Want to put details of each stage of the Tour de France into your electronic diary or smartphone? Here is an electronic Tour de France calendar to download.

The calendar sees each stage listed along with the distance and also I’ve given a rating to the day to indicate the difficulty or importance of the day although being the Tour de France, every day counts and even the rest days attract more media coverage than other races.

inrng2013tour.ics

Save the ics / iCal / iCalendar file and you can import it into your electronic diary. One or two clicks and it’s on your iPhone / Outlook etc. Alternatively you can use the Google calendar below.

Just use +Google Calendar option by clicking on the icon on the bottom-right of the calendar. Note this method can work with Android phones when the iCal file might not although you might need the Google calendar app.

Remember a similar calendar exists for all the main pro races for men and women and can be found at inrng.com/calendar.

Details. If you’ve ever ridden down a road that you haven’t taken for a long time you’ll often find it takes longer than you think. the mind can miss out sections. Along the way you’ll spot things you’d forgotten about, a building, a view, a pothole. It’s the same with revisiting past events like the Festina scandal or the Athens Olympics, you can remember the big picture but the journey and its small details escape you.

William Fotheringham’s “Racing Hard” is a collection of his writing for British newspaper The Guardian and its weekend sister The Observer. Over the years he’s produced more 2,500 articles for the paper and this is a collection of the best pieces. But it’s more than a bound copy of press cuttings, pieces are grouped by theme and there’s added commentary and notes to explain context or the writer’s view at the time.

The observations are amusing. In a piece lamenting Lance Armstrong’s use of bodyguards to distance himself from the public, there’s a reference to Bernard Hinault: “a boxer’s walk” -  true but only after you think of it. It’s this level of detail that stands out. Rather than recount the Festina affair or Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France from today’s perspective, you’re taken back in time. If you know the story you have the privilege of hindsight but if not you’re taken through what happened at the time and it works both ways.

The book is in English and most of the articles are about the anglophone riders for example Chris Boardman, Lance Armstrong or Chris Hoy. Normal since a British journalist will write plenty about home riders and the Tour de France but little about Belgians or early season Italian races. So if you’re a Brit or a francophile you’ll like much of the book – French, Flemish or Italian columnists should contact a publisher – but there’s depth for wider cycling fans. The piece on on Jean-René Bernaudeau’s pro team structure with its amateur team and rider education programme is one example.

If you’re an Aussie wondering why the British track program surpassed your country, read the pieces about the early days of the British track program. After opening with tales from the Tour de France and dealing with dopage much attention is given to the rise of British cycling in recent years but of course the pieces written can only hint at the success to come. Interestingly Wiggins is interviewed in a piece about his Olympic success and his words about living in a bubble and wondering what the reaction is like back home mirror what he said at the end of the 2012 Tour de France.

From Barcelona 1992 to London 2012, Chris Boardman to Bradley Wiggins

One observation: with the bid for the UCI President happening right now there isn’t a single mention of Brian Cookson in the book. The Presidential hopeful is linked to much of the success of British cycling today but in all the articles about the “dungeons” of the Manchester Velodrome, the coaching staff, the managers and more there’s not a single mention of Cookson in the book. Whatever his role in British cycling, and only going only by these articles, Fotheringham didn’t find much to write about him.

There’s a contrast in that the articles are written for a newspaper audience with little cycling knowledge but this book is surely assembled for the cycling fan. You’ll already know that the world champion wears rainbow stripes and the pursuit race involves two riders who each start on opposite sides of the track. Yet you’re not cleaving through dense explications to get the story, if anything you’re nodding along. That’s largely because the pieces are well-written, the text is as clipped and dried as bunch of tea leaves waiting for a Brit to boil them. Living out of a suitcase for weeks, working in hot press rooms, meeting deadlines and more don’t seem to bother Fotheringham. The prose is good and because he’s writing on the spot there are few problems of recall, you’re reading events of the day rather than a historical take.

The book ends with a series of obituaries written by Fotheringham. There’s a gear shift here of course because hindsight is everything but I enjoyed the piece on Tour patron Felix Lévitan.

Summary
This is far more than a collection of articles bound into a book. The detail allows for an enjoyable immersion in the past whilst notes added by Fotheringham allow for some hindsight and commentary. Each piece is part of a chapter on a particular topic, for example Lance Armstrong’s aggressive denial or the rise of British cycling from track to Team Sky but it’s not all about the superstars, yellow jerseys and gold medals, along the way there are scenes from rural France or the backroom staff.

