Route de France féminine 2012

The stages, the starters and the steep bits - race guide here

Emakumeen Euskal Bira

The Race - The Stages - The Start List - Following The Race

Elsy Jacobs starts Friday

For anybody who cares about women's cycling, it's very easy to feel miserable at the moment - we've just had news that another race has been cancelled, the prizes on offer at the majority of the races are a joke compared to what the men win (and frequently about the same amount the riders could earn for putting in a full week in a fast food restaurant, provided they got a bit of overtime) and the salaries they receive (those who are lucky enough to receive salaries, that is; which is why some of them have to put in a full week in a fast food restaurant and hope for a bit of overtime) are quite frankly an insult in many cases. Be thankful, then, that this week brings us that celebration of all things good in women's cycling, the Festival Luxembourgeois Elsy Jacobs.

Combined, this is a two stage race with a TT prologue. However, in the Elsy Jacobs each stage is a race within its own right to a far greater extent than in any other event and every day has an entirely different feel to the others. The prologue has the feel of a party, not least of all because it takes place in the evening on a 1.7km parcours on Luxembourg city - and as that parcours is both stupendously fast and passes by some of the city's most vibrant bars, it's a full-on party in celebration of speed.

Stage 1 follows the famous parcours of the GP Elsy Jacobs, the one-day race named in honour of the world's first Women's Road Race World Champion and from which this festival grew. It heads north out of Garnich, Jacobs' hometown, then follows a 53.6km loop up to Mersch and back to Garnich again where riders complete five laps of a 9.8km circuit. Those in the know say that it's impossible to predict how this race will end, and more than once the fates have conspired to allow a relative unknown to take the glory.

“The courses are actually pretty aggressive, they provide very good races. I asked the girls to be aggressive at certain points, and they didn’t have to look too hard to find the opportunity to do that. There a million and one little climbs that provide a chance for groups to get away.” - David McPartland, GreenEDGE directeur sportif

Stage 2, named in honour of twelve-time National Champion and twice winner of the Tour de France Nicolas Frantz, uses the same 53.6km loop as Stage 1 but this time sets off from Frantz's hometown Mamer, ending with five 8.9km circuits through the narrow streets.

It's sometimes difficult to follow women's races as many simply don't have the budget to provide the sort of coverage many men's events enjoy - which is, of course, a serious problem for the sport. However, this one rivals the Grand Tours with an expertly-designed website that provides full details of the three courses, results and just about everything else a fan might wish to know.

One day, all women's races will be like this - but the Festival will always be unique, and there really is no other race quite like it.

Official site

Technical details

Teams

Energiewacht Tour

The first women's stage race of the European season, Energiwacht Tour begins on Wednesday the 4th of April at Appingdam in  Groningnen. It's not an especially well-known race outside the Netherlands and the world of women's cycling; however, since it brings together the very cream of the crop for six stages (one split), it ought to be: the 2011 edition, won by Adrie Visser, was one of the highlights of the season. Take a look at the placings - with riders such as those finishing in the top 20, it was top-notch racing all the way.

Fast and furious - last year's edition

This year, the race has grown to five days - a promising sign in these times when so many races are disappearing for lack of sponsorship or, worse, interest. There's not much in the way of hills in this part of the world (in fact, at a few points along the way the riders will be below sea level), which makes some people think the race will be boring. That couldn't be further from the truth - flat stages such as these promote breakaways and attacks, leading to a fast and furious sort of race, and with a large field of well-matched riders we can expect some very exciting competition. In the final stage, we're likely to see a different sort of racing in which good team trial tactics work well: it's a parcours made up of several very long, very straight and very fast sections where the best plan is also the simplest - stick with the team, get your head down and concentrate on turning the pedals. A full list of the teams and riders (subject to change - Martine Bras and Irene van den Broek definitely won't be there) is available here.

So, unless you only like mountains, this race pretty much has everything covered. Unfortunately, there seems to be no live coverage of the race but video may appear online after each stage - if it does, it'll be added to the daily stage reports on this blog. Local TV station RTL7 has some limited coverage, details can be found at the bottom of this article, and there's a promo video at Podium Cafe to get you in the mood.

