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Stage 13 – 17th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

After the three consecutive big mountain stages, today's stage should be comparatively easier for all. We can expect sprinters fighting at the finish line. For all the GC contenders, it should be riding with the team and not do anything stupid. Today's climb are nothing specific to talk about. These are little climb compared to last three stages
Let's see. Eagerly awaiting.

Start City/Location: Muret, France

End City/Location: Rodez, France

Local start time: 12:40 am (3:10 pm IST)

Total Distance: 195 kms

Type of stage: Mountain

Km 131.0 - Côte de Saint-Cirgue - 3.8 kilometre-long climb at 5.8% - category 3
Km 156.5 - Côte de la Pomparie - 2.8 kilometre-long climb at 5% - category 4
Km 167.0 - Côte de la Selve - 3.9 kilometre-long climb at 3.7% - category 4


TV Schedule for India
7:05 pm Live on Ten Sports.

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Stage 13 Results

Though the stage 13 climbs were not huge, they played vital role in the stage finish. The big sprinters could not keep up the pace with the peloton and dropped. However the punchy sprinters were expected to deliver. The early breakaway of 6 riders was caught in the final 700 meters of the stage. How close is that.

Sagan missed an opportunity

Stage 13 looked set in the stone for Peter Sagan to win atop the hill of the avenue de Saint-Pierre in Rodez. It was a spectacular finish but the Slovakian champion who hasn't claimed a stage of the Tour de France since two years ago was second again as he lost the final sprint to Greg van Avermaet (BMC). His fourth second place finish this year. He is back in the green jersey though. Eagerly awaiting to see Sagan win a stage which he really deserve.





Serious crash for Peraud

Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R-La Mondiale) sustained a serious crash at km 137 but courageously restarted and made his way back to the peloton after 15 kms of chasing.

Look at the bandages and torn clothes
Hats off !!!

[ebonho]

Truly hats off to Peraud man. What an iron man. His body was ripped up (that was a nasty hard fall, at almost flat out straightline pace) but not only did he rejoin within under 3 minutes (think about that guys - all of us have fallen off two wheelers, bikes and cycles both) but he also made it back to the main peloton which did not slacken its pace one bit. Most were wondering about whether he would make it to the finish (there were still 60+ kms, including climbs, when he crashed) within the elimination zone. When I saw him catch the peloton, that too with bottles of water for his team mates (none of whom surprisingly came back for him - did you notice?), I was like doing mental bowing and touching his feet in awe.

Feel bad for Sagan man. What a cyclist. A sprinter and a climber and a time trialist. Is there anything this 24 year old does not do on two wheels?

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Stage 14 – 18th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

If the end of Stage 13 got your adrenaline pumping, just wait for Stage 14. It’ll be contested on small, winding roads, and the profile defies easy tactical planning: lumpy to start, then an almost-perfect false flat for close to 70 kms and then three climbs in the final 40 kms, including the steep Côte de la Croix Neuve summit finish. With the spectacular Gorges du Tarn (canyon), the Millau viaduct and the green mountainous Lozère, stage 14 looks like an appealing touristic brochure. But the bike riders might be too busy to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes.

Only the strong will survive to contest the finale, and we could once again see the GC contenders battling to score a few precious seconds before the Alps next week.

Chris Froome also expects to be attacked and he's ready to respond so the yellow jersey also has a serious chance to win again.

The Croix Neuve climb favors powerful, punchy climbers who can do lots of damage in a short length of road—think Contador and Nairo Quintana. Contador’s only one second behind Geraint Thomas for fifth overall and Quintana’s only 17 seconds behind van Garderen for second. Look for both riders to try and move up the GC in Mende. And of course, don’t forget Rodriguez. The Spaniard dropped off the back at the end of Stage 13, perhaps setting himself up for another win on the Croix Neuve.

Start City/Location: Rodez, France

End City/Location: Mende, France

Local start time: 12:45 am (4:15 pm IST)

Total Distance: 178.5 kms

Type of stage: Mountain

Km 20.0 - Côte de Pont-de-Salars - 1.3 kilometre-long climb at 5.8% - category 4
Km 146.0 - Côte de Sauveterre - 9 kilometre-long climb at 6% - category 2
Km 169.5 - Côte de Chabrits - 1.9 kilometre-long climb at 5.9% - category 4
Km 177.0 - Côte de la Croix Neuve (1 055 m) - 3 kilometre-long climb at 10.1% - category 2

TV Schedule for India
7:00 pm Live on Ten Sports and Ten HD.

Eagerly awaiting

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Live Tracking of the Race

Thanks to the latest technology we have access to lot of data of the Tour de France.

