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The newsflashes
stage 1 - Passage du Gois 
Mont des Alouettes
191.5 km
Saturday 2 July
Mont des Alouettes
191.5 km
Saturday 2 July
The newsflashes
17:45 - The Top 10 In Stage One
The favorite has won. The top 10 in stage one of the 2011 Tour de France is: 1. Philippe Gilbert (BEL) OLO 2. Cadel Evans (AUS) BMC 3. Thor Hushovd (NOR) GRM 4. Jose Rojas (ESP) MOV 5. Jurgen van den Broeck (BEL) OLO 6. Geraint Thomas (GBR) SKY 7. Andreas Kloden (GER) RSH 8. Rein Taaramae (EST) COF 9. Chris Horner (USA) RSH 10. Tony Martin (GER) THR
17:42 - Contador 1’21" Behind Gilbert
The speed of the lead group was so fast that not even the defending champion of the Tour could get close after being caught up in a crash. Contador finished 1’21" behind Gilbert.
17:41 - What Can’t He Win?
Each time he races, Philippe Gilbert seems to win. He was the absolute favorite for the win today and he didn’t choke under pressure. Instead he appeared to be a level above the rest of the peloton but he had to maintain the tempo all the way to the finish to hold off a late charge from Cadel Evans.
17:39 - Gilbert Takes The Win!
The Belgian champion has beaten his former team-mate Cadel Evans to win the opening stage of the 2011 Tour de France.
17:38 - Cancellara Surges
With 700m to go, Cancellara has attacked and is chased down by Gilbert who is now racing on to win the stage!
17:38 - Katusha Attack...
There is an attack from a Katusha rider but Gilbert and a team-mate have chased him down... there is less than 1,000m to go in stage one.
17:37 - On The Climb
Gilbert is poised to pounce. He is behind two team-mates just as another crash happens with less than 3km to go.
17:36 - 40" Between Pelotons
There are two distinct groups now with 40" between the leaders and the one led by Alberto Contador... now the lead-out for Gilbert has begun.
17:35 - Burghardt Leading Hincapie
With one kilometer to go before the final climb, Burghardt and Hincapie (BMC) are at the front of the lead group but they have just been swamped by riders from Omega Pharma.
17:34 - Contador At 20"
With 4km to go, Contador is 20" behind the leaders.
17:33 - Radioshack In Charge
Popovych is one of several Radioshack riders who are now at the front of the peloton just ahead of a group from BMC.
17:33 - 5km To Go
Contador has been caught behind by the crash. His group is 32" behind the group of about 40 men.
17:32 - Some In Lead Group
We can report that Gilbert (OLO), Evans (BMC), Wiggins (SKY), Cunego (LAM) are amongst the team leaders who have made the front group. So too has Voeckler (EUR)...
17:30 - About 40 In Lead Group
There are only about 40 men in contention for the stage win. The rest have been halted by the big crash.
17:29 - Another Crash
There has been a massive crash in the peloton and only a few riders remain in contention for the stage after an Astana rider has fallen into someone from Europcar... the incident happened 9km from the finish.
17:27 - Here Comes HTC
The lead-out specialists from HTC-Highroad are now moving to the front. They have tucked in behind the Europcar riders who are now struggling to maintain position up front... Sky is also sending a few troops forward and the climb is a little over eight kilometers away.
17:24 - Gadret At Rear Of Peloton
The winner of a stage of the recent Giro d’Italia, John Gadret is at the back of the peloton which is now strung out in one long line less than 13km from the finish.
17:21 - Van de Walle Dropped...
The rider who crashed at the 63km mark and has since spent a great deal of time in the wind at the front of the bunch, Jurgen van de Walle (OLO) has just been dropped by the peloton that is now being led by riders from the Europcar team.
17:18 - Escape Over...
The three in the lead have been caught with 18km to go.
17:16 - 20km To Go
There has been no attack from any of the three in the lead. Westra, Roy and Quemeneur are now conceding defeat. They are less than 20km from the finish and the bunch is just 15" behind...
17:13 - Capture Imminent...
The escapees are now just 25" ahead of the peloton that is now being driven by Leopard-Trek.
17:09 - 25km To Go
The peloton is less than 25km from the finish and it is 35" behind the leading trio.
17:06 - Top 10 Of Stage One In 2008...