The Stages

Stage 1 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 1 (Wednesday 6th) is a 15.1km individual time trial heading west out of Appingdam (53°19'13.91"N 6°50'48.52"E) and through the flat pastureland to Garrelsweer (53°18'48.25"N  6°47'0.82"E) where it turns east to head back, following the canal past some grand country houses. With good roads and no hills, it promises to be a very fast parcours indeed - definitely territory for the time trial specialists.

Stage 2 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 2 (Thursday 7th) starts and ends at Bad Nieuweschans (53°10'60.00"N 7°11'60.00"E). It takes us further out into the countryside, covering 107.3km over four circuits of the route and making a sortie over the border into Germany. Once again, there are no hills, which makes this an ideal parcours for a breakaway - a group of fast riders who manage to get away early on and keep going might just succeed in escaping the peloton for the rest of the race, but with the flat run to the finish they'll have their work cut out for them as the stage reaches its climax.

Stage 3 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 3 (Friday 6th) consists of six laps of an 18.4km circuit  around the Oldambtmeer lake (53°10'16.18"N 7° 1'31.82"E). It begins on Hoofdstraat by a church (53°11'40.37"N 7° 0'36.38"E), then heads briefly south before rounding the southern edge of the lake. When at the eastern end, they turn north and follow the N967 to Oostwold and then west along Huningaweg, back to Hoofdstraat and on to the finish line located at the same point they started. It's another very flat parcours, with a straight and slightly downhill initial section that will promote fast starts and encourage breaks. If they don't, expect attacks aplenty - especially in the last lap as the riders try to gain an upper hand before it's too late.

Stage 4a - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 4a (Saturday 7th) both starts and ends at Winsum, a town sometimes termed the treasure of the north according to the Tour website - with two traditional Dutch mills and what is reputed to be The Netherlands' oldest pub (Der Gouden Karper) set among quintessentially Dutch countryside. The parcours leaves Winsom to the north, travelling up to Baflo and then taking a long, fast loop west and south-west to Mensingeweer. Next, it heads east along a road called the Wildeveldseweg (which must sound fantastic in a Dutch accent). Just visible to the south-west from this point is Ezinge, the oldest continually-inhabited village in the country. Long before the ancient tribes who would become the Dutch worked out how to drain the boggy landscape, they would create artificial islands upon which to live (now known as terps and, since drainage, resembling low hills) - the example at Ezinge is still evident and is now occupied by the village's 13th Century church. During the early 20th Century, worked who dug peat for fuel began finding strange objects that were obviously of great age in the area, soon attracting the attention of archaeologists who found many more - including Roman artifacts and part of a sword almost identical to another dicovered at the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Great Britain. By dating the objects, they determined that people have lived in Ezinge since at least 600BCE, making it among the oldest continually-inhabited villages anywhere in Europe. The riders will complete five laps of the route, which should allow Ezinge to be seen even if there is early morning mist, bringing them up to a total of 76.6km.

Stage 4b - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 4b takes place on Saturday afternoon, a 26.5km team time trial located at Veendam some way off to the south-east from 4a. After beginning in the centre of the town on JG Pinksterstraat (53° 6'19.91"N 6°52'27.74"E), the teams pass through the streets and cross the canal, then the N33 motorway as they head into the flat fields. A route made up of fast straights punctuated with 17 right-angled bends and corners will make for a fast stage, but one in which a slower rider could very easily be dropped off the back of the squad and never find her way back. When they arrive at Oude Pekela, they follow Feiko Clockstraat into town, then turn left to arrive at the finish on Raadhuislaan (53° 6'17.39"N 7° 0'24.65"E).

Stage 5 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 5 (Sunday 8th) covers 103.3km in total with riders completing three laps of a parcours made up of numerous long, flat stretches with sharp bends between them - not dissimilar to an extended version of Stage 4b, in fact, and almost a stage for a sprinter. The riders set out from the museum in Fraeylemaborg along a street lined with the sort of houses that in the USA are called Dutch Colonial (and here, presumably, "Dutch") and then almost immediately comes to a tight and, by the looks of it, potentially slippery left corner - with the peloton still closely packed just metres from the start, this is a point with an obvious likelihood of accidents. A road called Schlocterdiep leads to a village, Denemarken, and over a canal into a short twisty section before arriving at Eemskanaal. From this point, the route is almost entirely arrow-straight and pancake flat (well, near enough - according to Aerodata International Surveys there are a number of "hills" as high as 80cm along the way!) - this is the sort of road where clever tactics make little difference and everything comes down to which rider, or more likely which team since this is ideal territory for drafting, can ride the fastest. With the left turn at the end out of the way, the remainder of the circuit is formed of a pair of long, fast U shaped roads leading through Harkstede and to the finish line, which is 16.6km away where the stage began.

