Why This Year's Tour Actually Matters

March 2, 2022

Why This Year's Tour Actually Matters

We all know about the doping scandals that have rocked (and continue to rock) the cycling world through recent history. With that said, the 2011 Tour de France has turned out to be an absolutely riveting race - yes, quite possibly even for those of you who have absolutely no interest in a Tour without Lance. In 2011, we haven't sat back and said "So, when will Lance make his move." Instead, it's been "How long can Thomas Voeckler hold onto the yellow?" Evidently, Voeckler himself keeps forgetting that he was supposed to have fallen out of the race for the yellow jersey long, long ago. It's like the bike race version of the Little Engine that Could. In Thursday's brutal stage which featured 17,000 feet of climbing including the highest summit in Tour history at the top of the Galibier, the little Frenchman somehow managed to stay in the yellow by just 15 seconds. Today's stage 19 features the famous l'Alpe d'Huez, featuring its 21 historic hairpin turns with an average of 7.9 percent grade up nearly 14 kilometers. With just three stages (including today's final mountain stage) left in the tour, everything is still up for grabs. If you haven't been watching the coverage on Versus or following the action live at a site like Velo News, you've still got a chance over the last two days to witness some incredible racing. And, you can check out some gorgeous Specialized road bikes (and mountain and hybrid bikes) at Alpine Shop as well! Finally, don't miss out on the rest of the Alpine Shop Short Track Dirt Crit Series at Castlewood State Park next Thursday, July 28! The best mountain bike racing in the Midwest for experts all the way to pure beginners has become the premier bike race in St. Louis. See you there!

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