The most recent time that the opening stage of the Tour de France was not a time trial was in 2008. The top 10 of the stage from Brest to Plumelec back then was: 1. Alejandro Valverde 2. Philippe Gilbert 3. Jerome Pineau 4. Kim Kirchen 5. Riccardo Ricco 6. Cadel Evans 7. Frank Schleck 8. Filippo Pozzato 9. Oscar Freire 10. Oscar Pereiro Of this selection, five have worn the Tour’s yellow jersey - and one has won it...
17:02 - Gilbert Second In Stage One 2008
One of the favorites for today’s stage is Philippe Gilbert. The Belgian champion has never won a stage of the Tour de France before but his best place to date was second, which he achieved in the opening stage of the 2008 race when the stage concluded at the top of the cote de Plumelec (one second behind Alejandro Valverde).
17:00 - Urtusun Crashes
There has been another crash in the peloton. This time it’s an Euskaltel-Euskadi rider, Pablo Urtusun. He’s back on his bike and racing again.
16:59 - BMC Hovers Behind Omega Pharma-Lotto
The former world champion (from 2009), Cadel Evans has moved up near the front of the peloton. The last time that the Tour started with a road stage (ie. not a time trial), the Australian finished sixth. His directeur sportif, John Lelangue said this morning that he is one rider in with a chance of winning on top of the Mont des Alouettes.
16:55 - Thor Returns...
The world champion has returned to the peloton after his recent stop.
16:54 - Lead Down To 1’25"
The escapees are hanging on to the lead by the skin of their teeth... after reaching a maximum gain of 6’30" at the 13km mark, Roy, Westra and Quempeneur are now 1’25" ahead.
16:53 - Toilet Stop For Thor
The Garmin riders have ceased their efforts at the front of the pack which is now dominated by Omega Pharma riders. The reason: Thor needs to answer nature’s call. He has Ramunas Navardauskas ready to help pace him back to the peloton...
16:49 - 39 Riders In the Youth Classification
The white jersey of the Tour de France is awarded to the best young rider in general classification. This year, there are 39 riders eligible for the prize that Andy Schleck has won each time he’s been in the Tour (but is no longer eligible for). The category is open to those born after 1 January 1986.
16:43 - The Race’s Youngest Riders
Of the 198 riders in the peloton for the 2011 Tour, the youngest is Saur-Sojasun’s Anthony Delaplace who was born on 11 September 1989; then comes Arthur Vichot of the FDJ team (26 November 1988), one of HTC’s GC guys Teejay Van Garderen (12 August 1988), Katusha’s Egor Silin (25 June 1988) and Cofidis’ Tony Gallopin (24 May 1988).
16:36 - Zabriskie Replaced By Dean...
Zabriskie has been the Garmin-Cervelo rider doing the most work at the front of the peloton. The winner of the opening stage the last time the Grand Départ was in the Vendée region (stage one of the 2005 Tour) has recently been replaced by his Kiwi colleague, Julian Dean.
16:31 - 50km To Go
The leading trio are sharing the workload well but it appears as though the only rider in the breakaway to have contested the Tour before, Jeremy Roy, is doing a little bit more than Westra and Quemeneur. They have 50km yet to race in stage one and have a lead of 2’50".
16:29 - Vaughters Continued…
“We’re happy with how Thor and Tyler have prepared for the Tour,” Vaughters of Garmin-Cervelo recently told LeTour.fr. “They’ve done the work. We’re in the race. We’re helping with the chase.” When it was suggested that it seemed like the peloton would be able to reel in the escapees when it chose to, Vaughters continued to chime what appears to be his mantra for the stage: “You never know… you never know.”
16:29 - Advantage Down to 3’00"
With the peloton at the 137km mark, the deficit to the leading trio is 3’00".
16:28 - Vaughters – “You never know…”
“We’ll help a little bit but we’re not going to do all the work,” said Jonathan Vaughters recently when contacted by LeTour.fr. His sprinter Tyler Farrar took fourth-place points at the intermediate sprint, so we asked if perhaps there’s a temptation to work for Tyler rather than Thor Hushovd. “Well, you never know… perhaps Tyler will be good but the tactic is to work for Thor. That’s been the plan all along. But you never know what’s going to happen in a bike race.”
16:27 - Crash Victims Racing Again...
Gerdemann and the others who were caught up in a crash caused by a Europcar rider are back on their bikes and racing to rejoin the peloton.
16:26 - Another Crash
Linus Gerdemann has been caught up in a crash. He is standing and attending to his bike. Another rider involved is from the Europcar team.