1. Real time position of all the riders/groups on the map
2. Real time speed and time gap



Current position on the stage profile.



Check this out

http://betalivetracking.letour.fr/

How cool is this.

Source: http://velonews.competitor.com/

Dimension Data announced that it will deliver real-time information on Tour de France riders for the first time in the history of professional cycling. In partnership with Tour organizer Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company announced Tuesday that it has completed its big-data analytics and digital delivery platform.

“The technology will allow cycling fans to follow the race in ways they’ve never been able to before,” said Dimension Data executive chairman, Jeremy Ord. “Until now it was difficult to understand what was happening outside of what could be shown on the live television coverage. The ability to follow riders, get accurate information about which riders are in a group, and see real-time speed are just some of the innovations that will be realized through this solution. During the duration of the three-week race, we’ll be rolling out a range of new capabilities, including a beta live-tracking website.”

Working with ASO, in partnership with the 22 teams participating in the 2015 Tour de France, Dimension Data says it will offer highly accurate data through the use of live trackers, mounted under the saddle of each rider. Dimension Data will then process and analyze the data, and make it available to cycling fans, commentators, broadcasters, and the media.

When the Tour de France begins Saturday, the viewing public around the world will be able to follow all 198 riders in 22 teams real-time, and be able to track the speed at which each cyclist is riding, exactly where he’s positioned in the race in relation to other cyclists, and the distance between each rider — all via a beta live-tracking website.

The real-time analytics system will take the data provided by a third-party geo-localization transmission component, undertake data cleansing and analysis, and provide access to this data as both a real-time data stream, and a historical archive.

Ord said Dimension Data carried out testing during the Critérium du Dauphiné race in June. “We analyzed one cyclist cycling at an astounding 104 kilometers per hour. This type of data has not been available in the past.”

All data analyzed will be available through a beta live-tracking website. This allows fans to select their favorite rider to follow, monitor the race on their phone or tablet while they watch it live on the television, and gain access to additional data insights. The 198 riders in 22 teams will generate 42,000 geospatial points and 75 million GPS readings. In addition, the live-tracking website is built to support 17 million viewers and 2,000 page requests per second.

“This top-notch technological development will enable a better analysis of the race, highlight the race tactics, and also show how essential in this sport is each rider’s role within his team,” said Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France director. “It will now be possible to understand how to prepare for a sprint finish in the last few kilometers of a stage, feel the wind’s impact on the rider’s speed, and so much more. Our efforts combined with those of Dimension Data will permanently change the way we follow cycling and the Tour de France.”

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Stage 14 Results

In the game of Cat and Mouse...the Dog has it's day

The stage presented some of the best scenery and mountain views till date. The final kilometer was on an airport runway at the top of the mountain. Simply stunning

I was anticipating a sprinters fight in yesterday's stage. However it turned out to be exactly opposite. All the main sprinters dropped behind the peloton due to the intermediate climbs. Sagan was part of the 20 man breakaway early on and he was with the group till the last climb.

The last climb was “Beast of a climb” as commented by Phil Liggit. The climb lived up to the expectation reaching 11% gradient at some places. From the breakaway only two riders could pull off the group, Romain Bardet (mouse) and Thibot Pinot (cat). It appeared as if the French will conquer the stage. Both the riders were playing the cat and mouse. Last 1.5 kms was a flat finish.

That’s when Britain's Stephen Cummings of MTN-Qhubeka came across and zoomed passed the two frenchman. MTN-Qhubeka, the first African trade team to participate to the Tour de France, celebrated the Mandela Day with orange helmets and what a finish it was. He deprived the host country of the victory on the day French Republic president François Hollande was on site. Bardet and Pinot were visibly upset at the finish line at lost opportunity.

To add to British domination on French roads, Chris Froome increased his lead in the overall ranking.

In the final climb, as expected there were few attacks on Froome from rivals, especially Quintana and Nibali. Gardren, Contador and Nibali lost some ground yesterday. Froome kept his cool and caught up Quintana. At the finish line Froome attacked Quintana ferociously and got two seconds gap. “He wants to show who is the boss” as commented by Liggit.

Start of the stage





Quintana attacking at the final climb



Stephen Cummings victory



I'm the boss

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Stage 15 – 19th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

Tour de France is a long long race. There are still 7 stages remaining with around 1300 kms riding still to come.

Despite the four categorized climbs that pepper its 183 kms course, Stage 15 looks certain to produce a sprint finish. The Second Category Col de l’Escrinet could serve as a launch pad for a breakaway to try and escape, but with 75 mostly downhill kilometers between its summit and the finish line, expect the sprinters’ teams to reel in escapees as the race enters Valence.