Predictions

2011 winner Adrie Visser, now riding for Skil-1t4i
(image credit: Highroad Sports)

At this end of the race, it seems hard to see past Rabobank, probably the most well-drilled team in women's cycling right now - especially since the team reported on Tuesday afternoon that Marianne Vos has recovered from the illness that kept her away from the Ronde van Vlaanderen and will be back for this race. We've seen that this is a parcours that favours attacks and sprints, and when it comes down to transmitting sheer power through the chain and back wheel into the road, Vos is without equal. Rabo hasn't put all its eggs in one musette, either - should Vos be forced to abandon, Iris Slappendel and Annemiek van Vleuten are more than capable of taking the race. AA Drink-Leontien.nl are a squad worth watching too, as would be any team that was sending both lightning fast Lizzie Armitstead and Kirsten Wilde. Specialized-Lululemon have Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, another experienced rider who specialises in power, and Clara Hughes - anyone who rememebers Hughes' spectacular solo break at the Copenhagen World Championships will not be surprised if she picks up points and perhaps even a stage win. GreenEDGE have been on a winning streak since the start of the season and with Loes Gunnewijk (second place last year) and Judith Arndt onboard, that state of affairs may continue. Nicole Cooke of Faren-Honda is another rider who is very good at riding bikes very fast - she too is likely to do well. Finally, Skil-1t4i, the team led by last year's winner Adrie Visser.

To sum up, Vos is top choice (just as she is in any race, regardless of the terrain); but there are numerous riders who will chase her all the way - and when conditions are right, each of them is capable of performing exceptionally well.

RTL7 coverage

Note times are CET - minus 1 hour for BST
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 1 / 2 / 3 / 4a-4b / 5 / Guide / Video Vault

2012 Tour de France revealed!

The route of the 2012 Tour de France has been unveiled at a lavish presentation ceremony, a joking Christian Prudhomme confirming that the leaked details last week were in fact correct and genuine. Course details reveal that although there will be less of a focus on the high altitude brutality of the last few years, a larger number of short, steep climbs have been introduced and 25 mountain tops is actually more than in 2011.

Nine flat stages are very much to Mark Cavendish's liking, as he told the BBC after the route was announced. However, it appears to be a parcours very much suited to Alberto Contador who says that if he is able to compete in the race following his upcoming doping trial, he'll miss the Giro to concentrate on the Tour. Andy Schleck must also be feeling cheerful now that it's apparent the sprinters and time trialists won't be having everything all their own way. Bradley Wiggins may like the look of things, too.

No major changes to the rules after 2011's radical overhaul of the climbing and intermediate sprint systems, though available points will be shared among more riders at the Hors Categorie mountains; apparently an attempt  to prevent the race being won on the climbs, making the final General Classification more evenly matched between grimpeurs and others. The jerseys also change little with the yellow, white and green closely resembling last year's garments while the King of the Mountains polka dots have been altered slightly to provide a more modern look.

La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges is making its
first appearance in the Tour, but its no stranger to cycling
having been used in the Les Trois Ballons sportive many
times. Parts of the climb have a gradient of 14%.
(© Anthospace CC BY-SA 3.0)

In total, the race will feature:

9 flat stages
9 new stage towns
1 prologue and 20 stages
4 medium mountain stages - one with a summit finish
5 mountain stages - two with a summit finish
2 individual time-trial stages
2 rest days
3479km

Mountains:

1 in the Vosges
3 in the Jura
4 in the Swiss Jura
6 in the Alps
11 in the Pyrenees

Stages:

