➜

T D F 2017 J U LY 1–23 NO. 01 With shorter stages, fewer summit finishes, and two short time trials, it will be harder for to dominate the race from start to finish, so this year’s 3838 Tour could be the most REASONS unpredictable (and therefore most exciting) we’ve seen in years.—Whit Yost

u m b e r 0 ➜ n 2 ✴ NO. 03 World time ✴ NUMBERS 05–11 trial (TT) champion TO GO has the best suffer face ever. You’ll frequently , see him on the front of the field, mouth wide-open, Eff Yeah. legs churning with Here's why this man alone is worth tuning in for as he guns mesmerizing preci- for a record-tying sixth green ’s jersey in July: ’cause This guy sion, chasing down thinks you breakaways for should watch. his team, Katusha- F Because, mad bike- while totally cracked F His YouTube channel is GA-GA Pro racer Alpecin.—Jen See handling skills. (He’s a post-race. Google it. a treasure trove of enter- GA-GA of Cannondale-Drapac, former mountain bike tainment, like a video of as told to Whit Yost racer.) Ever see someone F His race interviews Sagan and his wife, Kata- I have really fond memo- no. 04 ➜ tfw your wheelie—no-handed— are priceless. You never rina Smolkova, staging while climbing Alpe know what he’s going an elaborate lip synching FOR the ries of chasing the race noncycling friends d’Huez? That’s exactly cover of “You’re the One with my dad [two-time to say—only that at actually give a $%#! what Sagan did, in 2013! least part of it will be That I Want” from Grease, stage winner, Davis Phin- about cycling. He also once put his road deadpan funny. and instructional cooking ney] when I was a teen- I only go to Super Bowl bike on the roof rack of shorts on exotic dishes ager. I rode a lot of the parties for the home- a Citroën—by riding up F There are no Tumblrs (steamed sea bass with climbs before the race made guac. Bike and over the hood of of this guy staring at topinambur and goji ber- came through and felt the is what fires me up. But the car. his stem, racing by the ries, anyone?). energy of all the people watts. He is 100 percent when I talk about it to my partying on the side of F He shrugs off stuffy unpredictable. While F When it comes to fans, noncycling friends, their Tour De the road. I was like, ‘This rules and convention, best known for racking he’s a softie who once eyes glaze over. Except in is sick! I definitely want daring, for example, up W’s in bar-bumping said, “If somebody dis- July: For 23 glorious days, to show up for a stage turbs me about a selfie, to do this!’ And I always sprints, he also holds of the 2016 Tour de his own up monstrous it’s no problem. The most loved watching it in the mainstream sports fans get into the Tour. It’s an San Luis with—gasp!— climbs like Mount Baldy important thing is mak- USA—having it playing hairy legs. ing other people happy. opportunity to hook oth- to win the 2015 Tour of in the background in the California; and on the Because it’s a bad world, ers on bike racing, lur- mornings. It’s three weeks F He can make anything cobbles, as he did when no?” No it’s not. Not of inspiration. Watch us ing them with promises look cool, even double- he won the 2016 Tour of so long as you’re in it, destroy ourselves. Then go of postcard scenery and fisting gummy bears Flanders. Peter.—Selene Yeager France out and have fun on displays of superhuman ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELIAS STEIN Courtesy Phinney: your bike. strength.—Addie Levinsky AUGUST 2017 • Bicycling.com 25 24 Bicycling.com • AUGUST 2017 Photograph by ARTIST NAME Photograph by ARTIST NAME AUGUST 2017 • Bicycling.com 25 NO. 26 throughout the stage. unfolds as a warof inches that arace day, and ing promises a big climb ged, shark-tooth profile ahead of the . A jag position for battle tense the see and up wake then 10km, final the until in Sleep finish. sprint means a high-speed lineflat certainly almost A stage. day’s the for look at the course profile in Your Pajama WatYou Can F moments. best Tour’s the enjoy to time in just up wake to how Here’s deprivation. sleep in exercise an be to have doesn’t view ing But stages). mountain some for 3 a.m., (like early insanely starts coverage behind, hours nine are those who coast West the on particularly fans, American For France. around dinnertime—in finish to scheduled carefully are stages France de Tour

