{"id":30811,"date":"2015-07-03T12:33:23","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T10:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/?p=30811"},"modified":"2015-07-03T12:33:36","modified_gmt":"2015-07-03T10:33:36","slug":"le-tour-is-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2015\/07\/03\/le-tour-is-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Le Tour Is Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tour De France 2015 is gearing up to get going tomorrow in Utrecht, this time with the individual time trial. Before the action heats up, here are some interesting facts to know about the race.<\/strong>
\n<\/p>\n

The Length<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The total length of this year\u2019s Tour is 3,344 kilometers \u2013 easy enough to remember. The longest ever Tour was in 1926, covering 5,745 kilometers.<\/p>\n

Stages<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This year there are 21 stages. The first historical Tour had only six stages, with more and more stages added over the years. This year\u2019s longest stage, Stage 4 from Seraing to Cambrai, covers 221 kilometers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Contenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Alberto Contador is attempting to complete a double this year, i.e. winning both the Giro and the Tour. Only seven riders have managed this feat in the past and one of them is Stephen Roche, who became the second man in history to win the Tour de France, Giro and the World Championship in just one year.\u00a0Read our story<\/a> about Stephen and his sons.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

But Contador will be going up against 2013 champion Chris Froome, who is looking to become the first Briton to win the Tour two times. Froome and Contador both crashed out early in last\u2019s year Tour, leaving Italian Vincenzo \u2018Shark\u2019 Nibali to turn their tragedies to his advantage and take the title.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t underestimate Colombian climber Nairo Quintana, who grew up in Combita at 2,825 m above sea level. He has lived at this altitude all his life, making him well adapted to the steep Alpine climbs. Hopefully we\u2019ll see a head-to-head competition between these four this season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Unfortunately\u00a0Marcel Kittel, the excellent sprinter and winner of the first Yellow Jersey in the last two Tours de France, will miss this year\u2019s race because his season was hampered by illness.<\/p>\n

High Points<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The highest point of this year\u2019s Tour is the Galibier mountain pass at 2,645 m. Stage 20 from Modane to Alpe d\u2019Hues has the highest stage finish at 1,850 meters. A new climb has also been added this season in the Rhone Alps.<\/p>\n

Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not surprisingly, the fastest average speeds are clocked during the time trials, with the record average speed for team trials clocked at 57,841 km\/h. Will the record be broken this year on the 28-km route between Vannes and Plumenec that comprises Stage 9? We\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Crashes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dangerous moves are inevitable in the first week. We can expect some big ones, especially on the flat roads of the early Dutch stages. In particular, watch out for the rain on the cobblestoned stretches of Stage 4. Falls in the mountains are equally painful and can bring a fast end to the race for riders caught in the wreckage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Race Director<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An event of this size needs a strong man to lead it. Current director Christian Prudhomme took over the Tour de France in 2006. His first race was in 2007.\u00a0Read more<\/a> about Christian Prudhomme\u2019s Red Car.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n

About 2,000 journalists will cover the race this year, with 121 different TV channels broadcasting the Tour to 188 countries, making it the biggest annual sports event in the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Audience<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Twelve million spectators are estimated to watch the Tour live the along the route.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Weight Restriction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), no bike in the Tour may weight less than 6.8 kg \u2013 this in order to make sure that the bikes are sturdy enough so riders don\u2019t get injured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Tour De France 2015 is gearing up to get going tomorrow in Utrecht, this time with the individual time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":30812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-30811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nLe Tour Is Back! - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Tour De France 2015 is gearing up to get going tomorrow in Utrecht, this time with the individual time trial. 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