Tour de France: Stage 21 Preview

Cadel Evans, the first Australian to
win the Tour de France, will wear the
yellow jersey into Paris.

Today marks a whole three weeks since the Tour de France set off along the slippery flagstones of the Passage de Gois and 3335.5km travelled, with 95 to go. There has been tragedy and joy, surprise and confirmation of the expected, vendettas and self-sacrifice in the name of comrades; but what this Tour delivered most, like all Tours before it, was wonder and beauty.

The final stage, since 1975 ending at the Champs-Élysées, is not as other stages - largely ceremonial, the yellow jersey is traditionally not attacked and the wearer permitted to ride into Paris swathed in glory. It could be attacked, but with Andy Schleck the closest rider to Cadel Evans that won't happen today. The King of the Mountains has already been decided which leaves only the Points competition - which can, and with just 15 point between Mark Cavendish and Jose Joaquin Rojas this year possibly will, be decided on the last stretch.

The start line is in Créteil, one of the so-called Gateways to Paris and a stage town for the third time. Once standing alone, the town is contiguous (as much due to its own expansion as that of Paris) with the capital and is located a mere 11.5km from Kilometre Zero near the West Front doors of Notre Dame, the official centre of Paris and the point from which all French roads are measured. The town, as Cristoïlum, was first mentioned in a catalogue of martyrs compiled by Benedictine monks in the 9th Century; Créteil earning its place in the catalogue as it had been the site of the martyrdom of Saints Agoard and Aglibert some half a millennium before. The early adoption of Christianity and the "Crist-" component of the latinised name have given rise to somewhat fanciful theories that the town is named after Christ or even that it has some connection to him, but in reality it's more likely to be derived via various modifications from the Celtic words crist (ridge) and ialo (glade). The modern variant dates from around 1406.

The polissoir.

However, the locale has been inhabited since much earlier times - the discovery of palaeolithic remains in the area are evidence of a culture dating back to at least 10,000 years ago, analogous with the decline of the Würm glaciation at the end of the last Ice Age. On display in the town is a Neolithic "polissoir," a huge stone similar to a modern whetstone used to sharpen and polish knives and other bladed implements. Bronze Age axes heads from the region are displayed at the British Museum in London.

History from the Middle Ages onwards was not always been kind to Créteil: it was attacked ruined by Anglo-Burgundian troops in the 15th Century, looted by Huguenots in the 16th, evacuated due to violence in the 17th and subject to famine in the 18th. Rich Parisians began building grand villas in the town early in the 19th Century, only for it to be attacked and occupied by Russian forces in 1814 and then razed to the ground by Prussian troops in 1870, returning it to little more than a rural backwater, then bombed heavily by the US Air Force during World War 2, causing several deaths amog the local civilian population. It has suffered numerous major floods, the worst of which took place in 1830 and 1910 and the last in 1970.

Les Choux, an example of the fine modern architecture to be
seen in Creteil. (No, I don't know why it's named after the
cabbage either.)

It began to grow in the years following World War 2 and the population increased by almost 17,000 in the eight years after 1954. This period saw rapid urbanisation, including the development of the Mont-Mesly prefecture which is now home to more than 23,000 people, ensuring that the town now boasts some of the finest modern architecture in France. Yet it has much to offer in the way of older buildings, too - the tower of Église Saint-Christophe dates from the 11th Century and is adjoined to a 13th Century church, the whole being built atop an 8th Century crypt which is used to house relics of Saints Agoard and Aglibert. Excavations around the church have revealed graves from the 9th Century. Créteil is also home to the largest dovecote in the country, with space for 1500 birds, which with unusual consideration towards the importance of heritage for the time was moved in 1971 to allow new houses to be constructed on its original site.

The stage begins on the Avenue du General de Gaulle (D1B), from where Les Choux can be seen, and loops about a roundabout before travelling south-east along the wide avenue with its grassy central reservation and large bronze monument to the Resistance. It soon turns south and passes alongside Lac de Créteil, formerly a gypsum quarry that was allowed to flood after decommission in the 1970s, now picturesque and as important a site for leisure as it is for nature. On the other side of the road is the Centre Commercial Créteil Soleil, which looks for all the world like a component from a giant computer motherboard. It then negotiates another roundabout before turning left into a tree-lined avenue and past Le Port 59, a perfectly circular artificial bay on the lake surrounded by some terrifying expensive apartments but belonging really to the swans who live there.

Soon it turns into the Rue Falkirk, named after the Scottish town with which Créteil has been twinned since 1983, then south and south-east again along the Avenue François Mitterrand which takes us over several pedestrians crossings to a crossroads where the parcours veers sharply north-east via a tight corner. It turns north-west and north-east again along the Rue des Corbieres past an area of wooded parkland and past a tall modern water tower, named in a quite charming way the Château d'eau. It then turns north and passes through a narrow passage under a building, which is going to constrict the peloton tightly and may lead to accidents if too many riders attempt to pass through at the same time, and into another area of parkland where modern architecture - including a truly remarkable building at the junction with the Rue Rene Arcos - sits side-by-side with trees, the combination working well and forming an attractive whole.

Eglise Saint-Christophe

A very tight left-hand corner, potentially lethal when wet, leads to another easier one and then an equally technical turn onto the Avenue du Dr. Paul Casalis - home to Tov'Mie which, should you ever happen to be in Paris and find yourself of kosher bread products, I can personally assure you sells the finest bagels in the city. At the end of the road is a traffic island with some trees where the peloton changes direction north east on another tight corner and heads along the Avenue du General Leclerc (D19) which is long, almost perfectly straight and has few hazards until it reaches the junction with the D48E, where the route turns left towards the west. Sights to look out for include a fountain, the Église Saint-Christophe and, in parts, views to the river which runs a short distance away to the east.

Turning left, the route follows the D48E Aveue de la Rebublique until a bridge across a railway where the road becomes the Rue Emile Zola, a section which has many attractive buildings such as the Hôtel-de-Ville at Maisons-Alfort and Camelias, one of the few older commercial buildings left in the area. The parcours crosses the Seine by the imposing Pont du Port à l'Anglais suspension bridge, with a main span of 124m. Suspension bridges always make for excellent footage as the peloton passes across with the helicopters able to get shots from all sorts of interesting angles; with Paris as a backdrop, the results are virtually guaranteed to be even more spectacular than usual here. A big roundabout on the western bank takes the riders onto the Avenue du President Salvador Allende which leads to another railway bridge and on to Avenue Jean Jaures - named after the very same Jean Jaures associated with Carmaux which the Tour reached right back at the end of Stage 10. There's a large and expertly-done mural of a fierce-looking heron on a wall where the Avenue becomes the Avenue Henri Barbusse (D55A).

The Avenue Henri Barbusse is short and ends with another roundabout at the Place de la Liberation, the location of the excellent MAC/VAL contemporary gallery and assorted public works of art. The building itself is a good example of Bauhaus-inspired minimal modernism, as much a work of art as many of its contents. The parcours turns right onto the Avenue Eugene Pelletan (D5) which heads north-west, becoming the Boulevard de Stalingrad after a short while, then the Avenue de Verdun and running straight and wide for some distance before turning sharply left into the Rue Henri Martin which carries the race onto the wide Avenue du Paris for a short way before they turn north-east onto the D54 as it passes through the Cimetière Parisien d'Ivry, last resting place of Louis Caput - third place in the 1942 Circuit de France, one of the stage races that replaced the Tour while it was suspended during WW2.