12

Bicyclin Go to letour.fr, and letour.fr, to and Go g .com • AUGUST 2017 • AUGUST .com - - the major climbs. climbs. major the start riders the when for and predicted schedules finish the for time mated esti the like details key find You’ll finish. the 0 to kilometer from stage each out maps which schedule, F F possible. as early as up wake to want You’ll ing point on the time time the on point ing

Find your start your Find time daily the Check - - Col d’Izoard. Col finishes on the storied 18 (July 20) Stage and Peyragudes; to Pau from leg-breaker Pyrénéan (July 13) afive-climb is 12 Stage Filles; Belles des Planche La the on finish features steep a brutally 5(July 5) 2017:in Stage three don’t-miss stages calendar now for these ahead and mark your go also You can alarm. your set and schedule c h it h it —J.S. s . -

38 38 in early—as of press time, T time, press of early—as in no. 14 14 no. three-time US three-time the for opportunity perfect the that’s TT individual T first his race to ed ping. sip before removed is goldwrapping the all sure Make alocal: it like Drink TT. a14km riding tin Tony as Mar fast as and smooth as down goes that lager refreshing a light, Pils, aRothaus 1987. Try since Germany from Départ Grand first the for beer German the out no. 16 no. N —Cosmo Catalano —Cosmo win. for asurprise achance others ing allow mind, in goals bigger have will names top the zon, hori on the Paris in sprint and TT final the day, with tain moun last the after Just 19. Stage year’s on this eye an Keep underdog? the for Team Sky in the mountains. Team in the Sky and Froome Chris hell for life making of Lopez Miguel and Angel Orica-Scott of Chaves Esteban newcomers (including climbers of generation in Tour, the so look anew for those higher way than in mountains N O. o REASONS TO GO GA-GA FOR THE DE TOUR THE FOR GA-GA GO TO REASONS

15 Astana) to join to Astana) Nairo Quintana in —Hannah Troop Troop —Hannah .

➜

➜ 13

J

A Like to root to root Like

You can break You break can merican fans should have a reason to tune tune to areason have should fans merican

Colombians live and train train Colombians and live ational T National - our, which opens with a 14km a14km with opens which our,

­ - - - - ime T ime So many amazing road amazing many So And while it won’t feature feature won’t it while And one—even some racers— one—even aylor Phinney was slat was Phinney aylor seems to emerge holding holding toemerge seems institutions—painted tri institutions—painted side weirdos. sport No in-person access like the in-person haunts riders in his devil devil his in riders haunts spectators have become portend the appearance d’Huez’s Dutch Corner, Dutch d’Huez’s enth turn where every now). eye an keep Also suit (he’s semi-retired semi-retired (he’s suit the hard-partying sev hard-partying the no crowd can top Alpe Alpe top can crowd no cles formed by people sprawled out in fields. fields. in out sprawled out for the giant bicy giant the for out of Didi Senft, awhite- Senft, Didi of Tour de France. Some Tour Some France. de dents on the roadway roadway the on dents a cup of beer. of a cup haired who German ing event gives fans fans gives event ing in this year’s event, event, year’s this in rial C rial hampion. n o —W.Y. . 17

—C.C. —W.Y.

-

------

Phinney: Courtesy O Segafredo do to support support to do Trek- Segafredo and Racing, BMC Cannondale-Drapac, like teams what race? Here’s biggest cycling’s pro for team a field to takes it what wonder Ever so ne-piece road speedsuits Cannondale SuperSix E Cannondale SuperSix p air socks and gloves and socks air Hi-Mod road bikes 1 23456789 MOUNTAINS OF GEAR OF MOUNTAINS Race jerseys for each C for each 2 5 6 3 annondale- . V O

Much rapac rider Drapac Cannondale Slice Cannondale Pair shorts race Base layers TT skinsuit TT TT bikes TT 9 riders 2 6 1 3

over 21 stages of racing. racing. of stages 21 over Doctors and physiotherapists Doctors Directeur sportifs Directeur G . eneral manager Soigneurs 2-4 2-4 4-5 4-5 2-3 2-3 stuff 1 18

–

23 support staff for riders for staff support 23 Th e Armad

By Joe Lindsey Joe By Communications staff Communications Hospitality director Hospitality Performance staff staff Performance Mechanics a 2-3 1 2 4

. Reclining seats with charging charging with seats Reclining Solar panels on the roof R how cannondale-drapac has stocked this of time on the bus. H bus. the on time of aLOT spend iders Rice cooker Cannondale-Drapac’s bus is a Lion’s MAN Coach L Showers stations Toilet 1 2 9 1 second home with amenities.

