Vuelta a España - Stage 18 Preview

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The high mountains are all ridden, but there's still plenty of climbing to be done in the 2011 Vuelta - a fair bit of it in today's Stage 18 with a total of 2110m of categorised ascending and plenty of extra uncategorised climbs to make sure everyone knows they've been working hard.

The people of Solares have evidently been hard at work praising the gods of cycling this year - they've been doubly blessed. Not only did they get to see an intermediate sprint on their streets yesterday, they also get to be the start town today.

With its light, airy buildings and wide avenues, Solares looks every inch the modern town: it could easily have been designed from scratch by a philanthropist architect in the 20th Century as an example of an ideal Utopian community, but this is as a result of good management - it's in fact much older, as proved by the existence of the early medieval period Pico Castillo, assorted private houses dating from the 12th Century, the 17th Century Palacio de los Marqueses de Valbuena and the vast early 19th Century spa, restored and modernised in recent years to form an up-to-date resort.

Juan Antonio de Saro y Galban

The stage begins at the bus station on the Calle de Calvo Sotelo before moving down the Av. de Oviedo and passing the Calle de los Mies del Corro. It's a short neutral zone today, ending after just 3km on the N-634 near San Vitores. The route passes La Herran and El Condado along the wide, unchallenging road before reaching Elguero after 5.3km, carrying on straight ahead a little way further on as it's joined by the A-8. After 9.5km, the race reaches Sarón and passes right through the town and under the A-8 to La Penilla. Sarón, like Solares, looks like a modern town - but in this case, it really is: the oldest structure here, built by Juan Antonio de Saro y Galbán, dates from 1876. Curiously, the town's name comes from de Saro's nickname - Sarón being a name apparently applied to tall men with beards in this part of the world.

A roundabout in the middle of La Penilla shouldn't cause problems as the peloton won't turn here, but it's slightly off the centreline of the entering and exiting roads and thus could conceivably clip the wheels of any rider either not quite awake yet of pushed onto it by the sheer weight of numbers still making up the pack at this early stage in the race. The next village, La Cueva, derives its name not from a cavern but from the Latin name of the Roman road that connected the Bay of Santander to the iron ore mines of Peña Cabarga. To leave the village, the route turns left and then right to get onto the N-634a leading to Villabáñez after 17.7km, passing by the beautiful Colegiata de la Santa Cruz at Socobio. There are five speed humps along the road traveling through, then easily the ugliest bridge we've seen so far in this year's Vuelta carries over the river and into Vargas. An very tight left at the roundabout in the middle of town leads south-east along the N-623, following the river for a while as it winds its way through the green landscape, then arrives at Puente Viesgo 22km from the start. This beautiful little town with a very fine church stands on a stretch of river that, with its white water rushing between rocks, surpasses everything man-made along its banks. We pass by one bridge, the Gran Hotel and a second bridge before leaving the town and continuing onward to Aes, negotiating a roundabout halfway between the two communities.

Entrambasmestas

The parcours continues sourth-east, through Corvera and past Cillero, Borlena, Villegar and San Vicente de Toranzo (appearing on some maps as Corvera de Toranzo) before arriving at Ontaneda. Despite appearing quite larger, it's a small community stretched out along the road and contiguous with Alceda, but rarely goes back more than three houses from the road. Prior to the 19th Century, Ontaneda was frequently known as el Corralón de Alceda, "Alceda's Yard," but today is has far outgrown its diminutive parent. La Escobosa is reached and passed, then we arrive at Entrambasmestas, nestling at the foot of a forested hill and with its narrow streets, little houses and square complete with pavement cafe perhaps the perfect embodiment of a little Cantabrian village. As the race arrives at the village, the route turns sharply to the left then bends right as it changes onto the CA-263 heading along the edge of the forest - thus making it potentially slippery - and past picturesque Candolias and onward to Vega de Pas, the capital town of the municipality and, with 311 inhabitants, its largest. The race turns left, heading into the village and around some tight corners to join the CA-262 and crossing a narrow bridge on the edge of town with 50.3km ridden; marking the beginning of the Category 3 Puerto de Braguia climb which will carry the peloton to 725m above sea level after ascending 365m in 5.9km.

Cantabria

A hairpin lies approximately 100m from the bridge, not especially steep by quite tight, and a second with much the same description coming after 0.89km. A fairly tight left bend leads up to a series of relatively unchallenging bends after 0.6km, then two wide bends - the first traveling around a ruined house - and a 90 degree right lead into a gently curved section of 1.4km and another 90 degree right taking us up to a forest. The road twists as it follows the contours at the forest's edge, reaching the highest point as it rounds the second bend.

The initial part of the descent is fast and, with fairly gentle curves, not too technical. However, it reaches hairpins very soon; the first arriving 1km after the forest is left behind and the second 0.4km futher on. Neither are especially steep, but both are tight with the second being the more difficult of the two and bending through more than 180 degrees before straightening out. A very tight left, around 100 degrees, lies 0.2km ahead; then there are 1.4km of gentle curves and fast descending to the next hairpins. The first is easy; the second drops 14m and is very tight - and is surrounded by trees, making it potentially slippery and very hazardous indeed: if it's raining or has rained in the past few hours, crashes can be virtually guaranteed at this point. One final hairpin comes after another 1.5km of high-speed downhilling - this one is much less steep than the last, but is tight and again surrounded by trees. Combine these factors with the high speeds at which riders will enter the section and crashes are very likely here too. There's a tight left after 0.3km, then we approach Selaya along a road almost perfectly straight with the exception of a slight left and a 45 degree right as we enter the town.