You can go back and revisit past events with original source material from the time and there’s a helpful index. If you want to know what it was like to report on the Armstrong years or to read accounts of British cycling before Team Sky appeared, you should read this.

A list of other book reviews is available here.

Note: this copy was sent for review

Convention says Switzerland is a boring place but convention doesn’t ride a bicycle. The Tour of Switzerland waited until the last day to pick the winner and even on the duller stages during the race the scenery made you want to dash to the Alps for a ride with a cowbell soundtrack.

Rui Costa wins the the mountain time trial up the ski resort of Flumserberg, putting enough time into race leader Mathias Frank to take the overall lead at the last minute. This was the moment the race was won.

Rui Costa won last year but this year’s win was more convincing, a more present threat in the mountains and he did all by himself on the final stage. Last year his victory owed plenty to work done by Alejandro Valverde to ensure a move featuring Rabobank’s Steven Kruijswijk didn’t get too far away on the final day. That said Costa got plenty of support from the sizeable Portuguese immigrant community in Switzerland.

Celebrating a stage win in 2012

Mathias Frank might have lost out on the last day but he still did a great ride all week and exceeded most people’s expectations. He’s a specialist in his home race: he’s taken the mountains jersey, the points jersey and the “best Swiss rider” prize in previous editions with sixth overall along the way too. He’s only 26 and, assuming he rides, will be invaluable help for the BMC Racing team in the mountains.

Role reversals
Like the Dauphiné we also saw team leaders riding in service of their domestiques, masters serving their servants. There are obvious reasons for this, notably if Mathias Frank is best placed on GC then logic suggests Tejay van Garderen should support him, especially given the Swiss rider is a useful climber. But there are physiological factors at play too as a team leader can spend time riding steady to lead their protected rider for the day, doing longer efforts as opposed to the stop-start efforts of attack and chase. We saw this on the Albulapass when van Garderen helped pace Frank… at least for a while until the American took off after team radio instructions to follow Rui Costa. But it’s not new, last year Rui Costa won the race outright in part thanks to Alejandro Valverde’s pacing on the final day.

Pinot’s Glass Half Full
The Tour wasn’t just a test of climbing and time trialling but descending too. Twice FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot was amongst the best going uphill but then lost time on the descent to the finish. The first time on Stage 3 to Meiringen saw Scarponi crash and block Pinot but on Stage 7 the Frenchman was just distanced, telling L’Equipe “it was a fast descent, the kind I don’t like with curves you take at over 80km/h.” One of the goals in the week was to work on positional skills and ensure the team is in place to shelter him but these things take time. But he looked the real deal on the climbs and the more familiar roads of France should suit him in a few weeks’ time. Note that Arnold Jeannesson did the second fastest time on the uphill section today (stat via Twitter’s @kroiziger)

Meyer, le Meilleur
Another ride in the ascent albeit in a different sense is Cameron Meyer of Orica-Greenedge. Tipped as a contender for stage races he’d so far come a little short but proved his worth in this race. For all the right reasons the Australian team is undergoing a mini existential crisis as management question what the team is for and how they can win races. The roster’s been packed with sprinters and flatland fastmen whilst Australia’s best stage racing talent (Cadel Evans, Richie Porte, Mick Rogers, Rohan Dennis etc) are elsewhere. Meyer’s opening stage win was blamed on the wind picking up to spoil the chances for the others but he was fifth on the big mountain stage although the regular grade of the Albulapass suited his style. Still he’s exactly what the team need.

Rui Costa, Movistar
Based on today’s performance Rui Costa can easily extrapolate a top-10 performance in the Tour de France if not top-5 but don’t bet the ranch on it happening. How he interacts with Alejandro Valverde will be interesting to watch and don’t forget the Spanish team bring Nairo Quintana too. There are no guarantees but these riders could certainly delay if not derail the Team Sky train.

A few other notes:

• I don’t know the score with Tejay van Garderen’s performances. An off-day, an illness or allergy? Certainly his ride this week won’t put him in the hot seat for the Tour de France but he’s a steady rider who could still come good although by riding steady rather than anything spectacular
• Saxo-Tinkoff looked strong collectively in the mountains with the likes of Nicolas Roche and Roman Kreuziger
• Andy Schleck’s return continues and he’s now on a level with the likes of Roche or Brice Feillu which is superior to anything we’ve seen for a year but still far short of his past status
• Peter Sagan’s versatility continues, he can sprint and climb. Stage 3 saw him resemble one of those large dogs used by mountain farmers to watch over a flock as he sat with the pack of mountain goats, his bulky build contrasting with all the others
• Sky’s Joe Dombrowski impressed with his climbing ability. His pedal stroke reminded me of a taller Andy Hampsten
• IAM Cycling’s Sébastien Reichenbach was a quiet revelation, another neo-pro climbing with the best
• Ryder Hesjedal’s participation in the Tour de France is uncertain but if he starts he could be ok as most of the stages are well into the race giving him time to get his rhythm back

What next?
The season goes into a bit of a lull. There’s the one day Halle-Ingooigem in Belgium on Wednesday and then various European countries have their national championships, the time trial towards the end of the week and then the road race on Sunday. The grand départ in Corisica is now less than two weeks away.