Th

e T 39.4 f 39.4 Bus eam ee t l o n one outside) big-screen Worktop for food prep Worktop Televisions (two inside, Televisions (two g Compact washer/dryer Compact Fridge and freezer Coffeemaker 1 1 1 3 1

ere's ere's

38 REASONS TO GO GA-GA FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE

no. 19 ➜ By following the NO. 18 Whip out this Tour, you’ll get a three- no.21 week crash course in the actual German saying countless obscure refer- during Stage One: ences in cycling, like the THE Tweetstorm term “sticky bottle”—rid- How can you party for three weeks with thou- Alles hat ein Ende, ers getting a tow by hold- sands of fellow cycling fanatics from all over ing on to the bottles from the world, without ever having to leave your nur die Wurst hat team cars for far longer house, wear pants, or actually speak to anyone? zwei, or, “Everything than is necessary; or podi- Right: . On Twitter, you can engage with um shoes—replicas of pro riders, team directors, journalists, cycling has an end, only a cycling shoes from spon- brands, and other bike nerds as the race unfolds. sors, with flat, walkable In fact, by following the right accounts and sausage has two.”—H.T. rubber soles.—Klaus Bellon hashtags (#TdF2017), you can substitute Twit- ter for the audio stream of the race and probably come away better informed—and certainly more entertained. Here’s who to follow:

Cycling media. Yeah, yeah, the TdF poetry contest. Just follow all of the cycling publica- compose a one-tweet poem cap- tions, but head to the individual turing the essence of the day’s race reporters’ accounts for stage and tag it #TdF133. more free-flowing observations. @LesKnits: Offers slightly snarky but usually heartfelt commen- Mainstream media. It’s essen- tary. @IamJenSee: Scours start tial for democracy, but not that times and course profiles to tell great at le Tour. @jasongay of you when to begin watching. @ The Wall Street Journal and cyclingfans: Daily links to all @PFlax1 of the Hollywood online Tour de France broad- Reporter (a former BICYCLING casts. Update your anti-virus editor in chief) are noteworthy software—you may click through exceptions. dubious pop-ups to get to the race coverage. @TheRaceRadio: Tech nerds. Wish you could Always a deeper look at every- ask @Keith_Bontrager about thing cycling. @JoeParkin: As the wheels is a former pro, he knows a thing riding? Well, go ahead, ask him. or two about Euro road racing. Also follow BICYCLING’s gear @VeloClinic: Tries to balance guru Matt Phillips (@ilikesushi) cycling science and reality. for sneak peeks of new bikes and gear used in the Tour. The Outcasts. Doubt their integrity, but not their knowl- You could witness a first in Twitterati. These accounts edge. These guys have little TdF history. Nairo Quintana, 27, deliver a good combination of reason not to say it how it is. cycling knowledge, tweet fre- Except when they’d rather say of Movistar has a real shot at being the quency, and unique point of how they wish it was. Or what- nO. 20 first Colombian to ride into Paris wearing view. @LesVachesduTour: Just ever. @LanceArmstrong, yellow—if he can recover from the Giro like the name says. Moo. @JohanBruyneel, @JoePaBike, in time, and find enough climbs to gain an advantage over @NYVelocity: The New York @MRasmussen1974 Chris Froome’s time trial abilities and Alberto Contador’s Times recognized this blog for its deep well of experience. Quintana’s physical abilities and role in taking down Lance Arm- The (current) Chosen One. strong. Now it’s mostly about @ChrisFroome. Because you’re calculating demeanor were proven by victories like the roadside tractors and other not even a part of cycling Twitter 2014 Giro d’Italia where he fearlessly attacked, and stayed Tour de France agri-fandom. until you’re #BlockedByFroome. away, on a snowy descent. (Read more about him, and the Sometimes witty commentary. —Jasen Thorpe (can be cycling-mad nation he hails from, on p. 54).—K.B. @TourDeCouch: Organizer of blocked/muted @JasenThorpe)