Fort de Charenton.

The D54 takes a series of sharp corners before the parcours changes to the D50 past the Place Voltaire to the Parc des Cormailles, where there is an artificial hill with a spiral path stretching to the top, then back over the railway and on to the Boulevard Paul Vaillant Couturier (D19) and onto the Pont d'Ivry which carries the peloton across the Seine once more and onwards for a second visit to the Avenue du General Leclerc before switching to the Avenue Gambetta running straight and full of street furniture to the Pont de Maisons-Alfort which crosses one of the most attractive stretches of river in Paris. The route then passes by the docks which, although much gentrified, are still home to working boat yards allowing all manner of watercraft old and modern to be seen as they wait for repairs. The peloton will then join another section of the Rue Henri Barbusse along the D123 heading south-east towards the Avenue de la Liberation (D45). Nearby is the Fort de Charenton, built according to the government to help prevent Paris ever again being subject to the foreign occupations that took place following the decline of Napoleon and according to the left-wing opposition to subdue the populace should they ever again rise up against the establishment.

After switching north-east, another bridge takes the peloton onto the Avenue Charles Floquet, then the N4 nd a long stretch of the N303 to the D30 just south of two river islands, then across the Pont de Bry from where there are good views to the Quai d'Artois with its fine homes. Travelling north-west on the Avenue du General de Gaulle the peloton heads straight to the Rond Point where the riders switch onto the D44 heading west past the Parc des Epivans, an athletics centre, then the Boulevard Gallenini and Avenue de la Republique. A sweeping bend turns south to the Rue de France, with the vast Residence Val de France housing development, a series of tower blocks joined together and winding around.

Chateau de Vincennes

The parcours changes south-east and then south on the Avenue de la Pepiniere into the Bois de Vincennes park where it passes to the north and west of the not-very-picturesque Fort Neuf, which remains the property of the French Ministry of Defence and to which access is limited. On the other side of the road is the far more aethetically-pleasing Château de Vincennes, established in the 14th Century and much redeveloped in the 17th. In addition to being a fortress, the chateau has served as a porcelain factory and a prison - it was once housed the Marquis de Sade and, in the early 20th Century, Mata-Hari who was executed here. Although the Tour is using only a small part of the park, it's very beautiful overall despite the Fort and the helicopters will no doubt be making the most of it. The Avenue Daumesnil past the artificial lake with its two islands and Avenue de Saint-Maurice past the Ancient Cemetery take the peloton back out of the park, where it reaches the Charenton-le-Pont and officially enters Paris.

A very welcome sight after 3430.5km!

The route follows the N6 along the banks of the river, passing the Iles Saint-Louis and de la Cite and Notre-Dame, crossing the Pont Royale just west of the Louvre at one of the best places to view the museum and Jardin des Tuileries. From now on, the peloton are on the final circuits, during which they will travel around the Place de la Concorde and up the Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, around and back down nine times times, each circuit being 6km, with the intermediate sprint coming after the third circuit. The Grand Finale is at the Arc following 95km, estimated to be some time shortly after 17:00 local time.

And that, folks, is your lot for the next 49 weeks. C'est la vie. Luckily, it's not long until the Vuelta a Espana.

Weather: It should be dry over the entire parcours, but showers are an outside possibility. Temperatures will be around 22 degrees C, which is ideal for cycling, but winds of up to 20kmph are just strong enough to be a pain when blowing from the side or the front.

Predictions: How about we go out on a limb and say Cadel Evans? Who, though, will win the intermediate sprint? Many people are going to try, especially Jose Joaquin Rojas who is just 15 points from winning the overall sprinter's competition - but he has little chance of beating Mark Cavendish.

Tour de France: Stage 20 Preview

Incredible and depressing as it may seem, we're already at the penultimate stage on the 2011 Tour. It seems just a few days since the peloton got off to a wobbly start along the Passage de Gois, the crashes that took Bradley Wiggins out of the race and Alexander Vinokourov out of cycling could have been the day before yesterday; but in fact it's been three weeks since Vendée. All that is left is the individual time trial today and the short ride into Paris.

Grenoble at night, photographed from the Bastille.

The city of Grenoble has been a stage town no fewer than 38 times and we can expect a festive atmosphere because, as residents of the unofficial Capital of the Alps,  the 160,000 Grenoblois are well-used to large sporting events: in addition to the regular Tour visits, they hosted the Winter Olympics in 1968 and, annually, the Six Days track cycling festival. It's also a major mountain biking centre and attracts skiiers, snowboarders, paragliders and the practitioners of all other sports that require altitude from all around the world are drawn here partially for the excellent sporting facilities but also for the famous atmosphere - Grenoble has grown wealthy on sports and high-tech industries, and with 51.55% of the residents being aged between 15 and 44 this is a party town.

Surviving section of Roman city wall, Grenoble.

Surrounded on all sides by mountains with some 20 skiing stations, the city occupies a plateau at just over 200m altitude. Mountain sports have led to the creation of many sparkling new towns, but while Grenoble sparkles it's most definitely not new: the earliest mention in text dates to 43BCE when it was known as Cularo. It was already an important place by the 3rd Century CE when the Roman emperor Gratian fortified it, adding a wall and bestowing upon it the right to call itself a city rather than a town. Sections of the walls can still be seen in the older neighbourhoods, most notably along the Rue Lafayette. Gratian gave his own name to the community when it became Gratianopolis which, in time, was modified to Graignovol during the medieval period and, eventually, to its modern form.

Graignovol was chosen by the noble House of Albon, rulers of an assortment of territories throughout the region which as part of the Holy Roman Empire were subject only to very limited French control, as their capital during the 11th Century and the city began to grow larger - and as the Counts made the city richer and more important, it returned the favour. In time they were powerful enough to consolidate their properties and thus create the state of Dauphiné, an independent province with a name familiar to all cyclists due to the eight-stage Critérium du Dauphiné race that takes place annually in early June and serves an important testing ground for the Tour de France in addition to being one of the most important events on the cycling calendar in its own right.

The city benefited from rulers who, by the standards of the time, were remarkably benevolent and who shared their power with some equally generous bishops. Under their command it gained two hospitals and a university, and the Roman bridge was rebuilt. In the late 14th Century Humbert II found himself without an heir and, with no obvious and suitable successor to whom he could hand over the state, he sold the Dauphiné to France. However, it remained to all intents an independent state until the middle of the 15th Century under Louis XI when it was officially and fully incorporated into the kingdom, though the city's inhabitants obtained a charter guaranteeing them certain rights and a fair say in decisions affecting their province.

The Bastille at Grenoble is the most extensive example of 18th Century
fortifications in France.

