2016 Tour de France

['Dale]

Reminder of the final act of this year's TdF

 

http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2016/2000/PROFIL.png

['Dale]

Weather gods' plan:

 

22°C in the valleys and a cooler 15°C at altitude and rain showers, some heavy, all day.

['Dale]

"I had a bit of a problem with my bike in the final but it's just one of those things. We'll see how it goes. The podium is always possible and I feel in good form. If it's a hard race today then that suits me. I'm just looking forward to finishing the stage to be honest.

 

Richard Porter

['Dale]

Robert Millar:

Four cols in 140 kilometres equals fireworks for the GC and complete misery if you are in the gruppetto. Aravis and the Colombière aren’t too bad if things stay sensible but the Ramaz is hard at any speed and it’s where the first serious attacks will come. The final climb of the Joux-Plane was one I never ever mastered. Training or racing it always hurt me and then there’s the dodgy descent into Morzine. Survival will be the word of the day.

['Dale]

Riders are busily signing on as the start moves ever closer. For now the sun is out and we've bright skies but the threat of thunderstorms later in the day remain.

['Dale]

????????????

 

Before the start the entire peloton held a minute's silence, paying their respects to those who lost their lives in Munich last night.

['Dale]

????????????

 

And Produmme, through his sun-roof, drops the flag and the first rider to attack in Pierre Rolland. Half man half mummy with all those bandages, he kicks things off.

['Dale]

Keldermann has a pop as well as a number of riders try and jump clear. Chavanel has another go, and goes over the top of the Dutch rider.

['Dale]

Looks like we have a break and the peloton are going to let it go but now BMC have sent a rider up the road and that causes a reaction from the rest of the field as they line out to the left hand side. That little kick from BMC could bring the entire race back together again.

['Dale]

Today would be a good day for individual glory as the GC okes watch each other

['Dale]

137km remaining from 146.5km

 

Chavanel (Direct Energie), Edet (Cofidis), Vakoc (Etixx), Kelderman (Lotto-Jumbo) and Benedetti (Bora) were the first riders to break away but another batch of riders have joined them and the break has 26 seconds on the peloton with less than 10KM covered.

['Dale]

They're on a unclassified climb and already riders are in trouble. The pace has been so high at the start of the stage as the break push on. The peloton are intent to chase this one down though as they line out.

[shaper]

Expecting heavy rain later in the stage... could become interesting!

['Dale]

It briefly looked like the bunch had this under control but with the two breaks forming there seems to be some uncertainty in the main field and that's allowed the gap to stay open. The Froome group is down to around 40-50 riders.

['Dale]

Earlier...

 

Gallopin is one of the riders in the break as more and more riders try and make the bridge. Zakarin is having a dig with De Gendt but the yellow jersey group are riding in hot pursuit. Matthews is also in the lead group as now Astana and Nibali line the peloton out.

['Dale]

The entire race has exploded and we're not even on the first climb of the day. This is going to be brutal as we see Cummings sit at the back of the peloton. Is that Bardet in the break, just tucked in behind another AG2R rider?