After eight tough stages, it’s now time to settle the overall classification. Tour de Suisse often ends with a time trial but never one like this.

Despite the distance of just 26.8 km, the riders are in for a day full of pain. The profile is extremely brutal with a final section of 10.3 km uphill with an average gradient of 9 %. The first 16.5 km are flat so we can expect the riders to start out on a time trial bike and then change to a road bike before the climb starts.

The first time check comes at the end of the flat part. This means that the fastest riders at this point not necessarily will be the fastest in the end. Starting on the climb, the first 5.4 km have an average of 8.5 % before reaching the second time check. From here, there are 4.9 km to the finishing line and the average gradient of 9.5 % will make for a very hard finish.

Tour of California had a similar time trial this year ending with a steep climb. Many riders decided to change bike at the beginning of the climb but not Tejay van Garderen who won the stage. In California the climb was only 2.6 km though, so we should expect even van Garderen to make a bike change this time.

The young American is also the big favorite for this stage. He decided to take his own change on Stage 7 and not wait for Mathias Frank. Overall, Tejay van Garderen is now 1:17 min after his teammate in yellow and he still has a change of winning Tour de Suisse or at least make podium. It won’t be easy to take a minute on Rui Costa but if anyone in this race can do it, it’s Tejay van Garderen.

Fabian Cancellara will be eager to take revenge from the opening time trial. The change of wind most likely cost him the stage win but I doubt he will be among the best this time. Cancellara will probably set best time at the first check point but 10.3 km with 9 % is not his terrain. Not even against the clock.

Instead, we should look to riders like Simon Spilak, Tanel Kangert, Janez Brajkovic and Jean-Christophe Péraud. Brajkovic has been getting better and better during the race and he seems to be ready for the Tour soon. The Slovenian rider has always been good against the clock and I think he will test himself and do very well in this time trial. Jean-Christophe Péraud is Ag2r’s designated Tour de France captain and I also see him getting stronger every day. In Paris-Nice earlier this year, Péraud distanced Tejay van Garderen with 20 seconds on the final uphill time trial. The American is clearly stronger right now but it shows that Péraud can be among the bests against the clock.

Another strong candidate for the win is Cameron Meyer. He won the opening time trial but many will say it was because the wind changed. Meyer is not a pure climber but he’s been very solid in the mountains and sits 8th overall before the stage. I think the Australian will be eager to show that he can also win without a change of weather and I expect him to make podium on the stage. Not in the overall classification though.

My joker is Bauke Mollema. Many don’t see Mollema as strong time trialist but he’s actually not bad at all. The course favors him with the long and steep climb and if he can minimize his time loss on the flat part, he should be able to fight for the overall win. It won’t be easy to beat Rui Costa with 34 seconds but don’t forget Mollema’s time trial in Vuelta Pais Vasco last year. On a hilly and very difficult course, Mollema took second place after Samuel Sanchez, beating World Champion Tony Martin in the process. I also expect Thibaut Pinot to do well. He will lose time ont the flat part but like Mollema, it shouldn’t be much more than he can take back on the climb.

Rui Costa is right now the big favorite to win Tour de Suisse for the second year in a row. It’s more or less his race to lose and it will be interesting to see how the Portuguese copes with that pressure. Few – except for the Swiss fans – expect Mathias Frank to keep Rui Costa behind him and I think that plays in Frank’s favor. Despite starting the stage in yellow, he’s still the underdog. It’s difficult to predict the outcome of a time trial like this one but I think it will end with Rui Costa winning overall. BMC should be able to put at least one rider on the final podium but who will it be?

Favorite: Tejay van Garderen
Jokers: Bauke Mollema & Jean-Christophe Péraud

INRNG wilcards: Roman Kreuziger and Tanel Kangert

For live coverage check out steephill.tv.

Preview by C-Cycling. Thanks to Mikkel Condé for these informative previews, I’ve supplied him with Dauphiné previews all week and now I’m drafting his Swiss analysis in return. Remember you can follow Mikel on Twitter as @mrconde.

