Watch the 100th Tour de France. Here’s Why.
Written by Matt Sessa
The tour is the single biggest annual sporting event in the world, attended by 15 million people with as many as 500,000 spectators for a single stage. The 100th edition course was designed with that historic anniversary in mind, with an emphasis on the hills and mountains that dominated the early Tours. Ranging 2114 miles the race takes place entirely within France for the first time in a decade. It starts this Saturday and here’s why you need to watch.
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It’s the most physically demanding event in the world: The riders will average over 100 miles a day over 21 days of racing with only two rest days, burning between 6000 and 9000 calories a day through heat, wind and rain. It isn’t a case of just putting your head down and pedaling, they must also manage team strategy and communicate the moves other teams are making. Injury is common place, riders in the Peloton (the main group) moving shoulder to shoulder at a 25-30mph average speed hit the ground hard enough to throw sparks from their bikes and cause a spectacular domino effect swallowing up all those around them. The riders are expected to dust themselves off and continue racing, often times bloodied and sometimes with broken bones. In sprints riders can push themselves for bursts of 45 mph and in mountain descents may hit 60mph with no more protection than a helmet. Through sheer force of physical exertion the riders burn through tires, destroy wheels, and wear out bike chains. But the race is also fiendishly paced and after 100 miles of riding the racers often find mountains to climb, tight turns over slippery cobblestone roads, or manic sprints. In 1989 American Greg LeMond had a come from behind win, needing the final day of racing to overtake the leader with a mammoth effort in an individual time trial, and after over 2000 miles of racing only 8 seconds separated first and second place.
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There’s so much at stake: Imagine if all the individual story lines of baseball’s post season were merged into a single series, that’s the Tour de France. Most people are familiar with the Yellow Jersey, which is worn by the race leader during each stage, but there are multiple other competitions in play both actual and purely personal. Jerseys are awarded for the best sprinter, climber, and rider under 25 while other distinctions are made for the best team and most aggressive rider. Very few riders realistically have a shot at an overall win so it is tradition for riders to distinguish themselves in other ways, whether that be holding the yellow jersey for as long as possible, making valiant attacks on the lead, riding in a heroic breakaway or just showing that they will be a future contender. The Tour de France audience appreciates these stories and understands that in such a colossal undertaking the effort in itself can be a victory. Personal milestones are also important.
This year watch for Mark Cavendish, one of the world’s best sprinters who has no hope of winning overall because of the mountain heavy nature of the 2013 course, try for his fifth consecutive win of the Tour’s final stage. Also interesting to track will be Chris Froome; the runner up from last year had to take a back seat to his team mate and Tour winner Bradley Wiggins. After some twitter sniping between their wives over whether or not Froome could have beaten the older Wiggins and should be the team’s featured rider Wiggins announced he would support Froome in a 2013 campaign, then changed his mind and announced he’d like to repeat as champion, and then was injured and has to sit out the tour entirely. Now Froome is a favorite to win but will have to stand up to expectations. Two former Tour winners will be chasing him, though. Cadel Evans is trying to become the oldest champion at 36, and Alberto Contador believes he can beat Froome for his third Tour de France win. Overall the Tour should be supercharged, riders who had to save themselves last year because of the 2012 Olympics wont be holding back and everyone will want to set themselves apart for the Centennial Tour.
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It’s a beautiful race: The lone rider against a pastoral backdrop, the Peloton surging through small hamlets, the final glorious laps around the Arc de Triomphe and sprinting to the finish down the Champs-Elysees. First and foremost the Tour showcases the beauty of France. One of the most popular and scenic stages, Alpe d’Huez, an 8.5 mile climb with 21 hairpin turns, will be climbed by the riders twice in one day. But the real beauty of the Tour de France is in the riders themselves. Man and machine achieving great feats together, mind and muscle putting technologic innovation and strategy to the road with strength and will. The race leaders refuse to take unfair advantages over their crashed opponents, and pass the rules of etiquette to their younger compatriots. The team supports the individual and the individual distinguishes himself from the team. Winners measure themselves against history while revering it. Not all winners are champions, not all champions are winners. The Tour rider goes as far as he can and must find the heart to go further. The determination of Merckx, the hubris of Armstrong, the pride of Anquetil, the maverick of Coppi, the velocity of Cavendish, the skill of Contador, the promise of Froome. Past, present and future the Tour de France is the beautiful story of the human condition told through the language of sport.
