Doppio: 13 (La Centiéme Map & Stage Guide)

a weekly double-shot of road racing

Wednesday 26th June 2013

tour special

rapha.cc

race type: Grand Tour distance: 3,479km region: France 19 STAGE 21 204.5 km 133.5

STAGE 11 33 km

MONT MONTSAINT-MICHEL SAINT-MALO

PARIS

AVRANCHES FOUGÈRES VERSAILLES

STAGE 10 197 km STAGE 12 218 km

TOURS 19 STAGE 20 204.5kmkm 125

SAINT-GILDAS DES-BOIS REST DAY

STAGE 19 204.5 km

STAGE 13 173 km

SAINT-AMAND MONTROND

SAINT-POURÇAIN SUR-SIOULE

STAGE 18 172.5 km

LE GRAND-BORNARD GRAND-BORNAND ANNECY LYON

STAGE 14 191 km

STAGE 17 32 km

GIVORS ALPE D’HUEZ

BOURG-D’OISANS STAGE 15 242.5 km

STAGE 16 168 km

EMBURN GAP EMBRUN

ALBI

STAGE 8 195 km

MONT VENTOUX

MONTEPELLIER MONTPELLIER

CASTRES BAGNÈRES DE-BIGORRE

CHORGES

NICE

CAGNES-SUR-MER STAGE 7 205.5 km

SAINT GIRONS

STAGE 6 176.5 km

STAGE 5 228.5 km

STAGE 4 25 km

MARSEILLE STAGE 9 168.5 km

AX 3 DOMAINES

STAGE 3 145.5 km

BASTIA CALVI

STAGE 2 156 km

AJACCIO

PORTO-VECCHIO PORTE-VECCHIO STAGE 1 213 km

#tdf

a weekly double-shot of road racing

Wednesday 26th June 2013

STAGE 1, 213 km Sat 29 June

Porto-Vecchio → Bastia A long, flat stage on the Île de la Beauté, starting in a pirate port and ending, unusually, with a sprinter in yellow.

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STAGE 6, 176.5 km Thurs 4 July

Aix → Montpellier An easy day for the riders. Plenty of opportunities for clichéd shots of lavender fields – and did anyone say sunflowers?

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STAGE 10, 197 km Tues 9 July

St-Gildas-des-Bois → St-Malo Brittany is France’s cycling heartland, and we’re not too far from chez Bernard Hinault. A flat stage for the sprinters.

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STAGE 15, 242.5 km Sun 14 July

Givors → Mont Ventoux A summit finish on the dreaded Giant of Provence on Bastille Day. What could be more French?

Oh là là!

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STAGE 19, 204.5 km Fri 19 July

B-d’Oisans → Le Grd-Bornand A huge sawtooth stage: Cols du Glandon and de la Madeleine for high-altitude fun, then three smaller climbs and a fast run-in.

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STAGE 2, 156 km Sun 30 June

Bastia → Ajaccio A big surprise in the first week – real mountains. Unlikely to cause problems for the main contenders, however.

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STAGE 7, 162 km Fri 5 July

Montpellier → Albi From flat vineyards through the Cévennes to the Tarn; not an easy day by any means, and is probably one for a breakaway.

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STAGE 11, 33 km Wed 10 July

Avranches → Mont-St-Michel The first opportunity for the TT specialists to make an impact.

The terrain is unexciting, but if the sea wind blows…

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REST DAY

Monday 15 July Squeezed between Ventoux and the hardest third week of the Tour in some years, the riders will need to put their feet up.

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STAGE 20, 125 km Sat 20 July

Annecy → Annecy-Semnoz If you did the Étape, you’ll know this is hard: a short mountain stage designed to prolong the race’s excitement to the end.

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STAGE 3, 145.5 km Mon 1 July

Ajaccio → Calvi A frenetic blast along the corniche. May be unsettled as some try to break and others to keep it together for a bunch sprint.

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STAGE 8, 195 km Sat 6 July

Castres → Ax 3 Domaines A long day’s ride towards the tough Port de Pailhères, the first Hors Catégorie climb. Will give an indication of who’s vulnerable.

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STAGE 12, 218 km Thurs 11 July

Fougères → Tours Another one to be welcomed by the sprinters, who will be discombobulated by the unusual first week. A bunch finish.

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STAGE 16, 168 km Tues 16 July

Vaison-la-Romaine → Gap A slow stage after the rest day, and mainly uphill towards the Alps. The Col de Manse has been the scene of many a drama.

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STAGE 21, 19 133.5 km Sun 204.521km July

Versailles → Paris The Jardin des Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées at sunset are so romantic, darling. But which rider will be getting lucky?

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#tdf

STAGE 4, 25 km Tues 2 July

Nice Team Time Trial A day for well-drilled powerhouse teams and a chance for Team Sky to take a few early seconds, if they’re on form.

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STAGE 9, 168.5 km Sun 7 July

St-Girons → Bagnères-de-Big. We hope the recent floods won’t have affected this stage’s route too much. Short and tough with classic Pyrenean climbs.

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STAGE 13, 173 km Fri 12 July

Tours → St-Amand-Montrond Another transition through the central flatlands of France: only the tractor displays will be worth tuning in for before the sprint.

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STAGE 17, 32 km Wed 17 July

Embrun → Chorges An unusual TT for the Tour – all climbing and descending – which will test the bike-handling skills of the main contenders.

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STAGE 5, 228.5 km Wed 3 July

Cagnes-sur-Mer → Marseille This will be a long, hot trawl across the Med, and is lumpier than it needs to be. Nevertheless, this will be decided in a sprint.

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REST DAY

Saint-Nazaire An air transfer will take the peloton north, swapping the verdant Pyrenees for pastoral northern France.

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STAGE 14, 191 km Sat 13 July

St-Pourçain-sur-Sioule → Lyon Some lumps and bumps as the peloton pedals from a wine-producing town to the gastronomic capital of France. Bon appetit.

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STAGE 118, 8, 172.5 km Thurs 18 July

Gap → Alpe-d’Huez Double Alpe d’Huez with a dizzying descent in the middle. If you’re not on the mountain come to the Rapha Cycle Club.

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