This 8th stage of Tour de Suisse seems like a good one for a breakaway to make it. The GC favorites will be happy to get a quiet day before the final time trial and for many teams this is the last chance to get a stage win in the race.

The stage is 180.5 km long and we can expect a fast start despite a head win. After just 37 km the riders face the category 1 climb up to the Julierpass. The 6.8 km towards the top have an average gradient of 6.6 % and serve as an excellent place for a breakaway to be established. After reaching the top, the riders head north towards the finish town Bad Ragaz. It takes almost 60 km before the riders are done with the long descent and afterwards it’s flat for another 40 km before reaching the finishing line for the first time. From here, they loop around Bad Ragaz for about 40 km. With 9.1 km to go it’s time for a steep category 3 climb. It’s only 2.8 km long but has an average gradient of 7.3 %. There is just 6.3 km to go from the top of the climb and the descent is very fast. The last two kilometers towards the finishing line are flat.

There are two scenarios for this stage. In the first, a break gets away on the category 1 climb and makes it all the way. Naturally, the last climb will be a great place to test your fellow escapees and a strong rider with most likely be able to keep his gap if he gets away over the top. In the second scenario, a break gets away but teams like Cannondale, BMC, Saxo-Tinkoff and GreenEdge work together in order to catch them. I think the last climb is too hard for the pure sprinters to stay up front. Riders like Peter Sagan, Phillipe Gilbert, Matti Breschel and Matt Goss seem like much better candidates. Sagan is without a doubt the fastest of these but Gilbert must be eager finally to win in the Rainbow Jersey. If he gets away on the final climb, he will be very difficult to catch. Saxo-Tinkoff have been trying to set up Matti Breschel the last couple of days and without having to work for Roman Kreuziger on this stage, they can focus on the fast Dane. GreenEdge have a couple of riders for a stage like this one. On a good day, Matt Goss is up there but if not, teammate Daryl Impey and Michael Albasini look good.

Albasini is also a good candidate for an early breakaway. He tried to get into the morning break on Stage 7 and this is the last chance for Albasini to get a win on home soil in this year’s Tour de Suisse. Albasini is strong uphill, good downhill and very fast on the line. Another rider for a break is Martin Elmiger. IAM Cycling hasn’t have much luck in this race so far and they need to finish in a strong way. Elmiger became a father earlier in the race and the Swiss rider will be motivated to hit the right break in order to dedicate a stage win to his newborn daughter Julia.

Favorites: Peter Sagan & Phillipe Gilbert
Jokers: Michael Albasini & Martin Elmiger

For live coverage check out steephill.tv.

Preview by C-Cycling. Thanks to Mikkel Condé for these informative previews, I’ve supplied him with Dauphiné previews all week and now I’m drafting his Swiss analysis in return. Remember you can follow Mikel on Twitter as @mrconde.

L’Equipe in English
Having reviewed their app yesterday, French newspaper L’Equipe get a mention again. They’ve produced a superb interactive piece about the climbers and the mountains of the Tour and it’s even available in English. With giant photos, videos, graphics and more it’s a good scroll even for the illiterate but the writing is a bonus too. More at lequipe.fr/explore/born-to-climb

Yannick, Son of Manuel
L’Equipe doesn’t mention the 1978 Tour de France King of the Mountains winner, Mariano Martinez. The Frenchman isn’t so famous but his son Yannick has won the opening stage of the Route du Sud stage race. A modest pro event it occupies a good slot on the calendar, a final tune up before the Tour de France and benefits from the benediction and implicit support of ASO.

Mariano Martinez has two sons, first was Miguel who was mountain bike world and olympic champion in 2000. Miguel then switched to the road with the Mapei team before signing for Phonak in 2003 but never enjoyed the same success on the road. Unlike his father and brother, Yannick is a bigger build, a sprinter who also won a stage of the Four Days of Dunkerque this year.

The Tour and The Street
The Tour de France can feel like a three week bubble but just as it borrows the roads of France it is part of the socio-political landscape too. In recent months the French government has legislated to allow homosexual marriage and it has proved controversial, attracting large street protests. People often take to la rue,the street, for some flag-waving and a walk. These marches are part of French political life, so much that when they take place enterprising sellers emerge along the route to sell sandwiches, drinks, t-shirts and more to the crowds, a bit like a music festival.