With a largely Protestant population, Grenoble was attacked frequently during the 16th and 17th Century religious wars and fell to the Catholics in 1590. Rather than controlling and inhabiting their new acquisition, the new rulers - called the Ligue - seemed intent on running it into the ground and so resistance groups led by François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières, soon formed and within a year had successfully regained control within a year. De Bonne became lieutenant-general and set about improving the city, increasing its size and building sewers, improved city walls, a bastille and many fountains (because the French do love their fountains). The Bastille still stands on its rocky mount overlooking the town and is now the site of cultural centres, restaurants and various attractions. Around the time of the Revolution the city was briefly renamed Grelibre, but became Grenoble once more under Napoleon. It fell to Austrian troops in 1814 but was rapidly taken back by Napoleon's forces, later withstanding attacks in the wake of Waterloo - which lessened Napoleon's power in France considerably

. By the late 19th Century, industrialisation was in full swing in the city. The great engineer and scientist Aristide Bergès - very much France's Isambard Kingdom Brunel - was instrumental in Grenoble's early adoption of hydroelectric power, which revolutionised the glove-making industry for which the area was famous and massively increased output so that Grenoblois gloves were exported and sold to wealthy people all around the world. Bergès also established papermills, adding another wealth-making string to Grenoble's bow. This expertise made the city an ideal base of production during the First World War when the hydroelectric schemes were expanded to provide power for the war effort and chemical factories grew up among the papermills, the beginnings of the high-tech industries that now generate much of Grenoble's wealth.

That industrial power of course meant that the city was considered highly valuable by the Nazis, who targeted it early on in WW2. Their early invasion attempts were thwarted by General Cartier, leaving the province free of German control right up until the establishment of Vichy France when it became subject to Italian occupation. However, Grenoble never did submit to Fascism and was a problematic hotbed of Résistance activity; seeing many heroic deeds by the underground army - it was this, combined with the Italian's tendency not to be quite so rabidly antisemitic as the Nazis, that saw the Jewish population of Grenoble increase greatly during the war. Late in 1943 the Résistance successfully destroyed a German artillery station which caused a violent crackdown in response with eleven Résistance members murdered - but even this didn't defeat their spirit. A newly-built German arsenal was blown up less than a month later and other attacks took place throughout the province. These brave and decisive actions were recognised soon after the Nazis pulled out when the city was awarded the Compagnon de la Libération by General de Gaulle.

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

In 1955 the physicist Louis Néel, who would receive a Nobel prize in 1970 for his important work with magnetism which has been instrumental in the development of modern computes, established the CENG nuclear research facility combining research and industry in what has become known as the Grenoble Model. In time, many other laboratories were attracted or set up in Grenoble, including the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and many others which have helped to make the city a world centre of physical research. Latterly, micro and nanotechnology firms have set up, ensuring that Grenoble's status as the largest research centre in France after Paris is secure for many years to come.

With its connections to the Criterium du Dauphine, Tour and mountain biking Grenoble is a city very much in love with le velo, even by the standards of the French obsession with cyclisme. The stage begins near the city hall, at a large park containing the hall itself and a variety of sporting facilities, then heads south-east on the D5. This being an urban environment, the road features a large number of hazards in the form of street furniture and roundabouts before it reaches Eybens after 2.5km on the outskirts of the city. Eybens has in the past been declared the most sporting city with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in all of France, so large crowds are likely to be lining the streets today. The road then swings east and across a roundabout shortly before reaching Eyben's velodrome, then south-east through a wooded section, then south again along a much clearer road into Tavernolles and another roundabout. A long, straight section through Le Replat will encourage high speeds, favouring the individual time trial specialists such as Fabian Cancellara but also giving the sprinters a chance to work on their overall times. On the southern edge of the town, the road has kink and an unusual ~ shaped traffic island, making the section quite technical and a possible site of crashes if its wet at any point.

Chateau de Vizille

A few kilometres on is Brié-et-Angonnes with a medieval chapel that the camera operators will - fortunately - be unable to resist. The parcours then turns south-west, along the side of a very steep hill known as Haute-Brié (surely the ideal name for a particularly stinky cheese? It rises 175m in under 0.5km at one point) and takes in a very sharp hairpin bend shortly before Vizille - a hazard that is almost guaranteed to claim at least one victim today. Vizille is famous for its chateau, one of the most photographed in the country and the star of many a postcard, jigsaw and biscuit tin. If you're one of the numerous people who watches the Tour for the chateaux, don't miss this one.

There are a few technical junctions and some street furniture on the way into Vizille; and the road narrows considerably before the tight left-hand turn onto the D524 which leads us to the chateau gardens, home to some extremely territorial geese. It then heads north-east back into the countryside, passing many large houses on the way to Les Cornier which stands at the foot of a steep mountainside that rises to over 2000m. The parcours passes through assorted small hamlets and villages until it reaches a roundabout and junction with the D111, onto which we turn right and head east to a hairpin, then south and up a short but reasonably steep climb to Belmont. Leaving the D111, riders travel north on much narrower, twisting roads into Le Boulond before heading into Saint-Martin-d'Uriage and joining D280. Saint-Martin-d'Uriage's chateau housed a staff training college for the Vichy Government during WW2.

We then pass through the town - more street furniture, corners, roundabouts - to the D524. The first section has several hazards, including a large island containing buildings and a park in the road which could potentially win or lose seconds depending on which way riders go around it. The road then takes a series of sweeping bends around forested hills, untechnical but with possible slippery parts if it rains, into La Combe de Gières and via a fork in the road into Gières with the little Fort du Mûrier. Just past the fork we join the D112, taking us through another forested section and then onto a straight section through town and back into Grenoble, heading back to the park from which we started.

Predictions: This a course that ought to suit Cancellara, but with so much still to play for several riders will be going all out to win this one. Tony Martin, the probable next king of time trials, will also do well - perhaps even beating King Cancellara. The two with most to play for - and potentially lose - are Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck, either of whom could win the Tour today. Cadel is the better time trialist and as such the favourite, but Andy starts the day with a good lead and has hugely improved his time trialing in the last year or two.

Weather: It's really not time-trialing weather today - parts of the course may get some rain, making technical sections more hazardous. The wind will help riders on the way out, but will then become headwinds as they turn back towards Grenoble making the going more difficult and taking valuable seconds off recorded times.

Links: 
Grenoble Tourism
Grenoble Cycling

Tour de France: Stage 19 Preview

A very short stage today at just 109.5km, but with more than enough climbing to keep even the most sadistic of fans entertained: for the second time this year the peloton will be tackling the mighty Galibier with its 16.7km Hors-Categorie grind up to 2556m. Of course, the team medics would be most unimpressed were their charges to attempt tackling that without a few warm-up exercises; so the organisers have thoughtfully thrown in an 11.9km Category 1 ascent of Col du Télégraphe within the first 30km. Oh, and there's a second HC climb of 13.8km reaching 1850m up to the summit of Alpe d'Huez at the end of the stage too, just to get the riders relaxed and ready for their beds.