16:16 - Cancellara Returns After A Puncture
The Swiss champion - and winner on day one last year - Fabian Cancellara has recently punctured but he’s been given a quick wheel change and is about to rejoin the peloton.
16:15 - 60km To Go
The escapees have been on the attack for 131km. Roy (FDJ), Quemeneur (EUR) and Westra (VCD) are now 4’10" ahead of the peloton and they have 60km to go in the stage.
16:14 - Comments From Marc Sergeant
Recently France Televisions conducted a brief interview with the directeur sportif of Philippe Gilbert’s Omega Pharma-Lotto team. He was asked about how the issue of favoritism will affect the new Belgian chamion. "It feels good,” said Sergeant. “[Philippe] is one of the favorites, but there are several. A dozen riders are capable of winning, because the hill at the finish is not so hard… not so long. He will be marked closely, but he’s used to this. It was like this in the Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and each time he’s been able to respond in the right way.”
16:10 - Van de Walle & Zabriskie Doing The Work
There was a moment of confusion about how to handle the chase but the decision appears to have been made between Garmin and Omega Pharma to just keep the escapees honest... Dave Zabriskie and Jurgen van de Walle are the riders who are spending most of the time at the front of the peloton.
16:08 - Arroyo Calls For Race Doctor
One of the riders caught up in the crashes today is David Arroyo, the leader of the Movistar team. He has just called for attention from the race doctor.
15:59 - Average Speed For Third Hour
The average speed for the third hour in stage one is 38.5km/h. The average for the first three hours combined is 40.3km/h.
15:27 - Omega Pharma Lift The Pace
After a brief reprieve in the pace of the pursuit, the Omega Pharma-Lotto team has assumed responsibility at the front of the peloton again. There are now seven riders from the Belgian team at the front of the that’s 4’25" behind Roy’s trio.
15:21 - Gilbert In Discussion With Tosatto
The peloton is now easing the pace of the chase. The Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert has come to the front and is currently in discussion with the world champion Thor Hushovd and Matteo Tosatto of the Saxo Bank team. In that time the advantage of the leaders has blown out from 4’05" to 4’25"...
15:19 - Lead Grows Again
The lead-out for the sprint at the 87km mark was rapid and reduced the gain of the escapees to 2’35". After the intermediate sprint, the urgency of the peloton has dropped a little and the deficit is now 3’45".
15:17 - Resultados y ventaja al paso por la línea del sprint de Avrillé (km 87)
1. Roy, 20 pts 2. Westra, 17 3. Quemeneur, 15 ... 2’35’’ 4. Farrar, 13 5. Greipel, 11 6. Ventoso, 10 7. Galimzyanov, 9 8. Bozic, 8 9. Boonen, 7 10. Engoulvent, 6 11. Cavendish, 5 12. Petacchi, 4 13. Delage, 3 14. Dumoulin, 2 15. Sabatini, 1.
15:14 - Full Results Of Intermediate Sprint
The top 15 at the sprint in Avrille are: 1. Jeremy Roy (FDJ) 20pts 2. Lieuwe Westra (VCD) 17pts 3. Perrig Quemeneur (EUR) 15pts 4. Tyler Farrar (GRM) 13pts - at 2’35" 5. Andre Greipel (OLO) 11pts 6. Francisco Ventoso (MOV) 10pts 7. Denis Galimzyanov (KAT) 9pts 8. Borut Bozic (VCD) 8pts 9. Tom Boonen (QST) 7pts 10. Jimmy Engoulvent (SAU) 6pts 11. Mark Cavendish (THR) 5pts 12. Alessandro Petacchi (LAM) 4pts 13. Mickael Delage (OLO) 3pts 14. Samuel Dumoulin (COF) 2pts 15. Sabanini (LIQ) 1pt
15:08 - Farrar Takes Fourth...
Tyler Farrar has led the peloton over the intermediate sprint line 2’35" behind the leading trio.
15:07 - Roy Takes 20 Points
The first three have cross the sprint line in Avrille. The order was: 1. Jeremy Roy (FDJ) 20pts 2. Lieuwe Westra (VCD) 17pts 3. Perrig Quemeneur (EUR) 15pts...
15:06 - Cavendish Vs Petacchi?
The HTC and Lampre teams are now at the head of the peloton forming two separate lead-out trains on the approach to the sprint. Is this going to be the first opportunity to see Petacchi and Cavendish in a sprint at this year’s Tour? Yep. That’s going to happen in about four minutes’ time.