Now the protesters are turning to the Tour de France. This has got some worried but they’re promising not to disrupt the race, only to benefit from the media coverage in the same way farmers highlight their work by field displays. But note the farming fun is highly co-ordinated to the point of sending GPS co-ordinates to the TV production crew so that the helicopters can locate the scene. By contrast I can’t imagine TV wants to film scenes of political protest. But the Tour has long been the scene of protest. In 1982 angry steelworkers even stopped a stage but usually protests are contained, publicity is given to the cause in exchange for the pledge not to disrupt the race.

Swiss Timing
Protest is too strong a word but many riders are not happy with the alternative timings in the Tour of Switzerland where the stage finishes after 6.00pm every day. It’s not just a case of changing habits and timings, it means teams get to the hotel late and sometimes find the kitchen is closed and then the next day riders are awoken by the sunlight and have to sit around in the morning before having breakfast at around 10.30am. L’Equipe reports it’s to help TV audiences so if the riders don’t like it, ultimately its good for their sponsors and wages.

No Di Luca B-sample
Talking of things late, it’s 20 days since we got news of Danilo Di Luca’s EPO A-sample during the Giro. It’s taking a long time to get the B-sample tested, no?

McQuaid interview
Irish TV interviewed Pat McQuaid as part of a report on cycling and its doping problems (it starts after 16 minutes). It’s frustrating to watch because he makes so many mistakes and inconsistent statements. But your jaw only drops if you’ve read up on the subject. For example less than 60 seconds after dismissing Armstrong’s positive test for cortisone in 1999 McQuaid states the UCI is a body that can only follow its own rules… which it ignored to let Armstrong race on after his positive test. Once again even if the French sports ministry bought into the “skin cream” hypothesis the UCI rules were black and white: Armstrong did not present the paperwork and so the UCI rules stated that he should have been suspended mid-race. But to a member of the public who hasn’t checked the facts McQuaid probably comes across as determined rather than confused.

Cookson interview
McQuaid’s challenger Brian Cookson has done an interview with Red Kite Prayer. You can learn some things about his position in the interview but the language stands out. Whereas McQuaid’s interviews are the verbal equivalent of accidentally tying your shoelaces together, Cookson is slick to the point of oily. We get the polished tone of a politician where phrases are repeated to hammer the message home. He also appears to talk in language exclusive to politics and the corporate world:

“[I] gained wide experience in strategic management of multi-facetted organisations, and of managing teams of staff engaged in major programmes of urban regeneration and renewal”

Apple and Bardiani-CSF
What do consumer electronics giant Apple and Italian pro continental team Bardiani-CSF have in common? Well they both use Ireland’s low tax laws to save money. For more on this and how teams exploit “financial doping” to help them compete, see my column in Issue 5 of 2r Mag available for the iPad and iPhone

The GC contenders had an easy day on Stage 6 when the peloton decided to let Kolobnev, Grabsch, Hayman and Rast stay away. What could have been a hectic final turned out to be quiet day at the office but now it’s time to fight for the overall classification.

Stage 7 is 208 km long and includes four categorized climbs. The first 120 are rather flat with just a one category 3 climb to overcome but after 130 km the road really starts to kick up. The 6.2 km towards the top of this category 1 climb have an average gradient of 7 % and we can expect BMC and Saxo-Tinkoff to set a high pace. Mathias Frank looks very strong uphill and so does Roman Kreuziger. Personally, I see Kreuziger as the strongest rider in the race right now. Still it’s worth mentioning that Kreuziger is suffering a bit from his crash on stage 3. He hit his shoulder and knee and especially the shoulder has been bothering a bit. If he’s not feeling good, the other teams may try to distance him already on this climb.

The next climb starts after 155 km. This category 4 climb isn’t very steep and it shouldn’t really bring any of the GC riders in difficulty. However, it is important for the favorites to stay near the front since the final climb of the day starts right after the descent. The first part of the climb has an average gradient of just 4 % but it’s gets steeper after the second intermediate sprint. The final 14.3 km towards the top have an average gradient of 6.6 %. The first 3.5 km are the steepest with an average of 10% and if TJ has a good day, he could really rip the race apart here for Mathias Frank.

There are 9.3 km to go from the top of the last climb but the descent isn’t very technical. Only the last part with seven hairpin corners from 3 km to 2 km to go. The final 700 meters are flat but two 90° turns will make the run in very difficult. If a small group arrives together, it’s important to be first or second coming out of the last corner with just 300 meters to go.

Peter Sagan was outstanding on the last mountain stage but I doubt he will repeat that effort. The 3.5 km of 10 % on the final climb will most likely split up the peloton significantly and I wouldn’t be surprised if only 10 riders were left after this steep part. I think TJ will be leading the group at this point and it will be very difficult to break away.