The Savoyan flag

The stage begins in the heart of the Savoie region, part of the now-defunct nation of Savoy that once straddled the Franco-Swiss-Italian borders and which had the longest-surviving Royal dynasty in Europe; beginning with Humbert I in 1003 and still with us in somewhat reduced circumstances today. Savoy started as a poor and undeveloped area, but its ruling class became skilled at exercising tight control over what was transported through the high mountain passes and extracting money from those involved in such activities. Today, Savoy has a small separatist movement with surveys suggesting between 40 and 55% of the population support devolution from France and Italy and the re-establishment of their nation on its traditional territory. Thus, it's often possible to spot a few Savoyan flags (Savoyan if the official demonym; the more common Savoyard is informal and shouldn't be applied to the flag, though most people probably rightly wouldn't care) waving among the spectators when the Tour visits this region.

La Maison Penchée

Modane lies at the foot of a wide, green valley and is almost contiguous with Saint-André and Villabordin-Rogret to the west and east. Home to around 4000 people who have been Italian at various points in the town's history as well as French and Savoyard; belying the strategic importance of the area and explaining the large number of fortifications dating from medieval times to WW2 dotted around the town and high up into the surrounding mountains. The most famous of these is La Maison Penchée: a concrete bunker designed to house explosives should the Mont-Cenis tunnel need to be blown up if war broke out. Towards the end of WW2, the Nazis blew up the tunnel to hamper future Allied movements. The explosion blew the bunker - which remained intact - more than 30m and it ended up partially buried where it still stands today.

Things are very different in Europe since the EU and nowadays crossing borders between constituent states rarely even requires a passport, so Modane has grown wealthy from the tourists who base themselves here due to the easy access to the Alps of France and Italy - usefully providing employment for those residents who are not cut out for work in the particle physics research laboratories in the area. We leave the town along the D1006 heading west, a non-technical stretch of road sandwiched between the river to the north and railway tracks to the south with a large roundabout on the western perimeter. Another roundabout marks the little hamlet of Freney, home to 85 people, and the large industrial site stuck right next door - if there's one thing the French love, it's an industrial site placed slap in the middle of an area of great natural beauty. A third - insanely complex - roundabout with six exits and a fly-over carries the peloton onwards, the road sharing the river bank with the A43 and passing by a rocky gorge, more industry and a little village named La Praz - the site of the pretty and unmistakably alpine Villa Paul Héroult. Just to the south, Pointe de la Sandoniere reaches almost 2900m.

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, artfully cropped so as not to
show the aluminium works which bring prosperity and
ugliness in equal parts to the town.

Soon, we come to a section where the road tackles an artificial lake by way of a wide causeway before continuing crosswise over the dam and up a slipway leading into the long Tunnel d'Orelle, emerging some way on and travelling below the A43 for a while. Soon, it veers north and into Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. The village is attractive enough, but tourists are a little dissuaded by the enormous aluminium works on the edge of town - even if the owners do provide funds for the doubtless fascinating museum devoted to the history of the metal which is located in the town.  However, we're disappointingly not going to see it today as after 14km the parcours turns south-west via a sharp but uncomplicated corner onto the D902 - a road also known, ominously, as the Rue du Galibier - taking us immediately into Saint-Martin d'Arc; passing through on a sweeping road as it begins to rise before reaching the next village, La Ravoire, where the first climb begins in earnest.

Fort du Telegraphe

The Col du Télégraphe, with an average gradient of 7.1% (maximum 10%) is climbed by means of 14 hairpin switchbacks on a road that visits several tiny and picturesque hamlets along the way before reaching a high ridge south of the Fort du Télégraphe which stands at almost 1600m and commands the valley roads far below. The site was originally occupied by an optical telegraphy station - a method by which a chain of towers are used to pass coded messages from one station to the next by means of symbols formed by articulated arms, similar to semaphore - which gave the Col its name, with the fort built between 1896 and 1890. As such, it lacks the charm of a medieval fortress but is nevertheless an imposing structure. The site has come full circle, for today the fort is topped by a collection of communications masts. The highest point comes 26.5km from the start.

The road follows the ridge for a while, offering views best described as stupendous, then reaches the tiny village called Le Col that has grown up chiefly on the money spent by the cyclists and motorcyclists who come up here and passes Les Granges, which consists largely of chalets for skiers but also has a tiny, picturesque chapel with a single bell. 4.5km onwards and over 100m downwards from the Col is Valloire which has grown to become the largest skiing resort in the Maurienne region, but unlike most ski centres the town has managed to retain much of its traditional alpine appearance and Savoyard character. There are, of course, many modern chalets; but there are much older buildings located about the town too, such as the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption which can be described as sumptuously decorated even by the standards of Baroque churches. There is also a ruined Chateau Saint-Pierre, but little remains of it.

As soon as Valloire is left behind, the parcours in on the slopes of the Col du Galibier; climbing today from the opposite direction to Andy Schleck's incredible winning ride yesterday and this side is rated considerably harder. The road travels south for a while, connecting an assortment of villages, before turning left and then right as it crosses a bridge over the rock-strewn stream. It then stays fairly level until a pair of hairpins take it up 20m or so, then begins to climb more rapidly on the approach to a small bridge near a barn where it turns south-east. A series of wide bends takes it between high cliffs which look a little like those along the Casse Deserte yesterday and towards a switchback combined with a bridge where the altitude reaches 2000m.

Col du Galibier

From here, the climbing really begins as a series of hairpins carries the road up to a ridge, which continues onwards and upwards. A final set of seven hairpins brings the Tour to the summit. Plenty of riders - especially the sprinters - will be wishing it was yesterday at this point: they may ridden much further to get here yesterday, but at least once they were here the stage was over. They'll take some comfort from the fact that they're going through the tunnel today, past the Henri Desgrange memorial where a wreath will be placed as it is every time the Tour comes this way, so they don't have to climb as high as yesterday. Those riders not so comfortable with fast descents will be wishing it was all over too because the road back down Galibier is steep and almost 40km long, twisting and turning about several tricky switchbacks as it picks its way precariously downwards to the junction with the D1091 - which we take - just east of an alpine plants botanic garden.

La Grave

The route heads west again, around two steep hairpins and into a long descent through the valley towards Villar-d'Arêne, 63.5km from the start line. More hairpins carry us downwards towards the tunnel which brings us out to La Grave which, with its 12th Century church and stunning location, has been voted as one of the beautiful villages in France and it truly is a stunning place with a perfect cafe that serves the best coffee in France - inhabited whilst I was there by three German goths whom, so far as I could gather, had driven in an ancient Mercedes from Frankfurt simply because of the village's name and were somewhat disappointed at the cheerful prettiness of the place. The excellence of the coffee, however, was sufficient to perk even them up.

The parcours continues downhill to the Lac du Chambon and passes through two tunnels on the northern shore before a sharp left hand corner takes it along the dam at the western side, then around an outcrop and down through the forest into Le Freney-d'Oisans, at which point there is 25.5km to go. The road out clings to the side of a near-vertical cliff, passing through a tunnel and past a look-out which offers stunning views up the valley before climbing up, around and back down a rocky promontory overlooking another artificial lake and Le Clapier, which is reached by means of a bridge over the dam's outflow. Immediately north of the village in the Alpe d-Huez, rising rapidy from the lake to over 2100m.

The 21 hairpins en route to the summit
of Alpe d'Huez.

