2012 Tour de France

Koen de Kort pays his debts

Marcel Kittel’s leadout man Koen de Kort made a bet before the Tour. If Marcel could win three stages, Koen would get a haircut just like him. Kittel won in more ways than one…

Millar jumps to Froome defence in doping debate

(AFP) - Experienced British rider David Millar on Sunday hit out at those who have cast doubt on the achievements of Chris Froome and Team Sky, insisting that the sport has changed greatly since the dark days of the last decade in which the US Postal team dominated the sport. Millar took to Twitter in […]

Chasing The Tour | Stage 19 - Changing of the Guard

Team SKY dominated yet another stage of the Tour de France with three placings in the top five at the final time trial. There wasn’t the excitement, anticipation and wonder that there was in Grenoble last year, but I couldn’t help but get a lump in my throat when I saw Wiggins cross the finish […]

Chasing the Tour | Stage 18 - Cav Delivers The Goods!

At the end of three weeks of racing there were 14 teams without stage wins and plenty of ambitions left to be filled. Yesterday I spoke about SKY’s less than exciting tactics to winning the yellow jersey, but in the final kilometer Cavendish put on a show of his own that filled the void. It […]

Chasing The Tour | Stage 17 - Froome’s Loyalty Unshaken

If there was any lingering doubt about Chris Froome’s loyalty to Bradley Wiggins’ leadership it can now be put to rest. While Liquigas managed to do all the work for SKY and crush everyone including themselves, Froome was chomping at the bit in the final kilometers up the slopes of Peryragudes. No one could hold […]

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Chasing The Tour | Stage 16 - Circle Of Death

By definition the “Circle of Death” is the hardest Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees. Today’s brutal route with over 6,882m ~4900m of climbing which includes the Col d’Aubisque (1,709m), Col du Tourmalet (2,115m), Col d’Aspin (1,489m) and Col de Peyresourde (1,569m) is nearly the same route as stage ten in 1910 when the […]

Stage 16 Video Preview

Daniel Lloyd from Team IG-Sigma provides insight into stage 16 of the Tour de France. The 197km stage is one of the toughest in the whole race. The riders will tackle two HC climbs; Col du Tourmalet and the Col d’Aubisque, as well as two category one climbs; Col d’Aspin and the Col de Peyresourde. […]

Chasing The Tour | Stage 15 - Fédrigo Plays Them Perfectly

Pierrick Fédrigo won stage 15 into Pau by outwitting his five breakaway companions to take his fourth TdF win. The last time the Tour was here in Pau was in 2010, and the stage was also won by Fédrigo in a breakaway. In fact, all three other Tour de France stages he’s won have been […]

Chasing The Tour | Stage 14 - Les Saboteurs!

Today’s stage was filled with drama, sabotage, sportsmanship, and victory. After the first hour of attempts an eleven-man breakaway emerged nearly 50km into the race which included some big names like Gilbert, Sagan, and Sanchez. They gained a massive lead of 13’30” by the intermediate sprint and by the time Sanchez crossed the finishline in […]

Chasing The Tour | Stage 13

Note to self: Next Bastille Day take the day off chasing the Tour de France and go for a bike ride. Mad traffic jams, too many people to see the race, and missing 99% of the stage was our festive French National holiday. But that’s sometimes the reality of the Tour de France and without […]