Selaya

Selaya, 64.3km from the start, is famous for its cubos del término municipal y rollo heráldico, 17th and 18th carved stone pillars acting as a combination of shrine, container for heraldic rolls and boundary marker. Having entered the village across the wide bridge, the race turns right onto the CA-264 and immediately begins the second climb, 840m Cat 2 Alto del Caracol featuring 600m of climbing in 10.8km. The first section of the road, though fairly steep, is unchallenging and the race should reach the small descent at 67km from the start very rapidly. The first hairpin - wide and not technical - comes immediately afterwards as the road begins to climb the main part of the mountain. A few bends through patches of trees could prove hazardous if conditions are wet, but will probable be problem-free. A wide left-hand bend leads into a gently twisting section of around 2.95km in length, climbing quite steeply up to 600m just before the next - also unchallenging - hairpin. A tight right-hand bend lies 0.4km ahead, then another gently twisting section rises to 700m and enters a 0.3km straight leading to the next hairpin, wide but - climbing 14m - steep. The next, 0.2km away, is much less steep and equally wide. Two left/right Z-bends, the first gentle and the second much tighter come within 0.25km of one another, the altitude reaching 800m just as we enter the second. The summit comes just as the race passes by a house standing alone on the left of the road and before reaching a rocky outcrop to the right. The descent is fast with a potential hazard coming just half a kilometre after the outcrop at a place where dirt tracks join the road, leading to dust, mud and grit on the road surface. Two tight left-hand bands lie a short way ahead, followed by the first descending hairpin which - coming after a steep section, being surrounded by trees and dropping 10m - is another potential hazard. Following 90 degree right/left/right/right turns in quick sucession, the race reaches a junction with the CA-260, turning through a tight 180 degrees to join it and ride into San Roque de Riomiera. The road turns a medium right followed by a medium left and another medium right as is passes through the town, arriving at a right-hand hairpin just around the following gentle left bend - it's a descending one, surrounded by trees in what looks to be a damp or even marshy area and as such is very likely to be slippery. A second and equally tight left hairpin lies 0.15km ahead, surrounded by trees once again but less steep and likely to be approached at a much slower speed. There is a narrow bridge 2.1km from the village and a sharp right turn to continue on the CA-260, the road ahead becoming the CA-642.

The route passes by the high, mountainous landscape to the east and travels by Ajanedo - site of the Cueva de El Salitre, a cave with paintings dating from the Upper Palaeolithic, a period lasting between 30,000 and 11,000 years before the present. The road ahead through a gorge, as the CA-641 joins from the left, may seem familiar - it's the same section with ten hairpins in half a kilometre that we passed by yesterday. The road joins the route which enters a deep gorge leading to Mirones and through another - perhaps even more impressive due to the greater height of the cliffs either side - gorge, and reaches Mortesante 185.5km from the start. A 90 degree left comes a little later, followed by straight sections towards Rubalcaba. A 90 degree left comes a little later, followed by straight sections towards Rubalcaba - a little village made famous by the la Casa de Miera-Rubalcaba, a house declared to be of Interés Cultural - Cultural Interest - in 1994. The road into Liérganes, a short way ahead, is extremely narrow en route for the centre of the village, potentially causing a pile-up and crashes, but then opens up again before leaving and heading towards a roundabout. The peloton turn right here onto a route that the road book says is the CA-640 but our maps call the CA-651, heading into Hermosa and including a hairpin along the way. There's a series of tricky bends on the way through the village, then the route straightens out as it approaches Valdecilla.

A cannon, cast in La Cavada, mounted on two pedestals
formed from blast furnace slag in the town's Parque de
Carlos III

When the peloton arrive, they turn left to pass along the Calle de Ramón Pelayo leading through Valdecilla and ending at the N-634a. They turn right and proceed to the Av. de Alisas as it becomes the CA-161, then pass through Ceceñas and come to a level crossing 3km after Solares. A right turn carries them south to La Cavada. The town, today home to just over a thousand people, grew up around an artillery factory established here in 1622 - prior to the factory's demise in the early half of the 19th Century, the town rang to the noise and choked on the fumes of four blast furnaces. Once the factory had closed, the locals - finding themselves without a source of income now that the locale's largest employer had vanished, looted the buildings for anything that could be sold or used to patch up their homes. Less than fifty years later, virtually no trace of the facility was left above ground. An old textile mill, built in 1847, may look familiar to some British viewers - it was designed to closely emulate those in Manchester with its large windows letting in plenty of light for the workers to see in the days before electricity was installed.