After Le Clapier, the road becomes almost poker straight and level for a little over 3km and, were it not for the scenery and the fact that it's today's intermediate sprint, would be rather boring. This is a sprint that both Mark Cavendish and Jose Joaquin Rojas could really do with winning - it would go a long way to securing victory for Mark and could earn victory for Jose in the points competition - but chances of either man getting here in time to pick up any points at all are so marginal they may as well be ignored. It soon reaches a roundabout at Le Bourg-d'Oisans where the riders turn right onto the D211, beginning the ascent of Alpe d'Huez.

The Alpe acts as a stage finish this year for the first time since 2008, having been unusually absent on the schedule for the two years up until now, and makes a welcome return. Getting to the top takes in an incredible 21 hairpins, each named after riders who have won a stage there - though since 2001 it's become necessary to start adding the names of recent winners to those who gave their names to the lower bends in years gone by - that year, the lowest hairpin became known as the Coppi-Armstrong. As one of the most famous climbs in the Tour there is guaranteed to be vast crowds of spectators along this section, all hoping to see the rider who, upon winning this stage, may also win the Tour.

Cadel's turn to win today?

Predictions: This afternoon, another hairpin on the climb up Alpe d'Huez will be renamed - but will it be named in honour of Evans or a Schleck? In fact, Frank Schleck already has one named after him, since he won here in 2006 - is it possible that either he or Andy will give the family name to another? In Frank's case, it's actually quite likely - he had a relatively easy ride yesterday, sheltering behind Cadel and Voeckler while Andy was out at the front busying himself with winning the stage, then got into gear and scooted past them to take second place; so he's going to have a lot more left in him today than many other riders. For Andy, it's not so likely - he may be one of the greatest riders in of recent years, but mounting an attack 60km from the finish and then working it all the way up another two HC mountains is going to take a lot out of anyone, even him. But one thing we all learned yesterday is that nobody should ever write him off: the entire cycling press had given up on him for this Tour, and then he scored not just a stage win but one of the best stage wins since the days of Eddy Merckx.

Cadel worked hard yesterday, pulling himself and Thomas Voeckler all the way up Galibier; but he's a strong rider and looking better than ever this year which puts him in a better position than anyone else to defeat the Schlecks. His style is the complete opposite of theirs, brute strength to their almost balletic grace, but they are equally matched in terms of ability. As a wildcard, how about Contador? He's not going to be at all pleased about his ride yesterday, during which he appeared to crack and was unable to respond to his Luxembourger rival. But Contador has up days and down days - if he's having an up day today, there might not be anyone who can catch him.

Weather: Another nice day, by the looks of things - sunny and warm at the start (up to 23 degrees C) and manageable winds over most of the course. At the Col du Telegraphe it'll drop to about 10 degrees, but an east wind of no more than 10kmph will prevent it being too uncomfortable. Galibier is a different matter being so much higher, expect a north wind of 15-20kmph here which, with ambient temperatures of 9 degrees, will make it feel decidedly chilly. On the other side, the valleys will be much warmer with highs up to 26 degrees. Stronger winds up to 30kmph from the north-west may cause problems, acting as cross - and headwinds over some sections. Alpe d'Huez should be fine, plenty of sun and though temperatures are likely to be no more than 10 degrees at the summit. a 15kmph wind from the south-east will prevent it becoming too cold.

DEVIL WATCH: There's really no need for discussion today - he'll be on one of those hairpins going up Alpe d'Huez. Remember, all you goodly folk - if you see tridents painted on the road, the Devil lurketh somewhere nearby.

Tour de France: Stage 18 Preview

If you want to demonstrate to someone what the Tour de France is - the horror, the pain, the beauty and the skill - then you could do far worse than show them today's stage. This is the Big One, the Queen, possibly even the Decider.

In this 200.5km stage, riders must tackle three Hors-Categorie mountains, the harshest test in what is a three-week series of challanges, the most deadly weapon in the Tour's well-stocked arsenal. Proceedings kick off in Pinerolo where Stage 16 came to a close, the Italian town acting as a stage town for the first time this year. The peloton leaves on the S589 as it heads from the city centre, passing some good new buildings before entering the flat countryside to the south. This first section is likely to encourage early breakaways as riders with no chance of picking up big points in the high mountains race ahead in an attempt to get to the intermediate sprint (starting today after 46.5km), meaning that we're likely to see a repeat of yesterday when various riders attempted to escape the pack right from the end of the neutral zone. It might be a short while before anyone meets with any success, but it'll come early so that those within the escape group can pick up whatever points they can.

The road is almost perfectly straight with the exception of a large roundabout at the junction with the SP161 which passes above on a fly-over - however, with the entrance and exit to the roundabout being slightly off-set to the left, negotiating the central island requires little deviation and other than spreading the pack out a little with have virtually no noticeable effect - and then heads on to another; this second one being trickier. Very soon it becomes possible to see the Castello di Osasco, standing at the north-western corner of a village. A little way on is a difficult roundabout with a kinked entrance that may trick some riders into taking the wrong line and subsequently losing time. Just past Garzigliani the road crosses two rivers before continuing south through a little hamlet named Casenuove and straight through a crossroads.

Rocca di Cavour.

The road is straight and untechnical as it enters Cavour, 9.5km from the start. This large town has grown up immediately north of the strange Rocca; an peculiar hill rising to 50m from the expansive flatlands all around a little like a miniature Mont Ventoux. Geological inspection of the Rocca reveals it to be a granite inselberg or monadnock - an isolated mountain - of which all but the visible tip has been buried by alluvial sediments. Archaeological survey reveals petroglyphs at various points about the rock and there are ruined fortifications. From here, the course heads south-west along more straight, flat roads to Bagnolo Piemonte which has an especially good-looking castle and views to the Alpine foothills rising just a few kilometres away. The road south leads to Barge, which marks 20km thus far travelled.

Castello di Envie.

Barge has in recent years become home to a vibrant Chinese community, which raises the prospect of an interesting fusion cuisine that would be ideal for a long-distance cyclist's needs. The great Lombardi San Giovanni Battista church is the town's most famous site, but with luck the weather will be clear enough for the camera operators to get some shots of the Rocca at Cavour, which looks particularly impressive from here. Taking the road east, the peloton heads around the forested hills which rise to over 1000m and onwards to Envie with a castle that was completely destroyed by Savoyard forces, then purchased and rebuilt in Romantic Gothic style by a Count Guasco Castelletto.

Saluzzo.

After 31.5km, the parcours reaches Revello which, with its many old and slightly unkempt buildings, looks like the location of every film Vittorio De Sica ever made. The route through town is tight with several corners, which may be difficult if wet, but the riders soon leave town and head east on the SP26 towards Saluzzo. Standing on a small rise and with many medieval towers and spires, Saluzzo is an impressive site when approached from the surrounding flat regions, though its better seen from the opposite angle to that from which the Tour arrives when it has the Alps as a backdrop. Highlight is the Casa Cavassa, once the stately home of the local lords but now put to far better use housing the town's museum and a beautiful synagogue, which still stands though the once vibrant Jewish community was all but wiped out in WW2, despite brave attempts by some locals to save them. In Saluzzo, the parcours changes onto the SR589 which looks to be a complicated process involving various roundabouts, corners and narrow urban streets - however, this does mean we'll get to see the attractive architecture throughout the town.