15:03 - Here Comes Lampre...
With sprint points on offer, the pink and blue jersey of the Lampre team can now be seen at the head of the peloton. The peloton was 4’05" behind the leading trio at the last check (5km from Avrille) so they’re racing for fourth place points.
15:02 - Media
Los tres hombres en cabeza de carrera han recorrido 40,1 km en la segunda hora de carrera, lo que supone una velocidad media de 41,2 km/h desde el inicio de la etapa.
15:00 - Average Speed For Second Hour
The average speed for the second hour of racing in stage one is 40.1km/h. The average for the first two hours is 41.2km/h.
14:58 - Leaders 5km From Avrille
It seems certain that the 20 points for first in the race for the green jersey will go to one of the leading trio who are 3’45" ahead of the peloton at the 82km mark.
14:54 - Peloton 10km From Avrille Sprint
With 10km to go before the intermediate sprint, the advantage of the escapees has dropped to 3’45".
14:53 - 3’55" For Leaders
At the 74km mark, the peloton is 3’55" behind Roy, Quemeneur and Westra. The chasing responsibility has been taken care of by Omega Pharma, Garmin-Cervélo and HTC riders.
14:51 - Intermediate Sprint At 87km Today
We’ll find out soon how the new regulations for the points classification will affect the racing. The first intermediate sprint offering 20 points for the first over the line is to be contested in Avrille at the 87km mark. Points go down to the 15th rider over the line, and is as follows: 20pts for 1st, then 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
14:51 - Intermediate Sprint At 87km Today
We’ll find out soon how the new regulations for the points classification will affect the racing. The first intermediate sprint offering 20 points for the first over the line is to be contested in Avrille at the 87km mark. Points go down to the 15th rider over the line, and is as follows: 20pts for 1st, then 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
14:49 - Not Sure About EB-H & Uran In Crash...
LeTour.fr recently contacted Steven De Jongh of the Sky team to confirm if Edvald Boasson Hagen and Rigoberto Uran were, in fact, part of the recent crash. "If they are," he said, "it’s news to me." Those riders were named as victims of the accident at the 63km mark but we cannot be certain... (apologies for the ambiguity).
14:37 - Crash Was In Sables-d’Olonne
Arroyo, Boasson Hagen, Uran were some of the riders that Radio Tour said were involved in the crash that happened around the 63km mark.
14:35 - Victims Of Crash...
Vanendert was the rider who crashed near the front of the peloton. Frank Schleck was just behind him but managed to avoid the fallen rider. Several others were caught up but all have remounted their bikes and have chased down the peloton.
14:33 - Crash!
There has been a crash near the front of the peloton. It was one of the Omega Pharma riders who went down on the right side of the road and he has brought down numerous others...
14:26 - Garmin Working For Hushovd
The world champion Thor Hushovd has won on the opening day of the Tour before (the prologue of the 2006 race). His team-mates are currently contributing to the pacesetting duties and the Norwegian has stated that he believes a win in the rainbow jersey is possible. "The climb suits my strengths," said the two-time winner of the green jersey. The last time a Tour stage was won by the reigning road race world champion was in 2002 when Oscar Freire beat Robbie McEwen and Erik Zabel in Sarrebruck, Germany. (Of course, Fabian Cancellara - the TT world champion - won two stages last year.)
14:23 - Westra Third In Crono des Nations
At the end of last season, Lieuwe Westra (who is in the escape today) was third in the Crono des Nations time trial. This race starts and finishes in Les Herbiers which is at the base of the Mont des Alouettes - the site of today’s finish. The Dutchman was beaten in that TT by David Millar and Edvald Boasson Hagen who are both in the Tour this year.
14:14 - Westra Third In Portugal This February...
One of the riders in the escape today, Lieuwe Westra, finished third overall in the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal earlier this year. That race was won by Tony Martin while the German’s team-mate Teejay van Garderen was second... the Dutchman was 39" behind the winner and two seconds ahead of Alberto Contador in the GC.
14:11 - Dumoulin: “I’m very motivated…”
Staff from the Cofidis team believe they have several cards to play in the finale today. Some names nominated were Samuel Dumoulin and Leonardo Duque. One of the Tour’s ‘Jeunes Reports’ spoke with Samuel before the stage. "I have more than one card to play on the climb. It is a suitable finish for me, even better than when it’s all flat. In the first stage everyone in the peloton will be very nervous. I am very motivated, I’ll try to be as much as possible on arrival."