Panoramic view of Puerto Ailsas

One on the other side of town, the race passes along an almost perfectly straight section of 3.22km before arriving at Riotuerto and turning twistier as the Cat 1 ascent of Puerto de Alisas, featuring a 600m climb in 8.6km, gets under way. A 90 degree right among trees 0.3km from Riotuerto may prove hazardous if conditions are wet but should otherwise cause no issues. A wide right-hander follows around half a kilometre later followed by another 1.25km ahead at the foot of the rocky promontory to the left of the road. The first hairpin, a right, comes 1.9km later and is followed by a medium left bend bringing the altitude to 400m. Another 90 degree right just beyond the rocks leads into a medium left, followed by a straight half-kilometre to another hairpin. This one, a left, rises approximately 11m but isn't especially steep. The next, 0.4km ahead, climbs only 6m but is much tighter. Another 0.4km brings the race to La Calzadillas and 500m altitude, then we arrive at a very tight but not steep hairpin having traveled the same distance once again. A wider one lies 0.2km ahead and is followed 0.33km later by another, much tighter, leading into a sweeping 180 degree right-hand bend followed by a 90 degree right up to buildings. A line of trees conceals the layout of a right/left Z-bend, but it's not a technical one and shouldn't create problems. The next hairpin, 0.2km ahead, is medium tightness and not steep, then a straight 0.3km leads to a sharp right and left by farm buildings. The summit, 675m above sea level, lies just around the left bend by a little car-park/look-out offering views over the green hills to the Bay of Santander.

Iglesia Ruperstre de San Juan

The first 0.4km of descent is relatively flat but leads into a sharp right bend after which the road becomes steeper. An equally sharp left just ahead leads into a section with several bends, potentially hazardous, then a 90 degree right precedes a slight left/sweeping right bend into a tight right hairpin at the top of a very steep slope. A medium left just beyond carries the peloton onto a short straight coming to the next hairpin, a left-hander dropping around 8m. A sweeping right leads to a tight left 0.47km ahead, then 1.76 straight kilometres pass by before the next technical bend, a 90 degree right followed by another easy 1.5km. Two bends, medium tightness but at the foot of steep forested slopes, may prove hazardous due to grit, mud, or leaves on the surface; as might the tight right hairpin just after the second bend. The next, 0.5km further on, is in open country and should be simple, then the road flattens out considerably for the final stretch into Arredondo. Just out of sight around the high, rocky promontory south of the village is Socueva - the site of the remarkable Iglesia Rupestre de San Juan, a church built into a limestone cave during the early Middle Ages. Abandoned for many centuries following the decline of Moorish Spain, it's an eerie place today. Excavations in the cave have revealed that it's been used by humans for much longer than the church has been here, artifacts discovered here have been dated to the Palaeolithic period.

Having passed through the centre of Arredondo, the route rounds a medium left and 90 degree right on the edge of the town followed by a second medium left leading onto a straight section running along the perimeter of a forest. A medium right - potentially hazardous due to the trees - comes after 1.4km; then a medium right enters a poker straight section into Riba. The intermediate sprint begins here with 134.3km ridden since the end of the neutral zone, then the peloton turn a 90 degree left corner to join up with the CA-266. The Cat 3 Puerto de la Cruz Usaño climb with a 235m ascent in 3km begins here.

Landscape near Matienzo

A bridge carries the race over the Rio Ason and into a tight right bend leading to a sweeping left and then a right 0.2km later. Once out of the bend, the first hairpin is 0.22km ahead - it's a relatively easy one and leads towards a sweeping right bend followed by a junction as another road joins on the right. The second hairpin, a very easy one, lies 0.33km beyond the junction and the much tighter third 0.25km after that. Two simple bends lead to farm buildings and into the final section of the climb, the summit coming 0.68km after a barn at the left side of the road just as the parcours enters a sweeping right bend. A short forested section lies ahead, the road emerging very shortly into a open countryside dotted with small houses and farm buildings, turning a medium left at the edge of the trees. The following 2.9km into Matienzo consist of long straights and gentle bends, thus being very unlikely to constitute of hazard.

Matienzo, 138km from the start, is a place of very special interest to geologists. It sits in a large flat area surrounded on all sides by high crags, the flat land having been created by the process of clay decalcification over many millions of years. The mountains are limestone and riddled with caves. In many places, it's possible to see short streams emerge from the ground and run along the surface for a short distance before disappearing into deep holes dissolved into the limestone. Having left the village behind, the race passes to the right of Cueto and, after 5km, begins the final climb: Cat 3 Puerto de Fuente las Varas with 310m of climbing in 4.6km. A medium left in forest leads to a gentle right and the first hairpin, a wide right-hander with a 90 degree right 0.25km ahead. Two sweeping lefts lead to a medium right, then a medium left leads up to the second - also unchallenging - hairpin and a relatively straight 0.92km stretch ending at a medium right. The summit, 450m above sea level, lies at the junction with the S-550 1.1km later where we turn left.