We then head south-east once more via Manta, site of another reconstructed castle - this one, a 14th Century stately home, stands on the sight of a 12th Century real castle - and on to the next town Verzuolo, separated from its neighbour by one field. Verzuolo would undoubtedly be a far more attractive place were it not for the large industrial plant on the eastern side of town but like the majority of Italian communities it has many other sights to recommend it. including one of the most beautiful castles along this stage and some ancient churches as pleasing to look at as they are interesting to explore. Verzulo marks today's intermediate sprint which, though uphill, climbs just 26m and as a result is likely to be hotly contested by any riders making up a breakaway group or - if no breakaway has formed - by the sprinters in the peloton who are going to have little chance to add to their successes for the remainder of the Tour.

On the southern edge of Verzuolo, the peloton turns south-west at a roundabout and travels toward Piasco, site of the world's only harp museum, and continues west around another roundabout to Venasca - the name, derived from an ancient word, is believed most likely to mean either "water" or "poison." As is often the case in Italy, this small town of around 1500 people has a church fit for a city - the Baroque Parrocchiale Maria Assunta was built in the 18th Century and has a richly decorated interior with what has been called the finest selection of marble sculpture and statues in Piedmont. The road skirts the town to the north, avoiding the narrow streets, but the church should be visible over the surroundings rooftops. The next town we pass through is Brossasco where the road turns north-west to reach the middle of the community, then south-west to carry us further along the SP8. This require two corners to be rounded, but they don't look as though they'll cause any problems.

After 63.5km, the parcours reaches Melle. This village, which a hundred years ago had a population of almost 2500 people but is now home to less than 400, is located in a narrow gap between the forested hills to the north and those that have been gradually closing in from the south for some kilometres now; leaving no doubt that we're heading into the mountains. It's still a long way to the summit, but along this stretch the Tour has begun the long and challenging climb to the summit of Col Agnel, the highest point of this year's race.

Casteldefino

Further west we come to Frassino, site of an avalanche in 1850 that destroyed the village along with two others and killed 80 people, then past Rore to Sampeyre on the banks of an artificial lake created by a dam. Sampeyre has become something of a mountain biking centre in recent years with the many trails leading down from the mountains - which rise to over 3000m - being especially popular among downhillers. The road through the town is straightforward, becoming the SP105 as it exits to the west before passing through Calchesio and then rises through four switchbacks to Caldane before continuing west towards Casteldefino, which marks 85.5km ridden. As the name suggests, there was a castle here but it's now ruined - there's much more to see along the narrow medieval streets, some of which have buildings with old murals painted on their exterior walls. The lower parts of the town are almost 100m below the higher parts, so passage through involves two switchbacks at the western and eastern ends before the road moves on to Rabioux as the assault on the summit really gets under way.

Pontechianale Lake in winter.

As the road approaches Castello it's possible to see the Frazione Castello dam which has created a large lake. Once, when it was dry land, there were buildings here including a church, the tower of which would until recently emerge from the waters when levels were low but it's now collapsed. The peloton will travel along the lake's northern shore for 2km until it reaches the remaining, dry part of Pontechianale where the road becomes the SP251 and passes into a stunningly beautiful valley, largely uninhabited until it reaches Chianale 5.5km further up.

Col Agnel

Chianale marks the beginning of the final section of the 23.7km climb. From here onwards we are officially at high altitude - high enough for oxyhaemoglobin levels in the blood to begin falling rapidly, bringing about altitude sickness. Somewhat surprisingly in view of its familiarity among cyclists and people who follow the sport and the incredible scenery in the region, Col Agnel is one of the less well-known Alpine passes which makes it possible to ride over without seeing a single car on a good day. Let's hope it remains that way. All surprising in view of the same fame among the cycling fraternity is that this is only the second time it's been featured in the Tour, the first time having been as recently as 2008 when it was climbed from the opposite side.

The summit is reached by no fewer than seventeen switchbacks, each one a challenge in its own right as the bends - where the road moves up a level - can be much steeper than the average gradient of the climb (6.5%). As the rider crest the mountain, they cross the border and are once more in France to begin the long, steep and very fast descent which extends for just over 20km, taking in another six switchbacks which at this speed are extremely hazardous, along the D205. They pass through the tiny village of Fontgillarde, past Chateau-Renard and Pierre-Grosse before reaching Molines-en-Queyras, at which point they will have travelled 121km, leaving almost 80km to go. The village has an interesting church, destroyed in the 16th Century, rebuilt in the 17th and renovated in the 21st. The low, square tower is topped by a wooden construction with open sides, leaving the bells fully visible, and looks very rustic - however, the interior is a complete contrast, being lavishly decorated with a bright blue ceiling adored with gold decorations. The peloton will have to negotiate another pair of switchbacks on the way into the village before changing onto the D5 at a simple junction by the church. The road then passes by La Rua and follows the course of a rock-strewn mountain stream before veering off into a wooded section and, via another switchback, down to La Casse, across the river and left around a roundabout to Château-Ville-Vieille and the feeding station where musettes stuffed with energy bars and suchlike will no doubt be very welcome after Col Agnel, and especially since there are two more high mountains still to be climbed. Nearby is the village Chateau-Queyras, and on a rocky outcrop stands 13th Century Fort Queyras which survived a Savoyard siege even though the village was destroyed.

Fort-Queyras

The road travels south-west, clinging to the mountainside above the river and becomes the D902 after 131.5km before turning north-west into a valley of alpine meadows leading towards Les Moulins and, after 3.5km, Arvieux at the start of the second Hors-Categorie climb to the 2360m summit of Col d'Izoard, 14.1km long with an average gradient of 7.3%.

To get up requires nine switchbacks and, once there, there's La Casse Déserte. This strange, lunar landscape, its name translating as The Broken Desert, has been called the most difficult section ever ridden in the Tour and is arguably more feared than Mont Ventoux. There are scrubby pine trees in the valley, but the steep slopes are pale and bare, giving the place an unearthly, lifeless appearance. It is undoubtedly one of the strangest places Nature has created anywhere in Europe. There's a monument up here, formed from a natural menhir, to Louison Bobet and Fausto Coppi, and a museum of Tour history - but very few cyclists ever make it here to visit.

La Casse Déserte

The parcours then descends via nine switchbacks into a green valley which, after the deathly La Casse Déserte, seems like the Garden of Eden. Another seventeen switchbacks take the road down almost 400m to Le Laus, where it once again becomes straight and comparatively level as it heads to Cervières where the river is directed through a sixteen-stepped "staircase," clearly visible as the riders pass to the south of the village before continuing the descent through the valley past another artificial lake and dam towards Briançon, a town we passed through yesterday, with the enormous and seemingly impregnable fortress that dominates the entire region.

