Category: Tour de France

The cyclists in the peloton are likely to feel a little light-headed on Thursday, and it won't be from the exhilaration of riding in the Tour de France.

The Stage 18 route visits two “beyond category” and a mountain top finish that is at  2,645 meters — about 8,600 feet where the air is starting to get a little thin.

This is a great way to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Tour's first visit to the Alps, although the cyclists will be too winded to blow out the candles.

There's only one more Alpine stage …

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen won his second stage at this year's Tour de France on Wednesday after attacking a breakaway on the final climb of the day.

The Sky cyclist has been beaten at the line on Tuesday by fellow countryman and breakaway companion Thor Hushovd, but on Stage 17 he crossed the line solo, 40 seconds ahead of the closest chaser.

Meanwhile, the contenders for the yellow jersey gained nearly half-a-minute on Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who survived for his ninth day in the lead. He didn't show any weakness on the final climb, but he lost time as he ran off the road into a driveway on the way down.

Defending champion Alberto Contador showed some life again by attacking on the final climb …

Stage 17 boasts five major climbs on Wednesday — two Category 3s, two Category 2s, and a Category 1.

With Alberto Contador more than 3:30 behind the yellow jersey and still trailing the Schlecks, it's possible he'll choose one of the mountains late in the 179km (111 miles) bike race from Gap to Pinerolo (Italy) to make his move.

The Category 1 Sestrieres is the penultimate climb, cresting about 37 miles (60km) from the finish. The final climb ….

Defending champion Alberto Contador finally attacked his rivals at the Tour de France on Tuesday, but it was Cadel Evans, left, who gained the most as the Brothers Schleck fell off the pace.

Meanwhile, Norway's Thor Hushovd (right, Garmin Cervelo) took the final sprint in a three-man breakaway on Stage 16, winning his second stage of the Tour de France this year with the help of Canadian teammate Ryder Hesjedahl.

In spite of the fireworks on the rain-slicked Category 2 Col du Manse on Tuesday, overall leader Thomas Voeckler valiantly held onto the yellow jersey, losing a few seconds to Evans and Contador but gaining time over Andy Schleck …

With their rest day behind them and the peloton facing the last week of the Tour de France on Tuesday, I make just one request:

Would one of the favorites please act like they want to win this championship other than by default?

We had three hard days in the Pyrenees last week, and all I remember are a number of short and all but inconsequential attacks by the Brothers Schleck, a couple by Ivan Basso and one by Cadel Evans. The only change in the leaders occurred when Frank Schleck took a flyer at the end of Stage 12 and snuck into second place ahead of Evans ….

Just when it looked like the HTC-Columbia cycling team had been lost in the mass sprint, Mark Cavendish emerged from behind Mark Renshaw to win his fourth stage at the Tour de France on Sunday.

American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) was gaining on Cavendish at the finish, but he didn't have enough distance left to beat him. In interviews after the race, the Wenatchee, Washington, sprinter was clearly disappointed.

Meanwhile, France's Tom Voeckler finished in the peloton to survive another day in the yellow jersey. Certainly he'll lose it in the Alps next week, but that's what everything thought would have happened already in the Pyrenees.
Speaking of survival, Cavendish was luck to be in the stage at all ….

The tradition that the winner on Plateau de Beille continues to win the Tour de France will probably end this year.

Saturday's winner for Stage 14 was Belgian cyclist Jelle Venendert, who started the day in 30th place and had never before won a professional bike race.

Meanwhile, the favorite contenders attacked, marked and matched each other all the way up the final climb. The cat and mouse enabled France's Thomas Voeckler to survive for another day in the yellow jersey. With two flat stages coming up, there's no reason he can't hold onto the jersey into the Alps. …

The last Tour de France stage set in the Pyrenees throws six category climbs at the peloton in Stage 14 on Saturday.

The cyclists must cross the Col de Portet-d’Aspet (Category 2), the Col de la Core (Category 1), the Col de Latrape (Category 2), the Col d’Agnes (Category 1), and the Port de Lers (Category 3) before racing up the mountaintop finish at the Plateau de Beille (beyond category).

Although individually the ascents are easier than others like the Tourmalet and the Aubisque, taken together…

The US-based cycling team that started the Tour de France with four cyclists aiming for the podium is now down to just one — Levi Leipheimer.

Andreas Kloden withdrew from the Tour de France early in the race on Friday, suffering from injuries he received in a crash the day before when he had risen to 8th overall in the standings, just 2:43 behind the leader.

The 36-year-old German cyclist had finished 2nd in the Tour de France in 2004 and 6th in 2009.

This year he was one of four that RadioShack had picked as potential team leaders. Others were Leipheimer, American Chris Horner and Slovenian Janez Brajkovic …