31 .com g Bicyclin • 2017 AUGUST

Froome: STEPHANE MANTEY/AFP/Getty Images; Voeckler: Tim De Waele/Corbis via Getty Images Getty via Waele/Corbis De Tim Voeckler: Images; MANTEY/AFP/Getty STEPHANE Froome: the Tour. the —W.Y.

rider in yellow. in rider when Tour 2010 the of 2 Lance for waited Ulrich —K.B. of end the at retiring is

tially a victory lap for the the for lap victory a tially Stage on as such stage, Jan Tour, 2003 the At up.

- essen is Paris day. last a contest to not whole ease should adversaries

Frenchman tongue—the

attack each other on the the on other each attack a as decide can they his mishap, unusual other

the yellow jersey won’t won’t jersey yellow the unsafe, be to conditions some or mechanical a

Voeckler’s Thomas see to

F F F Riders fighting for for fighting Riders race deem riders e th If has jersey yellow the If

. 25 . o N chance last your It’s

crucial part of the stage. the of part crucial race. the in rider Tour.)

long as it’s not during a a during not it’s as long every of ire sustained the 2010 the at way hard the

back up to the peloton, so so peloton, the to up back earn would breakaway a this learned Sky (Team

from other teams) to pace pace to teams) other from on go to advantage that pace. the up purposefully

use team cars (even those those (even cars team use use To family. and friends will peloton the break,

region. —W.Y. stage wins. stage . . Y —W.

have been dropped can can dropped been have his greet to time enough bathroom a for stop riders

the most TdF TdF most the

stew from the the from stew book says, riders who who riders says, book with pack the of front team’s offending the time

Eddy Merckx for for Merckx Eddy F - rule the what Despite in ride to allowed he’s next The so? doing for traditional fish fish traditional

slow portion of a stage, stage, a of portion slow consequences The zone. with Belgian legend legend Belgian with

bouillabaisse, a a bouillabaisse,

F rider . Sylvain rider a during hometown feed a in attacking No

year, he’ll be tied tied be he’ll year,

make your own own your make

ond place behind French French behind place ond rider’s a through pass

like he did last last did he like

a good excuse to to excuse good a F - sec for sprint not would to set is race the If no-no. big

four stages again again stages four

declare that the peloton peloton the that declare a is attacking call, nature’s

means you have have you means

the Tour, and win win and Tour, the

Fabian Cancellara to to Cancellara Fabian bag. fan’s a in caught answering road the of

Marseilles, which which Marseilles,

illness, make it to to it make illness, tions led race leader leader race led tions got handlebar American’s side the on is peloton

place in downtown downtown in place F - condi slippery and wet the after Armstrong the of majority the If his early-season early-season his

time trial, takes takes trial, time bounce back from from back bounce

a 23km individual individual 23km a sion Data) can can Data) sion

- (Dimen Cavendish

penultimate stage, stage, penultimate rules about when you can and can’t attack. can’t and can you when about rules

32

Mark If

23 O. N

The Tour’s Tour’s The

display. Look for the peloton to follow these unwritten unwritten these follow to peloton the for Look display. ➜

no. 24 no. ➜

The Tour is where we see cycling’s oldest traditions on on traditions oldest cycling’s see we where is Tour The

to

s rule eird w 26

next. —C.C.

cleats and all—began all—began and cleats

nos.

what’s going to happen happen to going what’s Froome—carbon soles, soles, Froome—carbon

having absolutely no idea idea no absolutely having get through the throngs, throngs, the through get

sharing the exhilaration of of exhilaration the sharing team car still struggling to to struggling still car team

the millions watching live, live, watching millions the lend him another, and his his and another, him lend

strike, you can be part of of part be can you strike, no teammate nearby to to nearby teammate no

And when that chaos does does chaos that when And breaking his bike. With With bike. his breaking

for unprecedented chaos. chaos. unprecedented for two race motorcycles, motorcycles, race two

es without the potential potential the without es got sandwiched between between sandwiched got