Col du Galibier

Getting through Briançon is a reasonably simple process despite the corners and roundabouts because the town has been planned so as to permit the transport of heavy vehicles and goods such as cannon to the fort, meaning the roads are easy to get around by bike. We leave the town along the D1091 heading north-west towards La Salle-les-Alpes where the church of Saint Marcellin has some unusual and quite unsettling carvings in its stonework, then on to the spa town Le Monêtier-les-Bains which, with 22.5km to go, marks the beginning of the final climb: the 22.8km, 4.9% ascent to one of the most famous places in cycling, the Col du Galibier. This section may be made even more difficult by the weather - just two days ago, it snowed and there are likely to still be patches of slush in some places to catch the unwary and the tired. The summit is acting as the finish line for the very first time, though the mountain has been climbed by the Tour 31 times since its first appearance in 1947 and is the highest stage finish in the race's history. Whoever reaches the summit first is very likely to also reach the summit of the podium when the race ends in Paris following the next two stages.

Predictions: There's at least a 90% chance that today will be won by a Schleck, an Evans or a Contador. This is the sort of stage upon which Andy Schleck excels and after a not-especially-brilliant few stages, he's got a lot to prove. His form doesn't seem what it was last year, but let's not forget just how good a climber he is - provided the fast descents don't get the better of him, he's in with a good chance in this one; not least of all because he can keep going when others cannot. The same is true of Frank, but if he's to win Andy will first need to be in poor form and second admit to it, sacrificing his own race to help his brother win.

Cadel Evans is a favourite of many - he's been climbing spectacularly well this year and is much more comfortable when descending than the Schlecks. He's also not so worried when the weather turns bad, so if there's still snow on Galibier he'll be in a much better position to cope with it.

However, Contador has to be the top choice today. Following a lack-lustre performance on the earlier climbs, either due to sandbagging or genuine fatigue from the Giro d'Italia, he's really found his legs. Added encouragement comes from the fact that, with a large portion of the cycling world turned against him following his troubles with anti-doping measures, he arguably has even more to prove than Andy does: few things say "screw you guys" than winning this stage and then providing a crystal-clear testing record for the entire race would. Also, Contador has an extremely skillful assistant in Sammy Sanchez, an amazing climber in his won right, who has sworn his aid.

Weather: Looking good for the majority of the parcours with plenty of sun and winds no more than 10kph in the lowlands - however, maximum temperatures could reach 28 degrees C which is getting a bit too warm for comfort. Weather forecasting becomes much more difficult at altitude and conditions can change rapidly in the mountains, but at present it's also looking reasonable for Agnel and d'Izoard - though winds of up to 30kmph at the summits could cause problems. Galibier is a different matter - the summit is predicted to be misty and there are still some slushy patches following the snowfall two days ago. No new snow is predicted, but a 40kmph wind and 6 degrees C ambient temperature will make it feel very cold and could cause muscle aches and pains; especially for the climbers who have far lower levels of body fat than other cyclists.

DEVIL WATCH: As the old saying goes, the Devil is in the mountains. Oh alright, we may have got that a bit wrong - but when it comes to the Tour Devil, the pointy places are usually the best spots to find him as the peloton will be travelling more slowly and he gets a better opportunity to show himself to his admiring public. He could be on Agnel or the Col d'Izoard, but Galibier is probably more likely since it's the finish. We'll be expecting him somewhere around halfway up.

Tour de France: Stage 17 Preview

Following yesterday's damp and (for the Schleck bros.) disastrous taster, today sees the Tour enter the High Alps proper with a variety of climbs up to Category 2 and 1869m before crossing the border into Italy for the real test of Stage 17, Sestrieres. Though "only" a Category 1 - largely, one suspects, due to its popularity as a skiing resort and thus having roads permitting the rich to drive their Bentleys, Beemers and Benzes up there - the mountain pass tops out at 2035m, meaning that cyclists and others partaking in harsh physical activities need to contend with the effects of altitude in addition to the sheer stress of climbing to such a height which is close to the point (approx. 2100m) at which oxyhaemoglobin is rapidly reduced to potentially dangerous levels.

The stage begins in Gap, acting as a stage town for the 20th time (the last time having been yesterday) and ends 179km away in Pinerolo - the Tour is just one of many links between the towns because they've been twinned for forty years. The first 30km or so are fairly flat with the departure from Gap a simple matter along the N94; a major road heading past Pont Sarrazin where yesterday the riders began the final section into Gap after the crazy descent of Col de Manse, which heads first east and then south-east past La Bâtie-Neuve. La Bâtie-Neuve insists that since it has more than 2000 inhabitants it's a city, but they're not fooling us with that - the village is small and they must be counting everyone in the immediate area (in order to claim more from the EU, perhaps?) Either way, it's an attractive enough place with a good mix of the ancient (assorted medieval buildings and remnants of medieval fortifications) and well-designed modern - which not creates a harmonious whole but also makes it a pleasant place to live. Early breakaways look set to be the order of the day and are likely to be more successful than yesterday when it took a long time and many kilometres before a group managed to get away.

As it hits the 14km point the peloton reaches Chorges, a town of around 2500 people. Local legend has it that the inhabitants are descended from a group of Ancient Greeks who had set up home in Italy before being driven into France by violent Celtic invasions: like all the best legends, there is no evidence to prove this one way or the other and the locals will hopefully not subject themselves to DNA profiling in an effort to find out. Chorges' church, dedicated to Saint Victor. The original church incorporated sections of architecture from the time when Chorges was an important Roman city, but it was largely destroyed in a fire in the late 16th Century and then burned again just over a hundred years later by Savoyard soldiers.

Usually submerged, the Viaduc de Chateloube reappears
when water levels in the lake fall.

Soon, the parcours reaches the enormous Lac de Serre-Ponçon, the second largest artificial lake in Europe by volume, and winds around the northern shores, using bridges across the picturesque inlets between hills and outcrops. The lake is the site of an underwater bridge, too - the Viaduc de Chanteloube which was built in the early 20th Century, designed to carry a railway that was never finished across the valley to Chorges. When a damn was built and valley flooded, the viaduct vanished underwater but reappears periodically when water levels are low. The dam was the first to be surveyed without the lake behind it being drained in 1963, when a submarine was used.

This section of the stage brings one of the most remarkable points of the Tour when the riders cross the lake on the Pont de Savine Le Lac, a bridge about a kilometre in length and offering spectacular views across the lake and to the mountains, from the northern shores to the town of Savines-le-Lac which is located 26.5km from Gap. The town is home to around 1200 people and has a remarkable modern church dating from the 1960s but looking like it was designed by Le Corbusier.

Chateau de Picomtal at Crots.

The passage through the town should be a simple matter - there are central reservations but the road is wide with just one sweeping left-hand bend and no roundabouts. It then heads east along the lake's southern shore towards Crots. Despite being situated in an area with soil unsuited to agriculture, Crots became a place of some importance and has a 12th Century abbey, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Boscodon, home to monks of the Order of Chalais who appear to have existed primarily by foraging in the nearby forests and sheep raised on the hills. The abbey is notable for the symbolism incorporated into it - for example, it's aligned so that certain parts will be illuminated on certain days of the year, has proportions related to the Golden Ratio and several features relating to the number seven. Crots is also home to the very beautiful Château de Picomtal.

Soon, the route comes to a large and complicated roundabout at Grand Liou. With five exits, there are wide triangular sections in the middle of the roads leading from it which may prove slippery and problematic for any rider who takes bad line and needs to cross them. The N94 then skirts around Embrun where the ancient part of town sits atop a high rocky outcrop - site of the Tour Brun d'Embrun, a medieval tower, and a 13th Century cathedral - before continuing north-east and up a small uncategorised climb towards Chateauroux-les-Alpes after 42.5km.