Start City/Location: Mende, France

End City/Location: Valence, France

Local start time: 13:05 am (4:35 pm IST)

Total Distance: 183 kms

Type of stage: Mountain

Km 9.5 - Côte de Badaroux - 4.6 kilometre-long climb at 5.1% - category 3
Km 69.5 - Col du Bez - 2.6 kilometre-long climb at 4.4% - category 4
Km 73.5 - Col de la Croix de Bauzon - 1.3 kilometre-long climb at 6.2% - category 4
Km 126.5 - Col de l'Escrinet (787 m) - 7.9 kilometre-long climb at 5.8% - category 2


TV Schedule for India
7:20 pm Live on Ten Sports.

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Stage 15 Results

Greipel makes a hat-trick of wins

Germany's André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) claimed his third stage victory of the 2015 Tour de France as he out sprinted his compatriot John Degenkolb in a bunch gallop in Valence. It was a comparatively good stage for sprinters and they gave a real adrenaline pumping action in final few kilometers.

Stage 15 was again animated by Peter Sagan who increased his lead in the points classification and Thibaut Pinot who confirmed his return to form the day after finishing second in Mende. Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey for the tenth time this year.

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Stage 16 – 20th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

We are in the ALPS mountains.

Just look at today's profile. Massive climb and 200+ kilometers are going to be difficult for all. Do we have a surprise today? do we see some tough fights on the climbs between Froome, Quintana, Gardren, Contador and Nibali ?

Eagerly awaiting

Start City/Location: Bourge-de-Peage, France

End City/Location: Gap, France

Local start time: 12:45 pm (4:10 pm IST)

Total Distance: 201 kms

Type of stage: Mountain

Km 130.0 - Col de Cabre (1 180 m) - 9.1 kilometre-long climb at 4.6% - category 2
Km 189.0 - Col de Manse (1 268 m) - 8.9 kilometre-long climb at 5.6% - category 2

TV Schedule for India
7:05 pm Live on Ten Sports.

[mp417]

Stage 16 Results

What a stage it was. The stage provided all the drama as anticipated. There was a breakaway, attacks, counter attacks, technical descent, nasty crash, heroism, building gap of 20+minutes to peloton and what not.

There was an early breakaway of around 20+ riders and peloton was in no mood to catch them. In the last 30 kms, the gap was in excess of 20 minutes. Haven’t seen this in recent time. An opportunistic ride on final climb by Ruben Plaza of Lampre team claimed the victory. A swashbuckling Peter Sagan again played the leading role in the 201-kms 16th stage of the Tour de France, but had to be content with his 5th second place in the race this year


Real heroes of stage 16.

Peter Sagan: He did everything to take the much awaited stage victory but he narrowly escaped. Have never seen a sprinter fighting with climbers on a 9+ kms climb. Simple mind blowing. The way he came down the descent was scary and mind blowing. It was like watching MotoGP on non-motorized bikes. You need big heart and fearlessness to drive on such a technical descent with speeds which we can never imagine. Hats off. Sagan finished second in the end. I really feel bad for him. His fifth 2nd place finish in this tour. What a consistency.


Geraint Thomas: On the final descent, the peloton was reduced to 11 members of all the top favorites. Froome had two team mates and one of them was Thomas. On the descent at one tricky bend, Barguil misjudged the braking point and turning point and went straight into Thomas who had better line going into the bend. Thomas tried everything to avoid a fall but it was too late. He went down off the road may be 10 feet and while going down hit his head to a telephone pole. From the helicopter shot it looked really nasty. I skipped a heartbeat for a moment. Rest of the peloton continued the race. Thomas regained somehow and still finished the stage 40 seconds after the yellow jersey group. What a fighter he is. Hats off.


All the riders: Who took all the risks to complete the final descent at an astonishing speeds and skills. Speechless.

Today is a much needed rest day as all the riders prepare for the high climbs in Alps.

Ruben Plaza winning the stage



Sagan did everything to take a stage victory. He counter attacked all the attacks by the climbers on the last climb.



What should I do to get a stage win???