P Prologue Saturday 30 June Liège > Liège 6.1 km

1 Plain Sunday 1 July Liège > Seraing 198 km

2 Plain Monday 2 July Visé > Tournai 207 km

3 Medium mountains Tuesday 3 July Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km

4 Plain Wednesday 4 July Abbeville > Rouen 214 km

5 Plain Thursday 5 July Rouen > Saint-Quentin 197 km

6 Plain Friday 6 July Épernay > Metz 210 km

7 Medium mountains Saturday 7 July Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km

8 Medium mountains Sunday 8 July Belfort > Porrentruy 154 km

9 Individual time-trial Monday 9 July Arc-et-Senans > Besançon 38 km

10 High Mountains Wednesday 11 July Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194 km

11 High Mountains Thursday 12 July Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 140 km

12 Medium mountains Friday 13 July Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay Davézieux 220 km

13 Plain Saturday 14 July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 215 km

14 High Mountains Sunday 15 July Limoux > Foix 192 km

15 Plain Monday 16 July Samatan > Pau 160 km

16 High Mountains Wednesday 18 July Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km

17 High Mountains Thursday 19 July Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 144 km

18 Plain Friday 20 July Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 215 km

19 Individual time-trial Saturday 21 July Bonneval > Chartres 52 km

20 Plain Sunday 22 July Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées 130 km

Giro d'Italia 2012 Stages revealed

Following widespread complaints that last year's race was excessively difficult - and, of course, the terrible and tragic death of Wouter Weylandt, to whom Stage 3 will be dedicated - the 2012 course reveals a considerably more human route; not necessarily easier, but one that will encourage skillful cycling and competition rather than a gritty battle for survival among the hardcore mountain specialists.

Early reports based on leaked maps suggested that this was a parcours ideally suited to new World Champion Mark Cavendish who will be riding with Team Sky for the first time next season. That may be partially true - there are a number of stages upon which barring accident or illness, it's very difficult to imagine anyone other than Cav managing to get themselves across the line first. However, it's categorically not a flat race with many of the Giro' - and cycling's - most hallowed mountains putting in an appearance. Stages 17 and 20 are perhaps the most challenging, with ascents of the Passo Giau and an Alpe di Pampeago finishline in the case of the former and the infamous Passo de Stelvio at the end of the former, an arrangement seemingly intended to keep the final General Classification nicely uncertain right up until the last minute and thus avoid a repeat of 2011 when it became apparent early on in the race that Alberto Contador was going to win.

Large map: click here

Stage 1 (Herning - Herning ITT, 8.7 km)

Herning - Herning (Denmark), 206 km

Horsens - Horsens (Denmark), 190 km

8th MAY - REST DAY

Verona - Verona TTT, 32.2 km

Modena - Fano, 199 km

Urbino - Porto Sant'Elpidio, 207 km

Recanati - Rocca di Cambio, 202 km

Sulmona - Lago Laceno, 229 km

San Giorgio nel Sannio - Frosinone, 171 km

Civitavecchia - Assisi, 187 km

Assisi - Montecatini Terme, 243 km

Seravezza - Sestri Levante, 157 km

Savona - Cervere, 121 km

Cherasco - Cervinia, 205 km

Busto Arsizio - Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli, 172 km

21st MAY - REST DAY

Limone sul Garda - Falzes/Pfalzen, 174 km

Falzes/Pfalzen - Cortina d'Ampezzo, 187 km

San Vito di Cadore - Vedelago, 139 km

Treviso - Alpe di Pampeago, 197km

Caldes/Val di Sole - Passo dello Stelvio, 218 km

Milan - Milan ITT, 31.5 km

Total: 3476.4km

Leaked 2012 Giro d'Italia Stages

Hot on the heels of yesterday's leaked 2012 Tour de France route...

1 star - least difficult
5 star - most difficult

5 May Herning – Herning (8,7 km) 3 star
6 May Herning – Herning (206 km) 1 star
7 May Horsens – Horsens (190 Km) 1 star
8 May REST DAY
9 May Verona – Verona (32,2 km) 3 star
10 May Modena – Fano (199 km) 1 star
11 May Urbino – Porto Sant’Elpidio (207 Km) 3 star
12 May Recanati – Rocca di Cambio (202 km) 3 star
13 May Sulmona – Lago Laceno (229 km) 3 star
14 May San Giorgio nel Sannio – Frosinone (171 km) 1 star
15 May Civitavecchia – Assisi (187 km) 2 star
16 May Assisi – Montecatini Terme (243 Km) 2 star
17 May Seravezza – Sestri Levante (157 km) 3 star
18 May Savona – Cervere (121 km) 1 star
19 May Cherasco – Cervinia (205 km) 5 star
20 May Busto Arsizio – Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli (172 km) 4 star
21 May REST DAY
22 May Limone sul Garda – Falzes/Pfalzen (174 km) 3 star
23 May Falzes/Pfalzen – Cortina d’Ampezzo (187 km) 5 star
24 May San Vito di Cadore – Vedelago (139 km) 1 star
25 May Treviso – Alpe di Pampeago (197km) 5 star
26 May Caldes/Val di Sole – Passo dello Stelvio (218 km) 5 star