Puerto de Fuente las Varas (from Foro-Ciudad)

The initial part of the descent is fast and non-technical until we reach El Portillo with a sharp 90 degree left, followed by another unchallenging stretch to just past Redolfo and a second 90 degree left. Both are surrounded by open land and so may prove very slippery due to mud on the road surface following rain. A sweeping right leads towards a junction with the CA-652 where the parcours continues straight ahead, arriving at what could be a very hazardous right-hander hairpin 0.56km later: the combination of high entry speed, tightness of the bend, steepness of descent (nearly 15m) and trees on a higher level than the exit will mean that extreme caution needs to be exercised here and crashes are very likely. The route follows the edge of the forest for a short while, turning 90 degrees left as it leaves the trees behind; turning three more similar bends in the next 0.6km. A gentle right leads onto a straight 3.1km run through Solorzano and into Hazas de Cesto 157.4km from the start. As we leave the village, the road becomes the CA-269.

You don't see this at Benidorm! The often deserted beaches
of Cantabria, such as this one at Noja, have a charm very
hard to find at the tourist traps

Having passed underneath the A-8 motorway, we reach Beranga and turn right onto the N-634 for all of 0.4km before coming to the CA-147 and turning left onto it. There are several bends en route to Castillo, but the road is wide and none of them are likely to cause any problems, though a roundabout just south of the town could prove hazardous in the case of fuel spillages. The race passes by the town, coming to another roundabout after 0.8km and turning right to head east towards Santoña on the CA-141. After 1.35km along the poker straight road, the route turns left again to Helgueras, then a medium left in the centre of the town followed by a left at the roundabout right next to the beach for the final section into Noja. The peloton turn left into the town, soon coming to a roundabout and a right turn onto the Calle de los Pinares and following it north to the Calle El Arenai leading onto the Calle Castrejón El Arenai. A slight rise in a 0.16km section leads to two medium lefts either side of a straight 0.45km, then a very gentle descent over 0.24km leads to the final straight and flat 0.16km sprint to the end; the race arriving after 174.6m.

Predictions: The last of the difficult stages are done, and this time on Tuesday night we pretty much all expected Juan Jose Cobo to have secured his overall GC victory with a ride up the Pena Carbarga as good as the one he managed up Angliru. However, a certain Chris Froome had other ideas, securing a remarkable stage win in which he showed the cunning of a ninja and the sneakiness of a ferret to slip past Geox's new hero with only metres to spare even as the commentators were announcing Cobo's victory and also ensuring that several riders have everything to play for as we move into the final stages of the race.

Cobo can still win - he remains race leader and has a respectable lead. However, Froome isn't very far behind and, if he can put in two or three of the sort of performances of which he's left us in doubt he's capable, he could just find himself on the top step of the podium in Madrid. On the other hand, his team captain Bradley Wiggins is also not too far behind - we don't think this year's Vuelta is Brad's, but it could happen. We'll be putting our money on Chris though.

In saying that, there are still a few decent climbs to go and there's still a possibility that a climber could take this one. Moncoutie, perhaps?


Weather: Much the same as the last few days - temperatures ranging from 22C at the start down to 18C at the highest points and up to 23C at the lowest. The wind will be changeable - expect a gentle tailwind for the first 40km, encouraging high speeds which could help prevent breakaway attempts. This will change to a gentle crosswind for the first pair of mountains, changing again to a headwind for the following 20km or so. A gentle tailwind will assist on the way up the third mountain before a headwind for the rest of the stage makes the final push to the finish line require that little bit more effort. Once again, no rain is expected anywhere on the parcours and it should remain sunny throughout.


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Vuelta a España - Stage 18 Preview

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Stage Profile: click here
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The high mountains are all ridden, but there's still plenty of climbing to be done in the 2011 Vuelta - a fair bit of it in today's Stage 18 with a total of 2110m of categorised ascending and plenty of extra uncategorised climbs to make sure everyone knows they've been working hard.

The people of Solares have evidently been hard at work praising the gods of cycling this year - they've been doubly blessed. Not only did they get to see an intermediate sprint on their streets yesterday, they also get to be the start town today.

With its light, airy buildings and wide avenues, Solares looks every inch the modern town: it could easily have been designed from scratch by a philanthropist architect in the 20th Century as an example of an ideal Utopian community, but this is as a result of good management - it's in fact much older, as proved by the existence of the early medieval period Pico Castillo, assorted private houses dating from the 12th Century, the 17th Century Palacio de los Marqueses de Valbuena and the vast early 19th Century spa, restored and modernised in recent years to form an up-to-date resort.

Juan Antonio de Saro y Galban

The stage begins at the bus station on the Calle de Calvo Sotelo before moving down the Av. de Oviedo and passing the Calle de los Mies del Corro. It's a short neutral zone today, ending after just 3km on the N-634 near San Vitores. The route passes La Herran and El Condado along the wide, unchallenging road before reaching Elguero after 5.3km, carrying on straight ahead a little way further on as it's joined by the A-8. After 9.5km, the race reaches Sarón and passes right through the town and under the A-8 to La Penilla. Sarón, like Solares, looks like a modern town - but in this case, it really is: the oldest structure here, built by Juan Antonio de Saro y Galbán, dates from 1876. Curiously, the town's name comes from de Saro's nickname - Sarón being a name apparently applied to tall men with beards in this part of the world.