One of the few riders who can do it is Michele Scarponi. The Italian veteran crashed out of the general classification on Stage 3 and he is now eager to take a win and forget about all his bad luck. There aren’t any bonus seconds on the line in this year’s Tour de Suisse so the other GC contenders won’t have to worry if Scarponi manages to get away on the final climb. Lampre also have Diego Ulissi who – despite a crash on Stage 6 – is in good shape right now. I think they will try something with him and Scarponi on this stage.

I also expect Andy Schleck to make a move. He’s slowly getting into shape and his confidence is coming back too. During Stage 5, he even thought about doing the final uphill sprint for a moment. He attacked from afar in Criterium International and in Tour of California and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to get away already on the category 1 climb starting with 75 km to go. It’s hard to say if Andy Schleck is strong enough to enough to keep a gap on the final climb but since he’s not threat overall, the GC contenders don’t have to chase him down.

As stated, I think this stage is too hard for Peter Sagan to stay in front. Still, if he’s not more than 30-45 seconds after the favorites on the top of the last climb, he could very well catch up on the descent. It all depends on the race situation. If a breakaway seems sure to the take win, Sagan don’t need to waste energy staying up front. However if he’s in play for the stage win, he will probably do whatever he can to win again. Sagan could also be a breakaway candidate…

Bauke Mollema turned out to be the strongest riders uphill on the first mountain stage. It will be interesting to see if he attacks again on this stage in order to gain a little time before the last ITT. On paper, Rui Costa is the best time trialist of the first five in the GC but don’t underestimate Mollema against the clock. Right now Mollema is 1:08 min after Mathias Frank and I think he needs to cut that in half if he wants to win overall. If Mollema is within 40 seconds of the yellow jersey (and that not being Rui Costa) before the final time trial, I think he can go for the win. That means he needs to attack and hopefully we will get another interesting stage finish Friday afternoon.

Before I end this preview, I would like to point out Marcel Wyss. IAM Cycling had to say goodbye to Heinrich Haussler after he crashed on Stage 6 and they are soon running out of stages to win in their home race. Marcel Wyss is 36th overall, almost nine minutes after Mathias Frank. The other day he attacked to take a few KOM points “just in case”, as he said. This stage is very important for the KOM jersey and I expect Wyss to take part in the morning breakaway. It won’t be easy to keep the peloton at bay all day long but the lack of bonus seconds means the favorites don’t need to go for the stage win.

Favorites: Michele Scarponi & Bauke Mollema
Jokers: Andy Schleck & Marcel Wyss

For live coverage check out steephill.tv.

Tour de Suisse had a similar stage finish three years ago. Back then Robert Gesink won. In case you forgot, here is the video of stage:

Preview by C-Cycling. Thanks to Mikkel Condé for these informative previews, I’ve supplied him with Dauphiné previews all week and now I’m drafting his Swiss analysis in return. Remember you can follow Mikel on Twitter as @mrconde.

Tour de Suisse had a similar stage finish three years ago. Back then Robert Gesink won. In case you forgot, here is the video of stage:

The old and the new. This is a collection of 30 themed Tour de France photo galleries, each with about 20 images. Using new technology the photos of the past become more accessible and involving than a coffee table book. It’s also a reminder that the annual contest produces perennial images where the same scenes can be repeated over the years only with different characters.

But this is more than collection of old photos assembled into a slideshow, the themes and images selected make it an entertaining resource, albeit restricted for now to Apple users.

All the photos come from the L’Equipe archive and its sister photo agency Presse Sports. Photography at the first Tour was rare but it didn’t take long before the images came flooding in. One of the galleries is about the media coverage of the race and how newspapers would have aircraft to fly the negatives from the stage finish to the newspaper offices so that the best images could appear in the newspaper the next day, vital in an era before TV coverage.

I was hesitant about downloading this. There might be a few photos but maybe they’d be the same ones that emerge every year and besides, how many pictures of the bunch riding past sunflowers or snaking round a hairpin bend do you need to see? But the depth of the L’Equipe archives is impressive and they’ve picked a good variety. Yes some images are generic and you might have seen others before but most are original and picked for a reason rather to pad out your iPad. If there’s an image of the bunch riding past a lavender field or vineyard then it’s invariably a good one. But most images are unique and come packed with detail. Take the rail crossing up above where at first you see the rider. Then you notice the barriers are down the warning light is flashing red. Look again and you can see the bunch riding away.