27 May Milano – Milano (31,5 km) 3 star

2012 Tour de France stage towns leaked

As accidentally published by ASO for a few minutes on the 10th of October. Lots of time trial, lots of flat sections. Could 2012 be the year Mark Cavendish wins the Tour? It looks like a good one for Bradley Wiggins too and certainly seems to be a route ideally suited to both Quick-Step and Sky in their current line-ups.

The details are as of yet unconfirmed and will remain so until the official announcement on the 18th - however, in the meantime, it seems a safe bet that Andy Schleck isn't going to be too pleased. With a notable lack of mountains in comparison to recent years, it looks as though the Luxembourg rider will be out of luck once again.

Prologue Sat 30 June  Liège - Liège 6.1 km
1 Road stage Sun 1 July  Liège - Seraing 198 km
2 Road stage Mon 2 July  Visé - Tournai 207 km
3 Road stage Tues 3 July Orchies - Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km
4 Road stage Weds 4 July Abbeville - Rouen 214 km
5 Road stage Thurs 5 July Rouen - Saint-Quentin 197 km
6 Road stage Fri 6 July  Épernay - Metz 210 km
7 Road stage Sat 7 July  Tomblaine - La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km
8 Road stage Sun 8 July  Belfort - Porrentruy 154 km
9 Time trial Mon 9 July  Arc-et-Senans - Besançon 38 km
10 Road stage Weds 11 July  Mâcon - Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194 km
11 Mountains Thurs 12 July  Albertville -La Toussuire-Les Sybelles 140 km
12 Mountains Fri 13 July  Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Annonay Davézieux 220 km
13 Road stage Sat 14 July   Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Le Cap d’Agde 215 km
14 Road stage Sun 15 July  Limoux - Foix 192 km
15 Road stage Mon 16 July  Samatan - Pau 160 km
16 Mountains Weds 18 July  Pau - Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km
17 Mountains Thurs 19 July  Bagnères-de-Luchon - Peyragudes 144 km
18 Road stage Fri 20 July  Blagnac - Brive-la-Gaillarde 215 km
19 Time trial Sat 21 July  Bonneval - Chartres 52 km
20 Road stage Sun 22 July  Rambouillet - Paris Champs-Élysées 130 km

Leaked Giro d'Italia stages

Tour of Beijing

The Race

It's not every day that we get to see the inaugural edition of a brand new UCI World Tour, and it's even rarer that such an event takes place in a nation that, until very recently, was so restrictive that the idea of a major international bike race taking place within its borders was all but unthinkable.

That's why the 2011 Tour of Beijing is a little bit special. What's more, with events such as this, the links between the Chinese people and the rest of the world are strengthened - and when that happens, as we saw in the old Eastern Europe, the iron fist with which the Chinese government still rules the populace and crushes dissent begins to rust (and as an example of that socio-political repression, it's quite likely that Cyclopunk will very soon not be making it through the Great Firewall of China which aims to prevent any website critical of the government finding its way into the country).

Of course, professional cycling isn't new in China - it was only three years ago that the nation hosted the Olympic Games. It also hosts no less than four of the 31 races making up the UCI Asia Tour, created by the cycling body in an attempt to sow the seeds of the sport outside of its European natural habitat (the others being the Tour of Hainan, the Tour of Qinghai Lake, Tour of South China Sea and the Tour of Taihu.

Develop your skills for 15 years on a bike like this+enter
local races+get signed by a team+get given a modern
carbon fibre bike=win loads of races. Bring on the Glorious
Chinese Cycling Revolution! (from Through Balanda Eyes)

Remember the late 80s and early 90s when Eastern Europe and the USSR began to open up, allowing a tidal wave of pop culture, rock music, video games and Big Macs (it can't all be good) to flood across the border while they sent a stream of hard-as-nails cyclists, steely-eyed boys with muscles honed by years of getting up for 4am rides on standard black bicycles that weighed more than they did at the grim Sports Akademies our way in return? Ullrich, Ekimov, Vinokourov, Kasputis and, perhaps the hardest of them all, Voigt? And remember the effect they had on the European cycling scene, blowing races wide apart and raising the level of competition so high that new notches had to be cut?

