The Guide on my TV shows it is Live on ITV 4 (Freeview 026) in the UK, starting at 10.45am on Saturday 29th, and looking at the days ahead, full daily coverage with highlights at 7pm
Sir Mark Cavendish presently tied on 34 TdF stage wins for the record equal with Eddy Merckx, but will have around eight opportunities to best this over the three weeks of the event. It won’t be easy for him, up against Mads Pedersen who is said to be in jolly good form oh yes…
Pleased that the trip around Paris is omitted this year. Ending on an ITT could mean that the result is only decided on the last day, which would be good.
I’m not so sure and no idea why this decision was taken, it’s going to look odd not seeing them finishing in Paris.
IMHO a final stage time trial will be far less spectacular than a criterium style thrash around the Champs-Élysées before a bunch sprint conclusion. This is time honoured final stage seems to work okay.
A final stage time trial could frizzle out the tour damp squib.
Also, it’s mean planning a time trial at the end of a gruelling week of mountain stages.
It would seem fairer to have the ITT’s the day after a flat stage or the rest days so all competitors have a more even playing ground having had an easy day before.
Plus this leads to the sprinters issue of what is there for them after stage 16 (?) …3 mountain stages, 1 hilly, and a ITT so nothing for them to continue for so a probably mass exodus of all sprinters not challenging the green jersey…
The regular Paris finish is pretty boring I feel, except for the last lap, like many sprint days where the peloton lets the breakaway hang out front until the decision is to catch them. Of course, sometimes the peloton gets this wrong and we see a breakaway win but mostly it is all about the last few Km. But maybe I am in the minority in preferring hilly and mountain days. I would agree though, a sprint day just before the last TT would be more likely to keep the sprinters engaged to the end.
The move to Nice for the final stage is down, I think, to Paris having to prepare for the Olympic Games.
The last TdF TT final stage (1986) led to the Tours closest ever finish, when Lemond beat Hinault by just 8 seconds. I’m not sure whether that will be repeated again; this years time trial is shorter than that one, at 35km. I quite like the Champs Elysee last day procession and group sprint, but this gives some scope for some late GC movement. We’ll see…
1968, also a close finish (38 seconds) when the Dutch Jan Janssens took the yellow shirt fdom the Belgian Herman Van Springel that last racing day. The stage was also a time race as the case of Fignon/Lemond.
Winning the last stage in Paris is eternal fame for every winner.
The second series of Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained is a good series to get the juices running for Saturday.
Haven’t seen it all yet but if it continues as good as the 1st series it’s certainly worth watching
I will be tuning in via ITV, will not give Discovery+ my money. I was a subscriber to GCN+ until Discovery/Warners decided to cancel that service last year, remove all the excellent GCN films and expect me to pay a heck of a lot more for less content (I’m only interested in cycling). Now Discovery/Warner have sold the GCN youTube channel back to the original owners and lots have lost their jobs!
Yellow (Maillot Jaune)
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