Le Tour 100 – Stage 15

Givors to Mont Ventoux

Distance: 242.5 kilometers.

This is the longest stage on the Tour, it comes on Bastille Day, and finishes at the top of the 1912 meter Mont Ventoux that is reached by road that would give a snake a backache because of all of the hairpin turns. You start with three category 4 climbs in the first 45 kilometers. Then about 100 kilometers of hills before a category 3. After another 50 kilometers of hills, they expect a sprint to speed you to the final 20.8 kilometer climb at an average of 7.5% to reach the top of the Hors Catégorie Mont Ventoux.

Pierre Rolland, along with every other French rider, would love to win this stage on this day.

Christopher Froome added the stage and the Polka Dots to his bag today taking the climb to the top. It will be worn by Mikel Nieve, because the number two in the category, Nairo Quintana, is back in the White. Froome also extended his overall lead by over a minute.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 61h 11′ 43″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 357 points
Mikel Nieve Iturralde ( Esp – EUS – 116 ) [Polka Dot] 83 points [Froome]
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) 6 [White]

Team: Saxo-Tinkoff ( TST – 091-099 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
Combative: Sylvain Chavanel ( Fra – OPQ – 152 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 04′ 14″
3 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 04′ 25″
4 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 04′ 28″
5 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 04′ 54″
6 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 05′ 47″
7 Jakob Fuglsang ( Den – EUC – 063 ) + 06′ 22″
8 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 101 ) + 07′ 11″
9 Jean-Christophe Péraud ( Fra – ALM – 081 ) + 07′ 47″
10 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) + 07′ 58″

The Rest of the Top 30:

11 Daniel Martin ( Irl – GRS – 175 ) + 08′ 28″
12 Michael Rogers ( Aus – TST – 098 ) + 09′ 54″
13 Andrew Talansky ( USA – GRS – 178 ) + 12′ 32″
14 Maxime Monfort ( Bel – RLT – 047 ) + 13′ 47″
15 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 14′ 42″
16 Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 031 ) + 15′ 40″
17 Mikel Nieve Iturralde ( Esp – EUS – 116 ) + 18′ 12″
18 Andy Schleck ( Lux – RLT – 041 ) + 19′ 14″
19 Daniel Moreno Fernandez ( Esp – KAT – 106 ) + 21′ 42″
20 Daniel Navarro ( Esp – COF – 139 ) + 23′ 36″
21 Igor Anton ( Esp – EUS – 111 ) + 23′ 50″
22 Romain Bardet ( Fra – ALM – 082 ) + 23′ 50″
23 Steve Morabito ( Sui – BMC – 036 ) + 28′ 45″
24 Jan Bakelants ( Bel – RLT – 042 ) + 29′ 16″
25 Sylvain Chavanel ( Fra – OPQ – 152 ) + 30′ 26″
26 Richie Porte ( Aus – SKY – 006 ) + 32′ 53″
27 José Serpa ( Col – LAM – 149 ) + 33′ 02″
28 Robert Gesink ( Ned – BEL – 162 ) + 33′ 28″
29 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 33′ 42″
30 Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) + 34′ 12″

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

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