China today is where Russia, Romania and East Germany were in 1990. Of course, professional cycling isn't new in China - it was only three years ago that the nation hosted the Olympic Games. It also hosts no less than four of the 31 races making up the UCI Asia Tour, created by the cycling body in an attempt to sow the seeds of the sport outside of its European natural habitat (the others being the Tour of Hainan, the Tour of Qinghai Lake, Tour of South China Sea and the Tour of Taihu, all of which increase its popularity among the nation's 1.33 billion population, creating new fans. Many of those are kids from poor families, boys and girls who are still riding heavy black bicycles that have more in common with a farmyard gate than the razor blades of carbon fibre that now dominate in the Tours, and they're going to look at cycling and think, "hey - I could do that!" and with the determination of hungry kids who have seen a way out of poverty, they'll practice on their agricultural bikes. Then they'll enter local races organised by people inspired by the UCI, where they'll get noticed by teams who will supply them with modern kit - and then, they'll do what the East Europeans did. There's a new revolution coming in the next decade, and professional cycling will be all the better for it.

National Stadium, Beijing (© Chumsdock Cheng CC2.0)

So, between the 5th and the 9th of October we get to see top-notch bike racing, help free the Chinese people from tyrannical rule and take another step along the way to the future of cycling. That, by all definitions of the term, is a win-win situation.

The Stages

Race Map: click here
Stages and Profiles: click here

Stage 1 is a short 11.3km individual time trial from the National Stadium, more popularly known as The Bird's Nest, on the Olympic Green 8.23km from the Zijin Cheng Forbidden City in the city centre. It heads north into the Olympic Park, then back south and around the Stadium to the National Aquatics Centre, also known as theWater Cube - a flat, fast parcours with a number of tricky corners thrown in to keep things interesting.

Stage 2 once again starts at the National Stadium, but this time the riders head west out of the city looping into the beautiful countryside to the north-west of the city, then complete two short circuits, one long circuit and one medium circuit around Mentougou (if you're looking for it on Google Earth, try this spelling rather than the official itinerary's Men Tau Gou - or just search 39°56'23.51"N 116° 5'54.24"E) and three Category 4 ascents to 183m before reaching the finish line in the town after 133.5km.

Stage 3 brings the first of the proper climbs - three Cat 1s and a Cat 2 add up to around 1700m of skyward pedaling - that's comparable to an ascent of the Col d'Aubisque. The first sprint of the day takes place on an uncategorised climb 17km after the first Cat 1, beginning at 800m and reaching the highest point of the stage. The second sprint comes at the bottom of the steep descent that follows the first and is likely to be taken at blindingly fast speed. 162km long, the stage ends in Yongningzhen (Yongning in the roadbook, Yongning Town on the official race map). En route, we get our first look at China's most famous feature. the Great Wall.

Shunyi's whitewater course is considered exceptionally
difficult, even by Olympic standards (© Gerry Boudens CC3.0)

Stage 4, the longest in the race, begins at Guichuan Square in Yang Qing, heading east and then looping west again for an initial 20km circuit before arriving back at Yang Qing. Having completed the first sprint, riders travel west, then east and along the southern perimeter mountain range at that end the North China Plain. After turning back towards Beijing, it once again reaches the Great Wall - with a Cat 3 climb up to it - then heads back into the city to finish at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Centre, an amazing facility with lakes and a custom-built whitewater course created especially for the Games 189.5km after the start.

Stage 5 takes the race back onto the flats with twelve circuits beginning at Tian An Men Square in the heart of Beijing - at 440,000 m² (0.88km x 0.5km), the largest city square anywhere on Earth and ending with a triumphant return to the National Stadium.