Geraint Thomas crash

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Stage 17 – 22th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

After the rest day the tour resumes on the alps. Just look at today's profile. Massive climbs are going to be difficult for all. If Quintana, Contador are thinking about Tour win, they have to attack Froome today. Time is running out for them. Froome still has a comfortable margin of 3+ minutes. Today's finish line is at 8% gradient. It's going to be really exciting

Start City/Location: Digne-les-Bains, France

End City/Location: Pra Loup, France

Local start time: 12:55 pm (4:20 pm IST)

Total Distance: 161 kms

Type of stage: Mountain (total 5 massive climbs)

Km 40.0 - Col des Lèques - 6 kilometre-long climb at 5.3% - category 3
Km 67.0 - Col de Toutes Aures - 6.1 kilometre-long climb at 3.1% - category 3
Km 96.0 - Col de la Colle-Saint-Michel (1431 m) - 11 kilometre-long climb at 5.2% - category 2
Km 139.0 - Col d'Allos ( 2250 m) - 14 kilometre-long climb at 5.5% - category 1
Km 161.0 - PRA LOUP (1620 m) - 6.2 kilometre-long climb at 6.5% - category 2



TV Schedule for India
7:05 pm Live on Ten Sports.

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Stage 17 Results

The stage lived up to it's expectations.
The last two climbs saw some exhilarating bicycle riding. It also resulted into some reshuffling in the top 10 GC standing.

In his third participation, Simon Geschke (Giant-Alpecin), 29, claimed his first Tour de France stage victory. He rode away from a breakaway group with 50 kms to go and stayed away at col d'Allos to keep enough of a lead over Thibaut Pinot who crashed in the downhill.

Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey as he crossed the line along with Nairo Quintana, while Alberto Contador was the main loser of the favorites, also due to a crash in the descent of col d'Allos.
What remained of the peloton was the top GC contenders including Froome, Quintana, Valverde, Nibali, Thomas.
Contador lost the fourth place to Geraint Thomas due to crash.

Tejay Van Gardren abandons the race

Tejay van Garderen climbed off his bike and abandoned the race after the first two climbs of the stage 17. It was a stunning conclusion to what had been shaping up as a dream Tour for van Garderen. He was third overall entering the day and had a real chance of a podium finish in Paris.

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Stage 18 – 23th July 2015

Stage Profile



Stage Map



Summary of today's stage

Look at the stage profile. Massive and looks scary. We have total 7 climbs in stage 18. There's a mother of all climbs of total 21 kms.

With only 4 stages remaining, we can still see complete re-shuffle at the general classification. Froome has to really defend his position today and I'm sure there will be tons of attacks.

Start City/Location: Gap, France

End City/Location: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France

Local start time: 12:20 pm (4:45 pm IST)

Total Distance: 186.5 kms

Type of stage: Mountain (total 7 climbs)

Km 6.5 - Col Bayard (1 264 m) - 6.3 kilometre-long climb at 7% - category 2
Km 35.5 - Rampe du Motty - 2.3 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% - category 3
Km 60.5 - Côte de la Mure - 2.7 kilometre-long climb at 7.5% - category 3
Km 70.5 - Col de Malissol - 2 kilometre-long climb at 8.7% - category 3
Km 85.0 - Col de la Morte (1368 m) - 3.1 kilometre-long climb at 8.4% - category 2
Km 147.0 - Col du Glandon (1924 m) - 21.7 kilometre-long climb at 5.1% - category H
Km 176.5 - Lacets de Montvernier (782 m) - 3.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.2% - category 2


TV Schedule for India
7:05 pm Live on Ten Sports.

Eagerly awaiting

[reverse_gear]

Take a look at the pic below of the Lacets de Montvernier, the last climb on today's stage. It is the road snaking up the hill. This climb has 18 hair pins within a span of 2.5km, ie. a hair pin every 140mts. After 176.5kms on the bike, the riders will have to negotiate this one!
And immediately after this is a steamy descent straight to the finish.

[mp417]

Stage 18 Results

Second win for France

Romain Bardet claimed his first stage victory at the Tour de France. He built it from a long lasting breakaway and escaped near the top of col du Glandon and rode away solo in the downhill. He stayed away for 40 kilometres with an advantage of 40 seconds over his chasers. This is the second stage win for France and AG2R-La Mondiale at this year's Tour de France.

As the race hit the upper slopes of the Col du Glandon, the attacks began to come, with hitters like Contador, Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo), and a resurgent Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) jumping off the front. This time, Sky seemed to handle it a bit better.

Surprisingly, it was on the final climb of the day, the relatively short, but steep Lacets des Montvernier, where Froome had a moment of weakness. As Contador and then Nibali accelerated again near the summit, Froome was briefly dangling a couple of bike lengths behind even as Thomas appeared to respond comfortably. But the climb wasn’t long enough to do any damage and, over the summit, Froome easily regained contact.

Winner of the stage Romain Bardet. He jumped to 10th place in GC with this win


Contador attacking



Nibali and Quintana attacking



The climb of Lacets de Montvernier. Very Scary