The Tour de France is now only one day away from finally answering every question posed of it, and its riders, almost three weeks ago. A time-trial in Grenoble holds the final answer: Schleck or Evans? But much fell into place during the Alp stages – we now know that Contador wasn’t quite up to […]
Archives for July 2011
Tour de France 2011: Andy throws down the gauntlet
So if anyone saw today’s stage coming, I’d be very impressed. In case you missed it, Andy Schleck, one half of the Schleck brothers who had been widely criticized for their lack of aggression and attacking in the Pyrenees, attacked on the second to last climb of the day, with fully 60km to ride, and […]
Tour de France 2011: Rest day musings
The Tour is enjoying a rest day. Call it the calm before the storm that awaits in the Alps, starting on Wednesday. Most of my thoughts have been covered in my last two posts, post and then yesterday, giving some and how it seems to have altered doping behaviour. But, today being a rest day, […]
Tour de France 2011: The biological passport context
Thank you all for the tremendous . As usual, whatever doesn’t come out in the post is brilliantly debated in the comments and discussion afterwards, so thank you for the thoughts and opinions! Most of the discussion has been around the issue of the 2011 Tour tactics and strategies, and particularly what this implies for […]
Tour de France 2011: Post-Pyrenees state of the race
The 2011 Tour de France has continued to throw up question after question, and today’s finishing climb up Plateau de Beille has proved no different. This was the stage that was supposed to bring the curtain down on Thomas Voeckler’s reign in yellow. But yet again, as has been the case the whole Tour, for […]