A roundabout in the middle of La Penilla shouldn't cause problems as the peloton won't turn here, but it's slightly off the centreline of the entering and exiting roads and thus could conceivably clip the wheels of any rider either not quite awake yet of pushed onto it by the sheer weight of numbers still making up the pack at this early stage in the race. The next village, La Cueva, derives its name not from a cavern but from the Latin name of the Roman road that connected the Bay of Santander to the iron ore mines of Peña Cabarga. To leave the village, the route turns left and then right to get onto the N-634a leading to Villabáñez after 17.7km, passing by the beautiful Colegiata de la Santa Cruz at Socobio. There are five speed humps along the road traveling through, then easily the ugliest bridge we've seen so far in this year's Vuelta carries over the river and into Vargas. An very tight left at the roundabout in the middle of town leads south-east along the N-623, following the river for a while as it winds its way through the green landscape, then arrives at Puente Viesgo 22km from the start. This beautiful little town with a very fine church stands on a stretch of river that, with its white water rushing between rocks, surpasses everything man-made along its banks. We pass by one bridge, the Gran Hotel and a second bridge before leaving the town and continuing onward to Aes, negotiating a roundabout halfway between the two communities.

Entrambasmestas

The parcours continues sourth-east, through Corvera and past Cillero, Borlena, Villegar and San Vicente de Toranzo (appearing on some maps as Corvera de Toranzo) before arriving at Ontaneda. Despite appearing quite larger, it's a small community stretched out along the road and contiguous with Alceda, but rarely goes back more than three houses from the road. Prior to the 19th Century, Ontaneda was frequently known as el Corralón de Alceda, "Alceda's Yard," but today is has far outgrown its diminutive parent. La Escobosa is reached and passed, then we arrive at Entrambasmestas, nestling at the foot of a forested hill and with its narrow streets, little houses and square complete with pavement cafe perhaps the perfect embodiment of a little Cantabrian village. As the race arrives at the village, the route turns sharply to the left then bends right as it changes onto the CA-263 heading along the edge of the forest - thus making it potentially slippery - and past picturesque Candolias and onward to Vega de Pas, the capital town of the municipality and, with 311 inhabitants, its largest. The race turns left, heading into the village and around some tight corners to join the CA-262 and crossing a narrow bridge on the edge of town with 50.3km ridden; marking the beginning of the Category 3 Puerto de Braguia climb which will carry the peloton to 725m above sea level after ascending 365m in 5.9km.

Cantabria

A hairpin lies approximately 100m from the bridge, not especially steep by quite tight, and a second with much the same description coming after 0.89km. A fairly tight left bend leads up to a series of relatively unchallenging bends after 0.6km, then two wide bends - the first traveling around a ruined house - and a 90 degree right lead into a gently curved section of 1.4km and another 90 degree right taking us up to a forest. The road twists as it follows the contours at the forest's edge, reaching the highest point as it rounds the second bend.

The initial part of the descent is fast and, with fairly gentle curves, not too technical. However, it reaches hairpins very soon; the first arriving 1km after the forest is left behind and the second 0.4km futher on. Neither are especially steep, but both are tight with the second being the more difficult of the two and bending through more than 180 degrees before straightening out. A very tight left, around 100 degrees, lies 0.2km ahead; then there are 1.4km of gentle curves and fast descending to the next hairpins. The first is easy; the second drops 14m and is very tight - and is surrounded by trees, making it potentially slippery and very hazardous indeed: if it's raining or has rained in the past few hours, crashes can be virtually guaranteed at this point. One final hairpin comes after another 1.5km of high-speed downhilling - this one is much less steep than the last, but is tight and again surrounded by trees. Combine these factors with the high speeds at which riders will enter the section and crashes are very likely here too. There's a tight left after 0.3km, then we approach Selaya along a road almost perfectly straight with the exception of a slight left and a 45 degree right as we enter the town.

Selaya

Selaya, 64.3km from the start, is famous for its cubos del término municipal y rollo heráldico, 17th and 18th carved stone pillars acting as a combination of shrine, container for heraldic rolls and boundary marker. Having entered the village across the wide bridge, the race turns right onto the CA-264 and immediately begins the second climb, 840m Cat 2 Alto del Caracol featuring 600m of climbing in 10.8km. The first section of the road, though fairly steep, is unchallenging and the race should reach the small descent at 67km from the start very rapidly. The first hairpin - wide and not technical - comes immediately afterwards as the road begins to climb the main part of the mountain. A few bends through patches of trees could prove hazardous if conditions are wet, but will probable be problem-free. A wide left-hand bend leads into a gently twisting section of around 2.95km in length, climbing quite steeply up to 600m just before the next - also unchallenging - hairpin. A tight right-hand bend lies 0.4km ahead, then another gently twisting section rises to 700m and enters a 0.3km straight leading to the next hairpin, wide but - climbing 14m - steep. The next, 0.2km away, is much less steep and equally wide. Two left/right Z-bends, the first gentle and the second much tighter come within 0.25km of one another, the altitude reaching 800m just as we enter the second. The summit comes just as the race passes by a house standing alone on the left of the road and before reaching a rocky outcrop to the right. The descent is fast with a potential hazard coming just half a kilometre after the outcrop at a place where dirt tracks join the road, leading to dust, mud and grit on the road surface. Two tight left-hand bands lie a short way ahead, followed by the first descending hairpin which - coming after a steep section, being surrounded by trees and dropping 10m - is another potential hazard. Following 90 degree right/left/right/right turns in quick sucession, the race reaches a junction with the CA-260, turning through a tight 180 degrees to join it and ride into San Roque de Riomiera. The road turns a medium right followed by a medium left and another medium right as is passes through the town, arriving at a right-hand hairpin just around the following gentle left bend - it's a descending one, surrounded by trees in what looks to be a damp or even marshy area and as such is very likely to be slippery. A second and equally tight left hairpin lies 0.15km ahead, surrounded by trees once again but less steep and likely to be approached at a much slower speed. There is a narrow bridge 2.1km from the village and a sharp right turn to continue on the CA-260, the road ahead becoming the CA-642.