- pass moment single a not 2016 Tour, Chris Froome Froome Chris Tour, 2016

scale of the event means means event the of scale toux on Stage 12 of the the of 12 Stage on toux

is riveting, but the sheer sheer the but riveting, is

- Ven Mont up climb final

every second of the Tour Tour the of second every

oked h crowd-c e h t n O

No one claims that that claims one No

. n appe H

coated fabric. coated

of deflated, polyurethane- deflated, of

a a nn Go flailing through swathes swathes through flailing

the 190 riders behind him him behind riders 190 the

him over the bar, and left left and bar, the over him

hat’s W

guillotine. It catapulted catapulted It guillotine.

Yates’s front wheel like a a like wheel front Yates’s

ow ow n K

ing down on Brit Adam Adam Brit on down ing

- com collapsed, roadway

Never Never able arch spanning the the spanning arch able

jog, a two-story inflat two-story a jog, -

Froome’s impromptu impromptu Froome’s

You Just Just You ➜ Less than a week before before week a than Less

running up the mountain. mountain. the up running

o. 22 o. N

38 38 REASONS TO GO GA-GA FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE DE TOUR THE FOR GA-GA GO TO REASONS 38 REASONS TO GO GA-GA FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE

no.35 Breakaways! exciting to watch, a breakaway is a gamble that rarely succeeds. A motivated peloton can reel in a tiring break- away’s lead at a rate of 1 minute per 10km. But when breaks do work, they often produce surprise winners. 1 The Vosges Gotta STAGE 5 For many riders, that one Tour stage victory is enough to make their careers. It’s inspiring to watch racers from rival teams work together to flip the script. “It comes Climb down to guts,” says Cannondale-Drapac’s Alex Howes. “Every rider in a breakaway has to say, ‘Fuck it. I know this isn’t supposed to work, but I’m going for it!’”—W.Y.

'em The Jura 2 STAGES 8, 9

u m b e r 3 no. 36 n 8 ✴ ✴ All! 4 The Massif Central la course STAGE 15 hits the mountains. The first La Course wom- en’s race at the Tour was 5 a multi-lap race around 3 The Pyrenees the Champs-Élysées in STAGES 12, 13 The Alps 2014—exciting, but fans STAGES 17, 18 and riders wanted more. It’s the This year, La Course will greatest test be 67.5km and finish at of cycling the top of the Col d’Izoard ability on this on the same day as Stage planet. 18. There will also be a Pro racer Alex Howes, You’ll reconsider the idea pursuit-style stage two as told to Whit Yost of “tough” on your next days later in Marseille: The first question climbing fest. For the first The winner from the Col people ask when they d’Izoard sets off first, then find out I race bikes is, time in 25 years, the route those who finished within nO. 33 “Have you ever done five minutes (or the next

➜ will cross all five French 19 riders) follow in incre- that Tour dee France mountain ranges—the Vosges, the ments based upon finish thing?” If the answer Jura, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, times. The first to cross was no, I’d be no differ- the finish line wins. This ent than their friend’s and the Alps—featuring climbs like format is unusual, and weird uncle who did a La Planche de Belles Filles, which has 67.5km feels very short for sprint triathlon three sections that reach 20 percent.—A.L. a UCI women’s race. Still, years ago. The racing you have two chances to is full gas every day. In watch women’s racing at my first Tour I watched the Tour—and a finish on five of my teammates a legendary climb.—H.T. break down and cry. NO. 34 we’ve got your ULTIMATE Tdf Resource. These were grown-ass Can’t get enough of the Tour? Visit Bicycling.com/TourdeFrance to get no. 37 ➜ Sprinter Marcel men. Hard men who daily stage recaps, speculate with us on who’s going to win, and relive any Kittel’s fabulously gel- had made careers out drama you might have missed. From photos and videos of each team’s sculpted, blonde hair: It of their ability to suffer most cutting-edge new gear, to route dissections and historical perspec- seems completely unaf- and endure. I love the tives from our in-house Tour geeks, we’ll bring the race to life every day. fected by a day in the Tour. It has made me a

helmet.—J.S. better person. Courtesy Howes: 32 Bicycling.com • AUGUST 2017