Doppio: 13

a weekly double-shot of road racing

Wednesday 26th June 2013

issue 13

rapha.cc

29 30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

SATURDAY — Tour de France S1

SUNDAY — Tour de France S2

MONDAY — Tour de France S3

TUESDAY — Tour de France S4

tour de france preview

Can Anyone Stall the Froome Wagon?

Ex-pro Tom Southam gives his view on the riders to watch this July. ere can be no doubt that the big boys know how to do the business to get themselves into shape for the Tour. e Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and the recent round of National Championships all point to the fact that almost everyone who is banking on performing in July is ready to go.

In the battle of the fast men, the form of Peter Sagan, in taking two stage wins over tough opposition in Switzerland, might have been a concern for Mark Cavendish had the Manxman not put in an equally spectacular performance to win the British road title.

Among the climbers, it looks to be business as usual for the perennially plucky French. omas Voeckler took his customary pre-Tour stage win at the Dauphiné, and his Europcar teammates will be preparing to pat him on the back a good deal in the coming month.

An overall win for Rui Costa at the Tour de Suisse proved Movistar should be one of the strongest teams in the Tour, however, Alejandro Valverde’s proclamations that he can be an overall threat have sounded like those of a man out of touch.

In the overall race, Chris Froome seems infallible.

What it must feel like to win races of the calibre of the Dauphiné seemingly as a matter of course, most mortals will never know. Froome has taken three major stage-race wins in his stride this year, and it seemed from the Dauphiné that his strongest rival might be his own close friend and teammate, Richie Porte.

Elsewhere, some established Tour contenders seem to have fallen behind. Ryder Hesjedal’s Swiss stack will surely cost him dear and Alberto Contador is no longer the rider he was. As for Cadel Evans, he most likely gave his best to podium at a tough Giro.

If the overall battle is sewn up, there will be plenty of action fighting for the places in the top 10. e next generation, including the likes of Andrew Talansky, Tejay van Garderen and Nairo Quintana, have all been bubbling under nicely recently. row in the likes of Costa, Dan Martin and my own hope for a top-ten spot, Jean-Christophe Péraud, and it would seem that the stage is indeed set for the greatest show on earth.

WEDNESDAY — Tour de France S5

THURSDAY — Tour de France S6

weekend weather

London

FRIDAY — Tour de France S7

Sun pretty much uninterrupted: grab a coffee and get out there.

Classic Jersey, Classic Bib Shorts.

Osaka Clearing as the week ends, 25c, but still patchy rain and thunderstorms.

Lightweight Jersey, Rain Jacket.

Bastia Sunny and fair for the Tour on the Île de Beauté. 25c.

Pro Team Jersey, Pro Team Base Layer.

Anatomy of a Stage STAGE 4, 25 km Tues 2 July During the Tour, Doppio will profile the key stage of the week ahead. is week it’s the 25km team time trial in Nice.

After an island excursion taking in remote cols, windy roads and wilderness, the peloton is heading back to mainland France, to Nice, for the control and precision of a team time trial. e profile may look uneventful… and it is. It’s not a technical course, so it will not catch out sloppy or unbalanced teams as did the tortuous Ischia island ttt in this year’s Giro, but it will reward teams for tightness and a group display of power. at means the likes of Team Sky, Garmin-Sharp and Omega Pharma-QuickStep will look to exploit their superiority in the discipline, pulling together for maximum efficiency on the wide, straight Promenade des Anglais, past the airport and up the Var valley towards the Allianz Riviera stadium, currently being constructed as a venue for the Euro 2016 football championships. e finish time is taken when the fifth rider crosses the line, and the best teams will jettison riders, like spent fuel boosters from a space rocket, only when they have given all they can to the group effort. Expect average speeds of more than 55kph.

At 25km, the ttt is not long, and so will not put an insurmountable distance in the gc between riders in the first and last teams. But after hard, unpredictable racing on Corsica this is the first time the big contenders will be able to stamp their imprint on the race: it is where the gc will start to take shape.

29m #tdf

SUNDAY — Tour de France S9

tour de france analysis

Unsettled, but warm – and could be muggy on Sunday. V Neck Base Layer, Lightweight Cap.

San Francisco

SATURDAY — Tour de France S8

Wednesday 26th June 2013

a weekly double-shot of road racing

tour de france comment

tour de france

Vive le Tour, Vive la Centième

Riders On e Storm

Rapha founder and CEO Simon Mottram on why La Centième will remind racers and fans alike that, in road racing, there is simply nothing to match the Tour de France.