The route passes by the high, mountainous landscape to the east and travels by Ajanedo - site of the Cueva de El Salitre, a cave with paintings dating from the Upper Palaeolithic, a period lasting between 30,000 and 11,000 years before the present. The road ahead through a gorge, as the CA-641 joins from the left, may seem familiar - it's the same section with ten hairpins in half a kilometre that we passed by yesterday. The road joins the route which enters a deep gorge leading to Mirones and through another - perhaps even more impressive due to the greater height of the cliffs either side - gorge, and reaches Mortesante 185.5km from the start. A 90 degree left comes a little later, followed by straight sections towards Rubalcaba. A 90 degree left comes a little later, followed by straight sections towards Rubalcaba - a little village made famous by the la Casa de Miera-Rubalcaba, a house declared to be of Interés Cultural - Cultural Interest - in 1994. The road into Liérganes, a short way ahead, is extremely narrow en route for the centre of the village, potentially causing a pile-up and crashes, but then opens up again before leaving and heading towards a roundabout. The peloton turn right here onto a route that the road book says is the CA-640 but our maps call the CA-651, heading into Hermosa and including a hairpin along the way. There's a series of tricky bends on the way through the village, then the route straightens out as it approaches Valdecilla.

A cannon, cast in La Cavada, mounted on two pedestals
formed from blast furnace slag in the town's Parque de
Carlos III

When the peloton arrive, they turn left to pass along the Calle de Ramón Pelayo leading through Valdecilla and ending at the N-634a. They turn right and proceed to the Av. de Alisas as it becomes the CA-161, then pass through Ceceñas and come to a level crossing 3km after Solares. A right turn carries them south to La Cavada. The town, today home to just over a thousand people, grew up around an artillery factory established here in 1622 - prior to the factory's demise in the early half of the 19th Century, the town rang to the noise and choked on the fumes of four blast furnaces. Once the factory had closed, the locals - finding themselves without a source of income now that the locale's largest employer had vanished, looted the buildings for anything that could be sold or used to patch up their homes. Less than fifty years later, virtually no trace of the facility was left above ground. An old textile mill, built in 1847, may look familiar to some British viewers - it was designed to closely emulate those in Manchester with its large windows letting in plenty of light for the workers to see in the days before electricity was installed.

Panoramic view of Puerto Ailsas

One on the other side of town, the race passes along an almost perfectly straight section of 3.22km before arriving at Riotuerto and turning twistier as the Cat 1 ascent of Puerto de Alisas, featuring a 600m climb in 8.6km, gets under way. A 90 degree right among trees 0.3km from Riotuerto may prove hazardous if conditions are wet but should otherwise cause no issues. A wide right-hander follows around half a kilometre later followed by another 1.25km ahead at the foot of the rocky promontory to the left of the road. The first hairpin, a right, comes 1.9km later and is followed by a medium left bend bringing the altitude to 400m. Another 90 degree right just beyond the rocks leads into a medium left, followed by a straight half-kilometre to another hairpin. This one, a left, rises approximately 11m but isn't especially steep. The next, 0.4km ahead, climbs only 6m but is much tighter. Another 0.4km brings the race to La Calzadillas and 500m altitude, then we arrive at a very tight but not steep hairpin having traveled the same distance once again. A wider one lies 0.2km ahead and is followed 0.33km later by another, much tighter, leading into a sweeping 180 degree right-hand bend followed by a 90 degree right up to buildings. A line of trees conceals the layout of a right/left Z-bend, but it's not a technical one and shouldn't create problems. The next hairpin, 0.2km ahead, is medium tightness and not steep, then a straight 0.3km leads to a sharp right and left by farm buildings. The summit, 675m above sea level, lies just around the left bend by a little car-park/look-out offering views over the green hills to the Bay of Santander.