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Highlights to Watch If You’re New to the Tour De France
Stage 1: June 29th. Porto-Vecchio to Bastia – The first day of racing in the Tour de France has typically been the Prelude, an individual time trial, but the 100th anniversary edition harkens back to the Tour origins with a road stage. The Grand Depart will trace nearly 132 miles of Corsica’s East coast for the first time the contest has visited the island. The relatively flat stage will be one of the few chances pure flatlanders will have to dominate this year so look for heroics from Green Jersey contenders like Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel or last year’s sprint champion Peter Sagan.
Stage 8: July 6th. Castres to Ax 3 Domaines – A ski resort in its’ other life, the Pyranees summit Ax 3 Domaines will provide amazing mountain vistas for the spectator and the first real test of the Tour for the riders. After 93 miles of riding the difficult climb 9 miles up the Col de Pailheres will be followed by a fast descent that will push the race to blistering speeds, only to switch gears again for the final 6 miles up Ax 3 Domaines for a summit finish, a slow motion drama of grit and determination. The leader board will be stacked with strong climbers like Chris Froome, Andy Schleck, Thomas Voeckler and Alejandro Valverde who will use this stage as a launching pad in their quest for a King of the Mountains title or even better, a Tour win.
Stage 11: July 10th. Avranches to Mont Saint-Michel – The individual time trial is called “The Trial of Truth” because it pits the rider against the clock. Riders will lack the benefits of lead out men to draft on, the company of the Peloton or the technical support of a team and attempt to set the fastest pace over a 20 mile stretch of Northern France. The finish, Mont Saint-Michel, is an 8th century monastery on a fortified island in the middle of a bay. One of France’s premiere landmarks it exemplifies the juxtaposition between ancient and modern that make the backdrop of the Tour so engaging. The riders will have to contend with strong cross winds over the water. Traditionally skilled time trialists do well in the Tour, most notably Jacques Anquetil, known as Mr. Chrono for his skill against the clock the French hero was the first to win the Tour 5 times. America’s top prospect and last year’s White Jersey winner Tejay van Garderen will have a chance to stand out here.
Stage 12: July 11th. Fougeres to Tours – The very next day should be an exciting 218 mile contest over mostly flat ground. This stage will highlight strategy as an early breakaway group will challenge the pace the Peloton sets trying to wear out or panic the bigger teams. The Peloton will slowly reel in the breakaway just in time to set up their own sprinters a few miles before the finish. A team train will ride out with the sprinter drafting at the back, peeling off one by one until he’s in perfect position to make his move. Suddenly the sprinters will spring into action and several riders will dash madly away from the field to the finish line. Sprinter surge ahead like they have a motor on their bikes but can only keep up the pace for short bursts, so timing and position are everything. Finish like this make for great duels between established rivals like Cavendish and Greipel.
Stage 18: July 18th. Gap to Alpe d’Huez – Undoubtedly the crown jewel of this year’s tour is the summit of Alpe d-Huez. A favorite stage this will be the first time riders are tasked with surmounting the 21 famous switchbacks twice in the same day. Making the ride even more technical is the unfamiliar descent off the back of the mountain which will be steep and tricky after a demanding ride before another trip up d’Huez and another grueling summit finish. Look for a rematch of stage 8, with skilled climbers still in contention trying to make up time or extend the lead going into the crucial final days.
Stage 21: July 21st Versailles to Paris – But if you’re only going to watch one stage of the race, you should watch the finale. A largely ceremonial day the race outcome is generally decided by this point, but so much of what makes the event great is the spectacle and camaraderie you see on the traditional trip into Paris. Pushing off from the palace at Versailles at a relatively easy pace the exhausted riders make their way 73 miles to the Champs-Elysees where they will make several circuits around the Arc de Triomphe before a sprint finish. Even the pageantry of the day cant dampen the fighting spirit of the riders who will gear up for one last dash, especially Mark Cavendish who has won the last sprint for four consecutive years with his eyes turned to a fifth. Concluding at dusk this should be an especially memorable and fittingly beautiful finish for the 100th Tour de France.
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The 2013 Tour de France will be the 100th Tour de France and starts on Saturday June 29, 2013 running through till July 21, 2013. NBC Sports Network will be running live coverage throughout the entire race. Live network television coverage of the dramatic mountain stages on will air on NBC. Follow more on the official Tour de France website.
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