The biggest race in cycling begins this Saturday, the Tour de France, or Tour Day Frants if you are former Team 7-11 racer and Versus commentator Bob Roll. This one proves to have all the drama of an opera: a great aging warrior suiting up for his last battle, his former teammate eager to repeat last year’s win with a unified team this time and set the record straight once and for all, several scoundrels who were run out of town in previous tours for doping infractions looking to salvage their names for the record books. Team Footon-Servetto is even providing comic relief with their questionable team kit design.
If you’ve never watched the Tour, prepare yourself for a long ride as the race lasts 3 weeks and 21 stages. Most stages are raced as mass starts but there are a few individual time trials where racers are riding by themselves against the clock. The mostly flat though crash laden first week will be more so this year with a stage featuring the cobbles of Arenberg, normally the purview of the Hell of the North. No one will win the Tour here but many could lose it with a single crash. The flat stages normally end with most of the field in a bunch sprint while the mountain stages normally end with a select few racing for the overall. The mountains are where the fireworks for the overall win will begin in earnest with the Alps coming first this year and the Pyrenees second with a possibly decisive finish up the Col du Tourmalet (or as the ever ebullient Roll says the “Tore my legs”) on Stage 17, Thursday, July 22. If this is your first time watching bike racing, tune into the mountain stages (July 13-14, 19-20 and 22) as these are the most interesting to watch (avoid the time trials on this Saturday and July 24.)
Only one rider gets the overall win for the shortest time covering the course, the yellow jersey, so the race has other prizes. In fact, at least half the teams will arrive with no riders in serious contention for the overall. In addition to the yellow jersey, there is:
- Green Jersey- Called the Points Jersey or Sprinters Jersey. Each day, the top riders to finish are give points toward this prize. The person with the most points at the end wins with sprinters from the flat stages given the best chance at winning.
- Polka Dot Jersey- The King of the Mountains Jersey. The top riders to finish each classified climb get points toward this prize. Normally, this is a climber who is not a threat to the overall lead who is allowed to go out ahead on one or two mountain stages to clean up on points.
- White Jersey-Best Young Rider. This is like the yellow jersey but for riders under the age of twenty five.
In addition to these overall prizes, any rider would give their right leg or more to win just one stage at the Tour.
Watching the Tour
If you get the Versus network, you’ll have lots of opportunities to watch the stages each day. There is live coverage usually from around 8 to 9:30 or 10 in the morning with rebroadcasts throughout the day. In the evening at 7, there is “enhanced” coverage with more interviewers, product advertising reviews, and a more novice oriented commentating. If you’ve watched racing before, you probably want to skip the evening broadcast.
In addition to the TV coverage, VeloNews does streaming posts of the race as it’s going on and video recaps each day while I think Cycling News has the best online coverage. There is also the Tour de France Blog for fan written articles and the Peloton Post for race pictures. If you are looking to delve a little deeper into the stories, lore, and psychology of the pro racers, check out Red Kite Prayer for some great articles.
Locally, Mellow Johnny’s is having a huge Tour kickoff party this Saturday with looks of fun and games and a stage showing by the Alamo Draft House. They will also likely have further viewing parties during important stages, especially if their owner, Lance Armstrong, is doing well. During the week, Mellow Johnny’s or Bicycle Sport Shop both have large flat screen TVs throughout the stores with the race playing each day.
Handicapping the race
This year’s race could be more interesting with Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso on good form. I would still bet on 2 time winner Alberto Contador, who is in the prime of his career and has a reasonably strong team. I wouldn’t count Lance Armstrong out of a podium showing. Though he is getting up in age to be competing at the Tour, he has a strong team and he and Team Radio Shack manager Johan Bruyneel are very wily.
Yellow Jersey
1. Andy Schleck
2. Alberto Contador
3. Lance Armstrong
Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish
If not for a relegation to the back of the pack in a single stage last year, 2009′s Green Jersey winner Thor Hushovd would have handed over the Green Jersey to Cavendish the last day. Sure Hushovd took the unusual tactic of bravely soloing in a mountain stage to gain sprinter points and retain the jersey, but barring a crash and with the absence of Tom Boonen, I don’t expect anyone to consistently challenge Cavendish in the finish line sprints.
Polka Dot Jersey: Whichever yellow jersey contender gets blown away in the opening week.
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on Jul 2nd, 2010 at 8:42 am
Great summary, A2W. Can. Not. Wait!!!
on Jul 12th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Thanks for the info.
Kraftwerk just rocks!