Iglesia Ruperstre de San Juan

The first 0.4km of descent is relatively flat but leads into a sharp right bend after which the road becomes steeper. An equally sharp left just ahead leads into a section with several bends, potentially hazardous, then a 90 degree right precedes a slight left/sweeping right bend into a tight right hairpin at the top of a very steep slope. A medium left just beyond carries the peloton onto a short straight coming to the next hairpin, a left-hander dropping around 8m. A sweeping right leads to a tight left 0.47km ahead, then 1.76 straight kilometres pass by before the next technical bend, a 90 degree right followed by another easy 1.5km. Two bends, medium tightness but at the foot of steep forested slopes, may prove hazardous due to grit, mud, or leaves on the surface; as might the tight right hairpin just after the second bend. The next, 0.5km further on, is in open country and should be simple, then the road flattens out considerably for the final stretch into Arredondo. Just out of sight around the high, rocky promontory south of the village is Socueva - the site of the remarkable Iglesia Rupestre de San Juan, a church built into a limestone cave during the early Middle Ages. Abandoned for many centuries following the decline of Moorish Spain, it's an eerie place today. Excavations in the cave have revealed that it's been used by humans for much longer than the church has been here, artifacts discovered here have been dated to the Palaeolithic period.

Having passed through the centre of Arredondo, the route rounds a medium left and 90 degree right on the edge of the town followed by a second medium left leading onto a straight section running along the perimeter of a forest. A medium right - potentially hazardous due to the trees - comes after 1.4km; then a medium right enters a poker straight section into Riba. The intermediate sprint begins here with 134.3km ridden since the end of the neutral zone, then the peloton turn a 90 degree left corner to join up with the CA-266. The Cat 3 Puerto de la Cruz Usaño climb with a 235m ascent in 3km begins here.

Landscape near Matienzo

A bridge carries the race over the Rio Ason and into a tight right bend leading to a sweeping left and then a right 0.2km later. Once out of the bend, the first hairpin is 0.22km ahead - it's a relatively easy one and leads towards a sweeping right bend followed by a junction as another road joins on the right. The second hairpin, a very easy one, lies 0.33km beyond the junction and the much tighter third 0.25km after that. Two simple bends lead to farm buildings and into the final section of the climb, the summit coming 0.68km after a barn at the left side of the road just as the parcours enters a sweeping right bend. A short forested section lies ahead, the road emerging very shortly into a open countryside dotted with small houses and farm buildings, turning a medium left at the edge of the trees. The following 2.9km into Matienzo consist of long straights and gentle bends, thus being very unlikely to constitute of hazard.

Matienzo, 138km from the start, is a place of very special interest to geologists. It sits in a large flat area surrounded on all sides by high crags, the flat land having been created by the process of clay decalcification over many millions of years. The mountains are limestone and riddled with caves. In many places, it's possible to see short streams emerge from the ground and run along the surface for a short distance before disappearing into deep holes dissolved into the limestone. Having left the village behind, the race passes to the right of Cueto and, after 5km, begins the final climb: Cat 3 Puerto de Fuente las Varas with 310m of climbing in 4.6km. A medium left in forest leads to a gentle right and the first hairpin, a wide right-hander with a 90 degree right 0.25km ahead. Two sweeping lefts lead to a medium right, then a medium left leads up to the second - also unchallenging - hairpin and a relatively straight 0.92km stretch ending at a medium right. The summit, 450m above sea level, lies at the junction with the S-550 1.1km later where we turn left.

Puerto de Fuente las Varas (from Foro-Ciudad)

The initial part of the descent is fast and non-technical until we reach El Portillo with a sharp 90 degree left, followed by another unchallenging stretch to just past Redolfo and a second 90 degree left. Both are surrounded by open land and so may prove very slippery due to mud on the road surface following rain. A sweeping right leads towards a junction with the CA-652 where the parcours continues straight ahead, arriving at what could be a very hazardous right-hander hairpin 0.56km later: the combination of high entry speed, tightness of the bend, steepness of descent (nearly 15m) and trees on a higher level than the exit will mean that extreme caution needs to be exercised here and crashes are very likely. The route follows the edge of the forest for a short while, turning 90 degrees left as it leaves the trees behind; turning three more similar bends in the next 0.6km. A gentle right leads onto a straight 3.1km run through Solorzano and into Hazas de Cesto 157.4km from the start. As we leave the village, the road becomes the CA-269.

You don't see this at Benidorm! The often deserted beaches
of Cantabria, such as this one at Noja, have a charm very
hard to find at the tourist traps

Having passed underneath the A-8 motorway, we reach Beranga and turn right onto the N-634 for all of 0.4km before coming to the CA-147 and turning left onto it. There are several bends en route to Castillo, but the road is wide and none of them are likely to cause any problems, though a roundabout just south of the town could prove hazardous in the case of fuel spillages. The race passes by the town, coming to another roundabout after 0.8km and turning right to head east towards Santoña on the CA-141. After 1.35km along the poker straight road, the route turns left again to Helgueras, then a medium left in the centre of the town followed by a left at the roundabout right next to the beach for the final section into Noja. The peloton turn left into the town, soon coming to a roundabout and a right turn onto the Calle de los Pinares and following it north to the Calle El Arenai leading onto the Calle Castrejón El Arenai. A slight rise in a 0.16km section leads to two medium lefts either side of a straight 0.45km, then a very gentle descent over 0.24km leads to the final straight and flat 0.16km sprint to the end; the race arriving after 174.6m.

