Ahhh, what a day! One of the hardest days of the Tour, stage 11 finishes in Briancon, in teh middle of the Alps, after heading up the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine, the Col du Telegraphe and then straight into the Col du Galibier for a total of 54.9km of cat 1 and hors categorie climbing at no less than 6.1%. There's plenty of Tour history in these mountains, and the legendary status of all three cols has been the x-factor in victory for many Tour champions. It's a day made for those who can climb and descend fearlessly, and with his recent run of great form and support from the likes of Ullrich and Kloeden, Vinokourov could give Lance a real run for his money, much like 2003; it was at this stage two years ago that the Kazakh made his push for the lead. Young riders such as Michael Rogers and Alejandro Valverde are expected to excel in this kind of environment - Rogers is a proven Tour finisher, whilst Valverde is untested over the tough three weeks in France, so anything could happen. This day will most likely separate the real GC contenders from the rest, as the selection for the final week is made and the remainder of the peloton hangs tough to weather the storm.
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'A team that bought in and believed' - Tyler Williams wins Valley of the Sun Stage Race for L39ION of LA while Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY28 wins women's three stages and GC
Marjorie Rinaldo earns the overall for pro women as VBR's Continental squad extends win streak to five years at Arizona race -
Fresh starts and home favourites: Five riders to watch at the 2026 Volta ao Algarve
We run the rule over the GC favourites at this week's five-day stage race -
'There's a lot of emotion in my head' – Jan Christen apologises for causing crash that put Maxim Van Gils out of action
Swiss rider disqualified for Clásica Jaén move which left Belgian with a fractured pelvis -
Wind tunnel tested: How does the new Cannondale SuperSix Evo compare to its superbike rivals... and the old one?
Some deeper tubing, lighter weight, wider clearances, and refined geometry aim to make the SuperSix an even more rounded race bike, but is it faster in the tunnel?