Tian An Men Square

Team rosters: click here

Stage Guides: click here

Tour of Britain 2011

Cycling's popularity in the United Kingdom is increasing with every year; meaning that the Tour of Britain, after having been brought back to life by SweetSpot in 2004, is going from strength to strength. Ranked as 2.1 Elite race by the international cycling body UCI, it's the largest cycling event in the country and - being by far the largest free-to-watch sport event in Britain and visiting several parts of the country - can draw over a million spectators with many more following the action on television and via the Internet.

Confirmed:
Mark Cavendish

Running over eight days and visiting various places from Scotland to Devon, the 2011 Tour has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport. Among the 16 teams taking part are many of the professional outfits better known from the Tour de France, including LeopardTrek, the top-notch Luxembourg team of Andy Schleck and the world's top time-trial rider Fabian "Spartacus" Cancellara; Sky, the British team and home to such illustrious characters as Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Britain's greatest-ever Tour de France hopeful Bradley Wiggins; HTC-Highroad, one of the most successful teams to ever compete in cycling and this year racing for the final time having been unsuccessful in securing a sponsor for 2012 and Garim-Cervelo, riding some of the most futuristic bikes in the business and perhaps the only team with a manager even better known than his riders, the colourful Jonathon Vaughters.

Confirmed: Thor Hushovd

Riders confirmed for the race include "Manx Missile" Mark Cavendish, the greatest sprinter in history and commonly known as the fastest man on two wheels, "God of Thunder" Thor Hushovd, the first Scandinavian to hold the World Cycling Champion title and German superstar Jens Voigt, possibly the most popular professional cyclist of the moment, still one of the fastest and strongest in the world at the age of 39 when most cyclists have long since retired. Other teams are yet to confirm their rosters, but they'll all be sending the best riders they have to stand a chance of competing with these giants of the road.

Confirmed:
Jens Voigt

With eight stages including one each in Scotland and Wales, there's a high chance that the action is coming to the roads near you - so why not get out and experience the sheer thrill of a major cycling event? We hope to be able to bring you exclusive photographs from the start of Stage 7 this year. See you there?

11th September Stage 1: Peebles - Dumfries (170.3km)
12th September Stage 2: Kendal - Blackpool (137.7km)
13th September Stage 3: Trentham Estate - Stoke on Trent (140km)
14th September Stage 4: Welshpool - Caerphilly (183.7km)
15th September Stage 5: Exeter-Exmouth
16th September Stage 6: Taunton - Wells
17th September Stage 7: Bury St. Edmunds - Sandringham Royal Estate
18th September Stage 8: Routes A and B Time Trials, London

Once again, we'll be bringing you our traditional detailed stage guides (lauded by one reviewer as the "most in-depth" available) with all the usual facts on the riders, the parcours and the towns, villages and countryside that the race passes through. Look out for each new guide the evening before the stage takes place.

Vuelta a España - 2011 Stage Guides

Vuelta a España - 2011 Index

Stage Guides

2011 Race Preview

Stage 1: Benidorm - Benidorm (20th August)

Stage 2: La Nucia - Playas de Orihuela (21st August)

Stage 3: Petrer - Totana (22nd August)

Stage 4: Baza - Sierra Nevada (23rd August)

Stage 5: Sierra Nevada - Valdepeñas de Jaén (24th August)

Stage 6: Úbeda - Córdoba (25th August)

Stage 7: Almadén - Talavera de la Reina (26th August)


Stage 8: Talavera de la Reina - San Lorenzo de El Escorial (27th August)


Stage 9: Villacastin - La Covatilla (28th August)


Stage 10: Salamanca-Salamanca (29th August)


Stage 11: Verin - Mazaneda Ski Station (31st August)


Stage 12: Ponteareas - Pontevedra (1st September)


Stage 13: Sarria - Ponferrada (2nd September)


Stage 14: Astorga - La Farrapona (3rd September)


Stage 15: Aviles - Alto de l'Angliru (4th September)


Stage 16: La Olmeda - Haro (6th September)


Stage 17: Faustino V (Oion/Oyón) - Peña Cabarga (7th September)

Stage 18: Solares - Noja (8th September)


Stage 19: Noja - Bilbao (9th September)


Stage 20: Bilbao - Gasteiz (Vitoria) (10th September)


Stage 21: Jamara Circuit - Madrid (11th September)

"Without doubt the most thorough Tour de France Stage 17 Preview..." (Dolomedia) (We'll try to do the same for the Vuelta, too - JO)