Watch it Live!
Live link online to watch Stage 21 (in the morning) Tour de France on Eurosport (x out both ads, no need to download). Stayed tuned into Eursport for after race interviews. More live links at: http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/#live. Read the live report CyclingNews live reports. *Gaps and breakaways
Final overall results of the 2011 Tour de France General Classification
Final overall results of the 2011 Tour de France General Classification
Tour Travel: The race rolls into Paris
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| Photo by PedalDancer. com |
Paris is magical. Every trip I have taken to Paris has been different and unique. I have seen the Tour de France finish on the Champs Elysees 4 times in the past years. The crowds are enormous, and crushing, but the energy high and the atmosphere charged with excitement. A morning stroll, a museum, the finish of a Grand Tour, cheering for your favorite riders, a beer in a garden, a dinner in a cafe, and more strolling. This is Paris!
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| Photo by PedalDancer. com |
Tradition:
It feels like tradition, but the Tour de France has finished on the Champs-Élysées only 36 times (since 1975).
If you are planning on seeing the race in Paris in 2011 - a few fan tips in my posts from last year in Paris:
It feels like tradition, but the Tour de France has finished on the Champs-Élysées only 36 times (since 1975).
If you are planning on seeing the race in Paris in 2011 - a few fan tips in my posts from last year in Paris:
Saturday, July 24, 2010 I'm in Paris
Sunday, July 25, 2010 Ah Paris!
Monday, July 26, 2010 Final Stage of the Tour de France
Sunday, July 25, 2010 Ah Paris!
Monday, July 26, 2010 Final Stage of the Tour de France
For those of you in Paris, have fun! I wish I was there with you.
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| Photo by PedalDancer. com |
“It’s disappointing in a way, but if you look at the size and importance of the Tour, it’s a real honor to be second, especially when your brother is one step down,” ~ Andy Schleck.
Who will be wearing the special jerseys tomorrow into Paris:
 |  | 141 | EVANS Cadel | BMC RACING TEAM | 83h 45' 20" |
 |  | 171 | CAVENDISH Mark | HTC - HIGHROAD | 280 pts |
 |  | 21 | SANCHEZ Samuel | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 108 pts |
 |  | 188 | ROLLAND Pierre | TEAM EUROPCAR | 83h 56' 03" |
 |  | TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO | 250h 57' 43" (wearing the yellow dossards) | ||
Also keep an eye out for these jerseys:
#55 Thor Hushovd (Nor) [World Champion Road] on Garmin-Cervelo
#8 Nicki Sörensen (Den) [Denmark National Champion Road] on Saxo-Bank
#12 Fränk Schleck (Lux) [Luxembourg National Champion Road] on Leopard Trek
#13 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) [Swiss National Champion Road\ on Leopard Trek
#32 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) [Belgian National Champion Road] on Omega Pharma-Lotto
#57 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) [Lithuanian National Champion Road] on Garmin-Cervelo
#93 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) [French National Champion Road] on Quickstep
#171 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) [Spanish National Champion Road] on Movistar
The yellow, white, and polka-dot jerseys are decided. But the green jersey is still in contention. Pay attention to both the intermediate stage points and the final stage win. It could decide who wears the green jersey. Current sprint point (green jersey) classification point totals going into the last stage of the 2011 Tour de France are.
| 1. | CAVENDISH Mark | 171 | HTC - HIGHROAD | 280 pts |
| 2. | ROJAS Jose Joaquin | 88 | MOVISTAR TEAM | 265 pts |
| 3. |  GILBERT Philippe | 32 | OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO | 230 pts |
Yes, they do race on the last day. There remains a race for the green jersey between Cavendish and Rojas. Winning the last stage of the Tour de France remains a big deal, so there will definitely be a race at the front. The day will be fun to watch, I only wish the TV coverage showed some of the after parade of riders on TV. VersusTV usually does a great job of showing podium presentations but not show this fun post-race event afterwards. If I find a live online link that allows us to see the pageantry after the race, I will share it tomorrow.
Congratulations to Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, and Frank Schleck. I am a huge fan of all three. Thanks also to Thomas Voeckler who dug deep and gave witness to the effort it takes to win the Tour de France. I feel that Voeckler had a restorative power to this everlasting competition. An athlete who restores belief is equal or almost better than an athlete who wins.
In 2012 the Tour de France will begin in the Belgian city of Liege. The dates of the 2012 Tour de France will be June 30 - July 22, 2011. The official route will be announced on October 18, 2011 in Paris. Prudhomme promises surprises for the 2012 Tour de France The 2012 Tour is rumoured to be built around climbs of medium difficulty.
Come back and visit PedalDancer.com again. It is not over, these past three weeks have stirred more curiosity in me. I want to learn more about the Directeur Sportifs of the Europcar team. I want to really study and understand the rules, I want to compile the questions answered by some of the people who know so much about this sport. I want to learn more about the organization of A.S.O. I'd like to create some new ride maps, and I want to finally discover some good accommodations in the Alps!
I will continue to post on a regular basis about traveling, news, and events in the world of professional cycling. Also I got behind on posting the additional Tour Travel post from Stage 14, and the Fan Frenzy posts for stage 19, 20, 21 because I was having too much fun in life - swimming, and birthday (mine) dinners out with friends.
Also please COME VISIT COLORADO! (USA Pro Cycling Challenge, August 2011). Until then, happy pedaling!