Predictions: The last of the difficult stages are done, and this time on Tuesday night we pretty much all expected Juan Jose Cobo to have secured his overall GC victory with a ride up the Pena Carbarga as good as the one he managed up Angliru. However, a certain Chris Froome had other ideas, securing a remarkable stage win in which he showed the cunning of a ninja and the sneakiness of a ferret to slip past Geox's new hero with only metres to spare even as the commentators were announcing Cobo's victory and also ensuring that several riders have everything to play for as we move into the final stages of the race.

Cobo can still win - he remains race leader and has a respectable lead. However, Froome isn't very far behind and, if he can put in two or three of the sort of performances of which he's left us in doubt he's capable, he could just find himself on the top step of the podium in Madrid. On the other hand, his team captain Bradley Wiggins is also not too far behind - we don't think this year's Vuelta is Brad's, but it could happen. We'll be putting our money on Chris though.

In saying that, there are still a few decent climbs to go and there's still a possibility that a climber could take this one. Moncoutie, perhaps?


Weather: Much the same as the last few days - temperatures ranging from 22C at the start down to 18C at the highest points and up to 23C at the lowest. The wind will be changeable - expect a gentle tailwind for the first 40km, encouraging high speeds which could help prevent breakaway attempts. This will change to a gentle crosswind for the first pair of mountains, changing again to a headwind for the following 20km or so. A gentle tailwind will assist on the way up the third mountain before a headwind for the rest of the stage makes the final push to the finish line require that little bit more effort. Once again, no rain is expected anywhere on the parcours and it should remain sunny throughout.


More Previews: click here

Tour de France: Stage 18 Debrief - fading star turns supernova!

"If you don't risk, you don't win. That's my attitude." (Andy Schleck)

If you missed the stage today beg, borrow, steal or even pay good money for a recording otherwise you  risk missing one of the greatest stages in modern times.

Andy Schleck, the man for whom so many of us had given up hope, attacked on the second climb with 60km to go - and never stopped, dropping all before him and leading up the mighty Col du Galibier; crossing the finish line more than two minutes before the next rider, brother Frank.

If he can do the same tomorrow, the time trial may as well not be raced - he'll not only have won the Tour but achieved possibly the greatest victory since Eddy Merckx.

Meanwhile, it looks like the road to the finish was also the road to the end for Alberto Contador. The champion tried in the early stages but he was simply unable to match Andy's superior skill and strength, leaving it down to Cadel Evans to go on the hunt. Cadel reduced the gap - at one point four minutes - to a little over two, but when it came down to it his enormous brute strength and power couldn't compete with Andy's graceful pedaling style. As the finish line drew near, Frank swung out from the back of the chase group and overtook, coming in 2'07" behind his little brother. Cadel was 8" later and was followed across by Ivan Basso 3" behind him.

Another star of the day was Thomas Voeckler who, thanks partially to Cadel who dragged him up in his slipstream, retains his yellow jersey for an incredible ninth day making him the greatest Frenchman in the Tour for years.

Only 78 riders in - meaning approximately 90 were at risk of disqualification. However, if 20% or more of the riders finish outside the limit, race organisers have the right under UCI rules to extend the permitted time so as to avoid decimating the competition - this decision was, unsurprisingly, taken with each rider finishing outside the time being docked points equivalent to those on offer for winning the race.

This puts Mark Cavendish in a precarious place - having looked like the definite winner of the points competition, he's now only 15 points ahead of Jose Joaquin Rojas. With Rojas a much better climber, it's now very possible that the Manx sprinter won't be the first Briton to wear the green jersey in Paris after all. Everything depends on his performance in tomorrow's intermediate sprint and Saturday's time trial, if that doesn't work in his favour - which, with the sprint coming towards the end of the stage and after the climb up the massive Col du Galibier which almost finished him off for good today and Cavendish's lack of time trial ability, it likely won't - the final result could even depend on the last stage into Paris. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting final weeks since the Tour began.

"There was no "letting them have time" today. It was flat out behind....SmartOpard was just better. Period." (Jonathon Vaughters, @Vaughters, manager of Garmin-Cervelo, Twitter)

Stage 18 Results:

1. SCHLECK Andy 6h 07' 56"  

2. SCHLECK Frank + 02' 07"

3. EVANS Cadel + 02' 15"

4. BASSO Ivan + 02' 18"

5. VOECKLER Thomas + 02' 21"

6. ROLLAND Pierre + 02' 27"

7. CUNEGO Damiano + 02' 33"

8. TAARAMAE Rein + 03' 22"

9. DANIELSON Tom + 03' 25"

10. HESJEDAL Ryder + 03' 31"

Overall General Classification results following Stage 18:

1. VOECKLER Thomas 79h 34' 06"  
2. SCHLECK Andy + 00' 15"
3. SCHLECK Frank + 01' 08"
4. EVANS Cadel + 01' 12"
5. CUNEGO Damiano + 03' 46"
6. BASSO Ivan + 03' 46"
7. CONTADOR Alberto + 04' 44"
8. SANCHEZ Samuel  + 05' 20"
9. DANIELSON Tom + 07' 08"
10. PERAUD Jean-Christophe + 09' 27"


Points: Mark Cavendish; Climbers: Jelle Vanendert; Youth: Rein Taaramae; Team: Garmin-Cervelo; Combativity: Andy Schleck.

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.