14:01 - Danielson Leading Peloton
The US Tour debutant Tom Danielson is the Garmin-Cervélo rider currently sharing the workload at the front of the bunch with riders from the Omega Pharma and HTC teams.
13:59 - Average Speed For First Hour
The average speed for the opening hour of the 2011 Tour is 42.3km/h.
13:56 - Lead Drops To 4’40"
Quemeneur, Roy and Westra gained a maximum advantage of 6’30" (around the 12km mark) but that has dropped to 4’40" thanks to the efforts of the Garmin, HTC and Omega Pharma teams who have been at the front of the bunch since the 15km mark.
13:54 - Nygaard: “We must not lose time…”
The ‘Jeunes Reporters’ at this year’s Tour have also spoken with the manager of Leopard-Trek team to find out what their ambitions are today. Brian Nygaard was asked if Andy Schleck was a favorite for today’s stage? "Not really,” said the Dane, “instead someone with qualities such as Gilbert - like Rojas, or Boasson Hagen. But we must not lose time." What about the chances of an escape succeeding? "It’s possible, yes, but if you look, there is not enough wind.” What if Fabian wins could getting the yellow jersey early cause a concern for tactics for the rest of the race? "No, because we would be able to go last tomorrow with all the reference time of each team."
13:49 - Comments From John Lelangue
"The goal is quite simple, we will protect Cadel Evans keep him out of trouble,” John Lelangue of the BMC team told one of the ‘Jeunes Reporters’ (young reports) of this year’s Tour de France earlier today. “During the stage, we just want to avoid crashes and make sure we don’t get caught behind. In the end, we will try to position themselves for a good result on the summit of Mont des Alouettes. Our objective? First of all, put three riders in a good position on arrival because the addition of their time or space will be considered for the starting order for the team time trial. “It would be better off in the last 10 teams to have some time references. [...] Cadel may be a rider capable of winning at the top. There are no bonuses, there is no desire to wear the yellow jersey early. The sole purpose of this Tour is to make a good race with Cadel.”
13:45 - Feeding Starts At 30km
The warm conditions today have prompted the jury to open the feeding a little early today. Riders can retrieve bottles from their team cars after the 30km mark of the opening stage.
13:39 - All Riding Again...
The riders who crashed are now all back on their bikes. Radio Tour reports that Nicolas Roche (ALM) was also caught up in the fall, so too was Movistar’s recruit from Costa Rica, Andrey Amador.
13:38 - Charteau Racing Again
One of the Movistar riders who crashed recently is still on the side of the road. Meanwhile, the others who fell are back on their bikes and racing to rejoin the peloton.
13:37 - Crash In Peloton
There has been a crash involving to Movistar riders and two from Europcar including Anthony Charteau.
13:33 - Peloton Speeds Up...
With the advantage of the leading trio up to 6’30" there pace of the peloton has been lifted with efforts from riders of the Garmin, HTC, Astana and Omega Pharma-Lotto teams.
13:28 - Second Grand Tour For Quemeneur
This is the first day that Perrig Quemeneur has raced in the Tour de France but the Frenchman has contested one three-week race before. He finished 100th overall in the Vuelta a Espana last year.
13:26 - Sprint Teams Move Forward
Garmin, HTC and Omega Pharma-Lotto have sent riders to the front of the peloton around the 15km mark. The bunch is 6’45" behind the three escapees.
13:23 - Lead Up To 6’05"
Roy, Quemeneur and Westra are now 6’05" ahead of the peloton which has just passed the 13km mark.
13:22 - McGee Believes In Goss or Gilbert…
If Contador isn’t expected to chase a win today, then who does Brad McGee believe is the rider to win on the Mont des Alouettes? “This is a day for ‘Gossie’ (Matt Goss, THR) or ‘Phil Gil’. It’s a climb that suits these riders and that’s good for us because the pressure is on another team. The first day is always a little bit anxious but the feeling at Saxo Bank-SunGard is relatively calm… we know what we’re here to do and we’ll wait for the mountains before really trying to do something.”
13:18 - Comments from Brad McGee
Before the start of the first stage LeTour.fr contacted one of the directeur sportifs from the Saxo Bank-SunGard team, Brad McGee, to get his thoughts on what we can expect to see happen today. “There’s no talk of Alberto going for the win… at least not within the team,” said the Australian, “there are some who are speculating that this could be the case but that’s more to build a bit of first-day hype. What we want to do is settle into the rhythm of racing.” When asked who he thought would be instigating the early escapes, McGee laughed and said, “You’ll have to talk to someone at Europcar about that.”