Each theme overlaps a bit, but there’s plenty of variation. There’s a dedicated gallery for Mont Ventoux, for Paris, for rural images, what riders do on the rest day, the fans, the crashes. So far, so normal but there are others looking at media reporting, a tech gallery, the publicity caravan as well and more. As well as themes, the photos can be sorted by time period although not in full chronological order. Tap the screen and you turn the comments on and off.

It’s not perfect, there’s a bug which made it crash twice and the English at times has clearly been translated too literally from the French – see the image at the top for an example. Galleries like this seem to work on a tablet, the backlit screen and tactile swiping make looking at images and their attached comments with ease. Certainly the images included here appear better on an iPad than my PC screen.

Another disadvantage is it’s exclusive to the iTunes store and for Apple device owners only meaning I had to borrow a friend’s tablet to read this. You can take this two ways, either it’s frustrating because not everyone can see it, or at least this is a way to see the rich archives normally withheld to those with a Presse Sports account, or perhaps in a book.

Summary
A modern way to look at old images, this app exploits rich archive with a good mix of photos. Even the predictable ones of the peloton in the mountains are good and scenic but it’s detail in many that stands out. A priest helping a fallen rider, a line of Dutch riders just sitting around until you notice their orange clogs or Jacques Anquetil spending his rest day fishing, knee deep in a river.

It’s also a good introduction into the history of the sport, you don’t need to spend €20 on a big book, this digital edition offers plenty via accessible images rather than text. Value for money is a personal question but if I hesitated before buying it now I’m glad I did.

It’s available in English, Spanish and French via iTunes (US store) for $4.99 or search for “Images of the Tour – Zoom by L’Équipe” in your local version

On paper this stage may look like a good one for a breakaway to make but the final part isn’t as hard as it may seem. The profile shows two small climbs starting with less than 30 km to go but they aren’t very steep. The first one, a 3 km long category 3 climb, has an average gradient of 6.8 % but with a strong tail wind, the peloton will be able to keep a high speed. Reaching the top there are still 5 km of false flat before the descent starts. The downhill section isn’t very technical and it will be difficult to keep the peloton at bay.

The road starts to kick up again with 14 km to go but the two kilometers towards the sprint aren’t steep at all. The descent only has one tricky hairpin corner and when the riders turn right on Seestrasse, it’s straight out for almost 8 km towards the finishing line. A lonely rider or a small group will have difficulties keeping a gap with a strong cross/head wind alongside Lake Zürich and I think we will see another bunch sprint.

There is a small traffic island just before the road bends right with about 200 meters to go. The turn is not as important as the sharp one on Stage 4 but if you need to be among the first three in order to win.

Once again, it’s hard not to pick Peter Sagan as the favorite. He won’t have any problems on the hills and with a strong team to support him he will be difficult to beat. Sagan didn’t managed to position himself well on Stage 4 and that cost him the win. On Stage 5 he was in the right position but ran out of teammates in the end. Sagan had to start his sprint too early and after two missed opportunities, he must be eager to take revenge now.

It’s also a good finish for a real power sprinter like John Degenkolb. With a head wind the last 8 km it’s important not to hit the front too early and Degenkolb probably has the best leadout train in the race. A couple of years ago Argos-Shimano’s mantra was to get the best leadout train in the world and they are close to succeeding. They didn’t time it well in the beginning of the season but recently they have been looking very strong. It’s true they messed up a bit on Stage, but I still think Degenkolb will be first rider into the last bend. Time will tell if that’s enough to win.

Since this stage is good for a power sprinter, it’s naturally also good for Alexander Kristoff. As mention in the preview for Stage 5, the Norwegian is very strong right now. He made it look easy when he beat Sagan and Démare on Stage 5 and his moral is now sky high. Once again, it’s difficult to pick between the three riders named above. Kristoff’s confidence is high now, Sagan is out for revenge and Degenkolb must be eager to finally show himself. If I have to pick one, I’ll go with Sagan again.

There are many strong sprinters in this race and it’s difficult to pick a joker with a chance to win. My pick this time is youngster Boy Van Poppel. He may not be able to beat the best sprinters in this race but on a good day, he’s up there fighting for podium. Van Poppel took 5th place on Stage 3 of Tour of California and he seems to be in good shape right now ending 9th on Stage 5. Vacansoleil-DCM have a couple of fast guys in Tour de Suisse but instead of sprinting for each other, they are now focusing on Van Poppel. Grega Bole has been assigned as leadout for Van Poppel and if the young Dutchman gets on the right wheel, he could very well make top5 if not more.