Mont-Dauphin, the Arsenal.

The parcours then reaches some high cliffs rising to about 300m from road level and negotiates them by clinging to the lower part just above the river below - the mountains beyond the cliffs and on the other side of the river are much higher still, reaching more than 2600m above sea level. Rounding a bend, the road enters a small plateau along the valley floor and soon comes to Saint-Clément-sur-Durance, 49.5km from the start, before crossing the river and making its way along the side of more cliffs situated above a wide gorge. It passes a number of villages and the remarkable 17th Century fortress of Mont-Dauphin standing on an enormous flat-topped rock jutting out from the valley floor.

The route then turns north, soon coming to Saint-Crépin - home in the 19th Century to over a thousand people, now reduced to less than half as inhabitants have had to relocate elsewhere in search of work. An unusual roundabout just past the village has a central passageway, allowing the peloton to speed straight through without negotiating and bends. After 63km from the start they reach La Roche-de-Rame, once an important stop-over point for pilgrims en route to Jerusalem. In that charming way that the French have, the valley contains a huge industrial complex devoted to the production of strontium, calcium and heavy metals extracted from the mountains and which has left many scars on the natural beauty of the area. Just as the village is left behind, markings on fields directly to the left (east) of the road reveal that at some point there were large buildings or heavy activities involving movement of earth here. A little further on is L'Argentière-la-Bessée and, just as they leave the town, the peloton begins the ascent of Cat 3 Côte de Sainte-Marguerite, 2.8km at 7.4% to 1216m. The summit is reached via two switchbacks, where the gradient can be much steeper than the average. The summit of the mountain stands at around 2800m, 1600m higher than the little village Saint-Marguerite which gives the climb its name.

The descent is long and fast, allowing little time to look at Queyrières - where we join the D36C - and its larger neighbour Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières where a complicated junction will see riders working their round tight bends and a roundabout to get onto the D36 which carried us along the banks of the river, under the N94 upon which most of the previous 75km have been complete, through a tunnel and out the other side into a straight, forested section. We then travel past Le Villaret towards Villar-Saint-Pancrace where a very small number of inhabitants still speak a dialect unique to the area - when they die, the dialect will die with them. Villar-Saint-Pancrace is also the location of the intermediate sprint which today features a climb of about 50m in the middle, making it more difficult than usual for the sprint specialists.

A very short way on is the beautiful town of Briançon, the ancient origins of which can be in no doubt since it was mentioned by Pliny, Ptolemy and others. The town was destroyed by a fire that raged for five days in the late 17th Century, the locals unable to combat the flames as it was winter and the local watercourses were all frozen. However, its strategic importance remained and so it grew up again, gaining a garrison and a number of 18th Century forts nearby. Entering the town looks technical with various roundabouts, the route swapping between the D36, D136, D2 and back to the N94 which takes it out of town and onwards towards La Chaussée, the stage's second Cat 3 climb which reaches 1333m via a short 1.4km climb at 8.3% - an unusual one in that it's urbanised all the way up and down. On the other side is the feeding station, a welcome sight to cyclists who have now covered 87.5km and climbed several hills.

Fort du Chaberton

Travelling along a wide, flat-bottomed valley, the parcours passes around La Vechette and on to the stage's first Cat 2 climb up to 1860m, a 6.1% gradient  for 7.9km with five switchbacks to Montgenèvre, one of France's oldest skiing resorts. Being so close to the border with Italy (the town has changed ownership between the two nations at various times through history), there are many forts high up in the mountains here, dating from Napoleonic times to WW2, including the Fort du Chaberton.

Just before the town of Claviere, the race crosses the border and enters Italy. Claviere was almost entirely destroyed by fighting between the French and Italians in WW2, but has regrown and become wealthy due to the excellent skiing offered in the area. The road through the town should be without problems, but a roundabout just east could cause problems for riders who elect to take the route around the left of the centre which requires a tighter bend than the right. The route travels another 6.5km between the high peaks and includes a twisty section into Cesana Torinese where we swap to the SR23 heading south and then east up the Cat 1 climb to Sestrières, 11.1km and 6.3% to 2035m. It seems strange to see such a modern town so high up among the ancient mountains, but Sestrières truly is a new town, having begun its life as one of Mussolini's pet projects. We can't hold being created by a Fascist against it, however, and it's a very beautiful town; the gleaming white buildings forming an attractive contrast t the dark, brooding rockfaces. Straight out of the town is the long and fast descent over 44km all the way to the final categorised climb.

The parcours heads through the mountains, bypassing a few hamlets over the next section. However, this section is largely uninhabited so we suggest you forget the history for a while, sit back and try to comprehend the astounding beauty of the region, one of the most astonishing places in Europe - but keep an eye on the action, because this descent is fast and technical. We're hoping everyone gets down in one piece, but it's very likely that at least one or two riders won't be finishing the stage.

We come eventually to Perosa Argentina, 153.5km from the start and where, as the name suggests, silver was once mined. Getting into and through the town is straight-forward, but a left-hand bend on the way out could prove to be a hazard if it's wet. Near Pinasca, on the opposite side of the valley, the road becomes the SP66 then a sort way on changes back to the SR23 again. At 171km, the final climb is reached - Cat 3, 6%, 6.7km Côte de Pramartino.

Once crested, it's downhill via a descent even more hazardous than that from Sestrières. This section has no less than 95 points described in the race book as dangerous and a great many of them are along this section, the part where today's winner is likely to be decided. The descent continues all the way through San Pietro Val Lemina and on into Pinerolo, home to 36,000 people and today acting as a stage town for the very first time. Pinerolo has, at various times, belonged to France, Italy and Savoy; creating an interesting mix of cultures. The finest structure in the town is perhaps the Madonna delle Grazie, a fitting name considering the graceful architecture, but there are many imposing buildings in the town both ecclesiastical in nature and otherwise. It also hosts an annual festival of chocolate, so what's not to like about the place?

Predictions: The poor performance of the Schleck Bros. changed everything yesterday, leaving them no longer among the favourites to win the Tour. However, they're both well-known for hating bad weather so there's always a chance that they could do well today if conditions are better in the mountains. The trouble is, so will Contador. One rider sure to put in a good show today is Cadel Evans - he's fast up and down mountains and can shift a bit on flat sections too, which is why he's our top choice today. We also think Thor Hushovd will do well since revealing himself as a master descender, as will Voeckler and possibly Chavenel.

Weather: As far as rain goes, it's not looking too bad today with sun forecast throughout the route. However, winds of up to 40kmph will cause problems, not least of all as they're coming from the north-east and and north-west, so will be headwinds over some parts of the parcours and crosswinds in several others. Temperatures in the valleys should be comfortable at around 20 degrees C, but it'll drop sharply to 10 degrees at the higher points.

DEVIL WATCH: There are many, many places for His BeSandaled Majesty to lurk throughout this stage, but we really can't imagine he'd be anywhere other than on the upward slope of that huge climb into Sestrières.

More pictures later when Blogger sort their current bugs out.