13:17 - Cancellara Consults Team Car
Fabian Cancellara, the recently crowned Swiss road race champion, has dropped behind the peloton to consult his directeur sportif in the Leopard-Trek team car. Meanwhile riders from both Liquigas and Saxo Bank are at the front of the peloton that’s now 4’30" behind the three escapees.
13:13 - Advantage Up To 3’45"
At the 8km mark, the leading trio have an advantage on the peloton of 3’45". There are three Liquigas riders near the head of the bunch but there is no organized chase... not yet, at any rate.
13:12 - Jurgen Roelandt’s Birthday
One of the favorites for the opening stage of the 2011 Tour de France is the new Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert (OLO). If he takes the win on the Mont des Alouettes it will provide a perfect birthday present for his team-mate Jurgen Roelandts who turns 26 today.
13:09 - Voigt – The Oldest In The Peloton
Of the 198 riders in the 2011 Tour de France, the eldest is Leopard-Trek’s Jens Voigt who turns 40 on 19 September this year. Then comes the winner of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, Chris Horner (born 23 October 1971), the American who is contesting his 16th Tour, George Hincapie (29 June 1973), Voigt’s team-mate Stuart O’Grady (9 August 1973), and Astana’s leader Alexandre Vinokourov (16 September 1973).
13:07 - Two Debutants In Escape
Of the three in the lead, only one has previously contested the Tour de France. The debutants are Quemeneur and Westra.
13:06 - Lead Up To 2’15"
At the 4km mark, the three leaders are 2’15" ahead of the peloton which is showing no real interest in limiting the gains of Roy, Quemeneur and Westra.
13:05 - Six From 1999 Race Still In Peloton
The last time that the Passage du Gois featured in a stage of the Tour de France was stage two in 1999– from Challans to St-Nazaire. There was a famous crashed dramatically reduced the numbers in the lead group. Six riders from that race are contesting the Tour in 2011: Sebastian Hinault (ALM), Stuart O’Grady and Jens Voigt (LEO), George Hincapie (BMC), Christian Vande Velde (GRM) and Alexandre Vinokourov (AST).
13:04 - Three Build Their Advantage...
Jeremy Roy (FDJ), Perrig Quemeneur (EUR) and Lieuwe Estra (VCD) are the men who have ignited the action early in stage one. Europcar insisted on having someone in the escape as they sent several men off the front at the very moment that Christian Prudhomme waved the white flag to signal the official start.
13:02 - Lead Up To 1’00"
At the 2km mark, the three escapees have an advantage of one minute.
13:02 - Quemeneur Also In The Lead
The Europcar rider in the escape group is Perrig Quemeneur.
12:59 - Three Men In The Lead
There are three riders with a gain on the peloton they are from FDJ, Vacansoleil and Europcar.
12:58 - Racing In Stage One!
The flag has been waved to signal the official start of the 2011 Tour. Immediately there has been an attack from the Europcar team.
12:57 - Voeckler Up From In Neutral Zone
The ‘local’ team is Europcar and the leader, Thomas Voeckler, has made sure that he’s up front of the peloton even early in the neutral zone. Meanwhile, the new French champion, Sylvain Chavanel, is hovering near the rear of the bunch.
12:56 - Apologies For Technical Difficulties
The live coverage of the Tour is now on... after a few technical problems while the riders are en route to the official start. Sorry for the delay in coverage on LeTour.fr.
12:55 - Fine Conditions For Stage One
The opening stage of the 98th Tour de France will be contested under bright blue skies and warm conditions with a temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius. There have been strong winds in the Vendée in the last few days but it generally picks up in the afternoon. Yesterday evening it was quite a gale blowing from the west. As the peloton assembles before the ‘depart fictif’ the flags are relatively limp and there’s little more than a breeze.
12:54 - Welcome To The Live Coverage Of Le Tour 2011!
Okay, let’s begin! The wait is over and the opening stage of the 98th Tour de France is only minutes away. The race from the Passage du Gois to Mont des Alouettes is 191.5km long and starts with a 15.5km neutral zone; after 13.5km the peloton will stop for the official ceremony to make the start of the race. The riders will start riding at 12.20pm and the ceremony just before the Passage du Gois is scheduled for 1.05pm. Live coverage on LeTour.fr will commence shortly.