If it a breakaway makes it after all – though I doubt that – look out for Luis León Sanchez. The Spaniard is back after his short suspension and he’s already in great shape. He attacked from a far and won the last stage of Belgium Tour last month and he could very well give a go in the final 25 undulating kilometers.

Favorite: Peter Sagan
Jokers: Boy Van Poppel & Luis León Sanchez

Preview by C-Cycling. Thanks to Mikkel Condé for these informative previews, I’ve supplied him with Dauphiné previews all week and now I’m drafting his Swiss analysis in return. Remember you can follow Mikel on Twitter as @mrconde.

It has to be the wettest racing season living memory. Anecdotes aside, meteorological data show high rainfall for Italy and France and the Tour of Switzerland has seen a stage modified because the road was still closed by snow. There are signs the bad weather is changing and summer must starting as the French air traffic controllers are on strike today, frustrating riders trying to get to the Tour of Luxembourg and the Route du Sud.

So before the weather hots up, here’s a quick look at an item of pro kit that’s not often featured: the rain bag.

This is a small bag belonging to each rider containing the clothing they need on a damp day. It’s packed into the team car and can be brought out when rain falls. The pro cyclist’s version of an umbrella.

“Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas.”
Tim Krabbé, The Rider

Krabbé might have a point but few cyclists will express gratitude when it starts raining in a race. Now a cyclist can’t use an umbrella but there’s a range of waterproof gear available.

When travelling each rider has their own suitcase for a race with their clothing and personal effects, plus there’s some common “stock” of team kit that travels in a truck like spare jerseys or helmets in case these get ruined by a crash. But riders have particular items for a rainy day and in the back of the car each rider has a dedicated “rain bag.” It depends on the team and the rider but here’s what you’ll find inside:

• rain jacket
• gilet
• “Gabba” style rain jacket
• arm warmers and knee warmers
• spare shoes, perhaps an older and dirtier pair
• cap
• gloves
• helmet
• overshoes
• Clear sunglasses

The idea is that a rider can drop back to the team car and pick up the supplies they need, either for themselves or for team mates. Jackets, gloves and shoes are all individual to a rider and they need these spares in the team car, just as the team car carries spare wheels and oil. Often the bag will include multiple items, for example two pairs of gloves so that once the first pair are soaked through a rider can hope to have dry hands again, perhaps in time for a long Alpine descent. The bag is always in the car even if the weather is good because a rider needs spare shoes in case of a crash.

And here’s @thejensie prepping his rain bag for the race. #tourdesuisse twitter.com/vanderjeugd/st…

— Tim Vanderjeugd (@vanderjeugd) June 9, 2013

Some riders hate riding in the rain, some dislike it, some try to profit from it knowing that others hate it more than you do. Few tend to enjoy riding in the rain but at this time of year it is part of the job. Having warm and dry clothes on hand is essential.

Rain rules
One other thing to note is the UCI rules on rain jackets. They’re supposed to be clear or in the team design. But in practice we see a lot of black or blue jackets being used. Riders aren’t allowed to cover their race numbers either but the whole point of putting a jacket on is to put a layer on so the commissaires can and do fine riders for wearing a jacket.

Oil
There are other tricks for the rain. Oil is one. There’s the chain of course where mechanics will smear grease onto the chain as this is less likely to get washed out. They’re also doing the same with electronic gears although, anecdotally at least, we still seem to spot a few failures when the clouds open.

A similar thing is done for the rider where oils and embrocations are used. Sheep survive on wet hillsides thanks to their wool and lanolin and derivative products can be used for riding in the rain. The legs can be covered but an old trick is to cover the lower back and the kidney area, they say it stops a chill.

Extra Work
It’s no fun for the riders but they’re not the only ones suffering. Team mechanics have more work to do when cleaning the bikes and it’s also their duty to clean the team vehicles during a race too. The rain means more work and they’re probably going through even more cleaning products than usual. Think twice before buying an ex-team bike at the end of 2013.

Soigneurs have their extra work too, having to wash more kit and maybe on a longer cycle to ensure the gear comes out clean. It might depend on the team but riders are often left to clean their shoes.

Back in the Day
Those of a nostalgic nature might say it was sunnier in the past but things have changed. Read Paul Kimmage’s “Rough Ride” and amongst the shock of doping, race fixing and bungling team managers, it’s astonishing to read that he’d finish a stage of the Giro and then hand-wash his own jersey in the hotel room, as if riding for hours in the cold rain wasn’t enough work.

Go back further and the peloton wore wool. The material can still perform very well today, especially as a base layer, but you probably wouldn’t wear shorts or jerseys. Riders with too much in the back pockets would find the jersey sagging lower and lower.