In recent years the Giro d’Italia has become the connoisseur’s grand tour of choice, its rich history, creative race routes and Italian flamboyance producing a soap opera that captures our hearts. But, for all its romance, it’s not the Tour.

Paris-Roubaix, the toughest of the One-day Classics, gets the vote of hardmen, with crazy Flandrians, the pavé and the showers making it a prizefight for the toughest riders. But, for all its drama, it’s not the Tour.

It’s easy to knock the ‘big guy’ and rarely cool to stand up for the obvious number one. According to a recent survey, the Tour de France represents 80% of the total media/sponsor value of professional road cycling, the sport we love. at’s right: 80%. No matter how hard or often people knock the Tour, it keeps on growing and grabbing our attention.

And this year, the 100th edition, the Tour route has it all. It will put the Giro, Paris-Roubaix and other races in the shade. Here are six reasons why I think we are going to love the big guy this July: 1. e isle of beauty — One of the most beautiful regions of France, Corsica has proved a great venue for road racing in recent editions of the Critérium International. Its remote, craggy mountains, ancient towns and secretive and sometimes rebellious locals should provide a beautiful and fascinating opening weekend.

2. Journey across the south — From Nice to the Pyrenees, the race will take in the Côte d'Azur, Camargue and Cévennes. Hot sun and melting tarmac, white rocks and pines, vineyards and hill-top villages. For me, this is where road racing comes alive: quintessential Tour terrain.

3. La France profonde — From St Malo in Brittany to Mont Ventoux, the Tour takes four long, hot stages to traverse the entire country, passing through obscure towns and departements, streaming past picnickers, along routes nationales lined with plane trees. No doubt A.S.O., the race organisers, will do their usual fine job of showing off this rich hinterland, La France profonde, to great effect.

4. e giant of Provence — e Tour’s longest stage rolls down the Rhone Valley before the brutal climb of Mont Ventoux. I will be there, along with customers on a very special Rapha Retreat and an estimated one million other fans, waiting for our heroes to tackle what should be one of the race’s defining climbs.

5. Double trouble on the Alpe — Once up Alpe d’Huez is tough enough.

Twice is going to be interesting and the descent of the Col de Sarenne will be challenging and dramatic. e Rapha pop-up on the entrance to the village will be a prime spot to watch the race twice.

6. Paris at night — Staging the finish on the Champs-Élysees at night is a masterstroke. e staff of Rapha HQ will be there in force to welcome the riders home. It will be a great celebration, especially if Team Sky can do the double.

So, who am I looking forward to seeing? It will be great to see what Cav can do against Sagan, and Froome against Contador. I will certainly be hoping for moments of panache.

But the Tour is never just about the riders. e landscape of France and the fans are the real stars. is year, from Nice to Paris, our faithful bus, rebranded as the ‘Team Sky Mobile Supporters Club’ will be at key stages, serving gourmet coffee and screening the race action live. is year’s Tour de France course has everything. It’s a route that is bike racing for me – and I can’t wait.

Vive le Tour.

If you’re planning on watching the Tour or riding any of the race’s terrain this July, here’s our guide to being prepared for all the elements can throw at you.

#tdf

corsica e Mediterranean island was where Rapha chose to shoot its Spring/Summer 13 range, and cycling conditions on the island should be perfect – as long as you like it hot. e island’s highest col is 1,478m, and the Tour is heading up to 1,163m, but you should only need a gilet at most for the descents. Riders will need to be careful about staying hydrated. pyrenees In June a combination of a heavy late thaw and rainstorms caused some of the worst floods in living memory, with the western road to the Tourmalet completely washed away. e Tour will pass through some of the worst-affected areas, and the route might have to change. It’s to be hoped the region is spared any more severe weather but July storms can close in quickly and make it cold and miserable at altitude. Take a rain jacket and knee warmers too. brittany Breeding ground of a particularly hardy breed of French cyclist, Brittany is known for its beautiful rolling pastures, and that rouleur’s worst enemy – the wind. e stages after the first rest day are the only parts of northern France the peloton will visit, and the westerly breeze may make a difference, especially by the coast. alps After the cold, late winter many of the highest Alpine passes are only just free from snow. Although our roving reporters now believe the weather to be set fair, long descents from up high can get cold, so take another layer. Or if you’re chasing back on, grab a newspaper from a spectator and stuff it down your jersey to block the worst of the chill.