Can you believe it? We're down to the final four stages of the 2021 Le Tour de France. It's the final day in the Pyrenees today, with the Col du Tourmelet and a second mountain-top finish on the schedule. Yesterday's stage was exciting and down to the wire, but it's looking better and better for Tadej Pocacar to be standing on the top podium in Paris, as long as he can keep his speed and stay out of trouble for these next few stages. We still have a flatter stage tomorrow followed by a second Individual Time Trial on Saturday. On Sunday we'll ride into Paris and race around Les Champ-Elysees.
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| Look at that beautiful profile. Two HC category peaks for today, the infamous Col du Tourmalet, followed by a steep descent and the climb up Luz Ardiden. I'm quite sure the riders will be delighted to leave the mountains behind them after today's stage. |
Let's take a closer look at today's stage. It features two impressive HC category mountain peaks. The Col du Tourmalet has a storied history of appearances in Le Tour de France (today will be the 88th appearance of this mountain in Le Tour). The race has been won and lost on this mountain several times over the years. The Luz Ardiden is less well known, a bit steeper in parts, and with a mountain-top finish, will be a hard-fought battle.
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I've always enjoyed battles in the mountains, and the Col du Tourmalet is a favorite in the Pyrenees. Just look at this profile. Although it averages 7.1% gradient, the upper section never falls below 8%. It's a steep climb over a bald hill and it's going to be cold and windy up there. |
Thus far Tadej Pogacar is firmly in the yellow, and unless something horrid happens - a crash or something else earthshaking - he'll keep it into Paris. He still has a strong team around him for support, and that's what's needed for success in Le Tour. The fun will come from the battle for the Polka Dot jersey - the King of the Mountains. Right now, Pogacar is in the running for that as well as his Yellow, so this could be quite interesting. We start today's stage off in Pau - a storied name in cycling and the start, and end point of many stages in Le Tour de France over the years.
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The final climb, Luz-Ardiden, has those twisty turning horseshoe bends that the Pyrenees are known for. It's not L'Alpe d'Huez, but it's still a stunning road up to the finish line. |
It should be an exciting race today. Jonas Vingegaard has been trying to put pressure on Tadej Pogacar, and maybe, today will be his day to prevail. I don't think he will, but there are no guarantees when it comes to what happens in Le Tour de France.
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Among other things I have to do before leaving for work, is sending a quick email to my tattoo artist, Rodney, with a lot of photos of sunrises in Egypt. Among the things we're inking next week is the solar disk that my winged scarab is pushing over the horizon. I don't want flat red - I want it to have a more ombre effect with the Eye of Horus in it. I'll see what Rodney comes up with, but I'm sure it'll be great. |
So, I'm heading out. I have a lot to get done before I can relax at work and actually watch Le Tour. I ended up missing yesterday's stage because I had to run around shopping and doing errands before I could relax. Then, adding in my usual Wednesday chores and a Zoom call at 11:00 am, my day was stacked with one thing after the other. At least we got some much-needed rain yesterday afternoon. I lost one branch of a tomato bush to the winds, but everything else seemed to weather the storms well. It's my own fault. I should have tied that branch up. A sacrifice to the gods of wind. Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. As always, please be kind and stay safe.
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