Share your story in the comments below. Tough Cols and 4500m of climbing. Both L'Étape and the Tour's Stage 18 started in Briançon and ended atop the 2,360m Col d'Izoard, with L'Étape listed as 181 km and Stage 18 as 179.5 km. Ed and Martin, our top team!
Monday, August 10, 2020 Michael Mørkøv +22.15 98. The shorter, southern ascent to Col du Mollard on the D80, which has featured in the Tour de France & Etape du Tour in 2012. Brilliant!Have you done Etape du Tour 2012 (Albertville – La Toussuire)? We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Your professionals encouraged me to continue my … A rising false flat in the first 50 kilometres will help them to warm up before tackling the first challenge of the day, the Col de la Colmiane.
0 16. etape af Tour de France 2012 – 18. juli 0 Pau – Bagnères-de-Luchon Bjergetape over 197 km: Etaperesultat: Thomas Voeckler : 5:35.02 2.
For the first of two Tour de France stages, which were to be ridden in Etape du Tour 2012, the organizers had selected Stage 11 from Albertville – La Toussuire.. 4 Alpine Cols and over 4700m of climbing means that the route, although only 148km long, is truly epic. And perhaps they should remember that France is France – not Rochdale and gendarmes aren’t ‘friendly bobbies.’We had our usual good day, driving the parcours; and all of France is happy with Tommy.But it’s apparent that Nibali has settled for third; the attacks today were mere show-boating.He’s distanced Evans enough not to worry in the time trial and it would be folly to risk that in ‘death or glory’ attacks.It’s been apparent from the first hill top finish that Evans doesn’t have the form he did, last year.Meanwhile, Wiggins and the Sky ‘clockwork soldiers’ tick ever onwards.We were going to drive the full stage, tomorrow but have decided to change our plans; we’ll be hugely surprised if there are any ‘exploits’ and we received another one of those emails from ASO explaining complicated shenanigans for evacuating the mountain top finish.Given that the ‘default setting’ for Tour traffic is chaos and ‘bouchons’ – a new French word we picked up, meaning ‘traffic jams’ – if the organisation warns you about how bad it’s going to be, then you best listen.We’ve now decided on a mission for the start area; but we’ll find a bar and watch the finale.The crowds today were maybe a wee bit less than one might expect in the Pyrenees but there are a number of factors in play – there were four major climbs to choose from, there are no Spanish riders in the race doing anything other than clinging on and the French fans, whilst happy to amble to road end or village square think twice about driving deep into the mountains and the subsequent nightmare to get home.That will change perhaps, when and if Thibout Pinot, or one of the new generation French riders – maybe Demare, can challenge for the GC?There are a lot more Aussies on the race these last few years – not just for Cadel, but for GreenEDGE, too.But many less Americans – that one’s not hard to figure out.It goes without saying that there are many more English fans, roadside.There’s little doubt that Wiggins will win, and that’s what counts, but it’s in the manner of Anquetil, Indurain and Armstrong.Have a strong team, dominate the first time trial then close the race down.The addition of a second long time trial to the race makes it even more ‘Brad friendly’ – it’s unlikely it will be the same format next year if ASO want their race to become a great competition again.If it wasn’t for Sagan and the ‘exploits’ of the French riders, this would be one very lame Tour indeed.As I’ve already said, we get the best of it, driving around the parcours and then watching a hi-ite in the finale, live – but if you’re watching on TV it’s been hard work.On the subject of the parcours, it was glorious today – the Pyrenees are magical, the ranges stretch off forever into the heat haze.It’s a place where you can see that the earth has been stretched and splintered, with huge shards of rock pointing skywards.One of these years, it would be nice to come and see these wonders without deadlines and traffic chaos.The interviews on the ITV 4 podcast with Chris Boardman and Ned Boulting are good – they spoke to Brajkovic today and it was good to hear a man just speak honestly about his race and his prospects with no spin.But as Dave said of Tommy Voeckler, ‘Man of the Day’ – it’s very hard just to get in a break in a race like the Tour.And to consistently get in the right one is something that only the smartest of riders can achieve.For all of his tongue exposing, jersey flapping, rocking and rolling, Voeckler is a quality rider and the Tour would much the poorer without him.