that’s been awaited since 1985? Assuming the race has passed smoothly and without controversy, the verdict of these 128km will undoubtedly be a good one. All that lies ahead is one final and beautiful bunch sprint at the moment when the sun is setting on the Champs-Élysées and on Paris… ROUTE ITINERARY STAGE IN NUMBERS 2005 The last year a rider managed to hold off the charging peloton for victory. That man was Alexandre Vinokourov, who now manages Astana. 1975 The Tour de France has finished…

1903 Dist 2,428km Av Speed 25.679kph • 1 Maurice GARIN (FRA, Age32) • 2 Lucien POTHIER (FRA) • 3 Fernand AUGEREAU (FRA) 1904 Dist 2,428km Av Speed 25.265kph • 1 Henri CORNET (FRA, 20) • 2 Jean-Baptiste DORTIGNACQ (FRA) • 3 Aloïs CATTEAU (BEL) 1905 Dist 2,994km Av Speed 27.107kph • 1 Louis TROUSSELIER (FRA, 24) • 2 Hippolyte AUCOUTURIER (FRA) • 3 Jean-Baptiste DORTIGNACQ (FRA) 1906 Dist 4,637km Av Speed 24.436kph • 1 René POTTIER (FRA, 27) • 2 Georges PASSERIEU (FRA) • 3 Louis TROUSSELIER (FRA) 1907 Dist 4,488km Av Speed 28.470kph • 1 Lucien PETIT-BRETON (FRA, 24) • 2 Gustave GARRIGOU (FRA) • 3 Emile GEORGET (FRA) 1908 Dist 4,488km Av Speed 28.740kph • 1 Lucien PETIT-BRETON (FRA, 25) • 2 François FABER (LUX) • 3 Georges PASSERIEU (FRA) 1909 Dist 4,497km Av Speed 28.658kph • 1 François FABER (LUX, 22) • 2 Gustave GARRIGOU (LUX) • 3 Jean ALAVOINE (FRA) 1910 Dist 4,734km Av…

MULTIPLE VICTORIES FIVE VICTORIES Jacques ANQUETIL (1957, 1961–1964) Eddy MERCKX (1969–1972, 1974) Bernard HINAULT (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985) Miguel INDURAIN (1991–1995) FOUR VICTORIES Chris FROOME (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) THREE VICTORIES Philippe THYS (1913, 1914, 1920) Louison BOBET (1953–1955) Greg LEMOND (1986, 1989, 1990) TWO VICTORIES Lucien PETIT-BRETON (1907, 1908) Firmin LAMBOT (1919, 1922) Ottavio BOTTECCHIA (1924, 1925) Nicolas FRANTZ (1927, 1928) André LEDUCQ (1930, 1932) Antonin MAGNE (1931, 1934) Sylvère MAES (1936, 1939) Gino BARTALI (1938, 1948) Fausto COPPI (1949, 1952) Bernard THEVENET (1975, 1977) Laurent FIGNON (1983, 1984) Alberto CONTADOR (2007, 2009) VICTORIES BY NATION France: 36 Belgium: 18 Spain: 12 Italy: 10 Great Britain: 6 Luxembourg: 4 United States: 3 Switzerland, Holland: 2 Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Australia: 1 SMALLEST GAP BETWEEN WINNER AND RUNNER-UP 8 seconds (1989) Greg LEMOND (USA) and Laurent FIGNON (FRA) 23 seconds (2007) Alberto CONTADOR (SPA) and Cadel EVANS (AUS) 32 seconds (2006) Oscar PEREIRO (SPA) and Andreas KLÖDEN (GER) 38 seconds (1968) Jan JANSSEN (HOL) and Herman VAN SPRINGEL (BEL) 40 seconds (1987) Stephen ROCHE (IRL)…

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