SUNDAY
Culoz Today’s winner Jarlinson Pantano (right) is one of a new generation of Colombians, brought up on the Tour deeds and derring-do of Lucho “The little gardener” Herrera and Fabio “Chute” Parra. Amusingly, Jarlinson – for all his old Etonian-sounding name, the son of a construction worker from Cali – gave the president of his country, Juan Manuel Santos, short shrift over inequality when he phoned to congratulate him, and began as a fan of the Italian Marco Pantani, owing to the similarity in their names. The glory days of the 1980s, when Colombia fielded two teams in the Tour and supplied fine coffee to the race, have gone but one thing has not changed: the Colombian radio reporters in the media zone at the finish, shouting live commentary into their phones at immense volume.
MONDAY
Berne Peter Sagan first, Alexander Kristoff second, Sondre Holst Enger (above, right) in third. Sorry. Come again? Who? SHE is, post EBH (Edvald Boasson-Hagen) 22-years-old, a former world under-23 silver medallist, the next big thing in Norwegian cycling. That’s not like saying he is the next great Devonian ice hockey player. Cycling is serious in Norway, with two national Tours – one run by the Tour organisers ASO – a recent world champion in Thor Hushovd and two of the finest Classics hunters in the sport: EBH and Kristoff. Plus, the maddest roadside fans on the Tour, all face-painting, Viking helmets, bear skins, fluffy moose – one we saw was being carried on a roof rack down a Swiss motorway – and an infinity of flags. EBH, SHE, ASO, OMG.
TUESDAY
Berne Mark Cavendish goes home, and the rationale is clear: four Alpine stages to come in the heat against one possible win on the Champs Élysées with four stage wins in the bag and the green jersey out of reach. It’s a no brainer. Cavendish can return home proud of a Tour that has been utterly accomplished, his mind on Rio. As has Fabian Cancellara, who says warm things about the specially arranged stage into his home town on Monday, then quits his last Tour.
WEDNESDAY
Vallorcine The stage to Finhaut Emosson is one of the most daring ventures in the brave new Tour era of Christian Prudhomme, given the difficulty of access to what is basically a rock platform blasted out alongside a massive dam, one of three built here since the 1950s to provide hydroelectric power. One press parking is through a very low 400m tunnel; the teams are evacuated via a longer tunnel down to a main road. Given it takes until 7.30pm for some team buses to clear the tunnel, which means the riders arriving at their hotels well after dinnertime, the gamble isn’t a total success. Nor are all the locals happy. The road across the French border has been closed all day, meaning the only access for non bike-borne residents is via the train, which has bumped its prices up to €57 for a ticket, while the cable car up to the climb is equally pricy. Hence, perhaps, the relatively small number of spectators on the climb, which is mainly populated by those Norwegians. Mont Ventoux it isn’t. That is probably for the best.
THURSDAY
Sallanches A large image of Bernard Hinault dominates the roundabout on the entry to town but, as well as the 30th anniversary of Hinault’s last Tour, it is 30 years since Greg LeMond won America’s first Tour in an epic battle with the Badger. LeMond is back on the race after staying away during the Armstrong years, when he fell out bitterly with Big Tex. LeMond never seemed like an elder statesman in waiting when he was racing but the fact he was right when he spoke out against Armstrong and suffered for it gives him gravitas he never had as a rider.
FRIDAY
Saint-Gervais The Tour goes over three Cols de la Forclaz this year, two of them today - the Forclaz de Montmin (1st category) and Forclaz de Queige (2nd) - while the Swiss Forclaz (the Z is silent) was climbed on Wednesday. There are four in France, nine in Switzerland. Why are they are so common? In local dialects the word forclia - from the latin furcula, a small fork - means a narrow passage between two hills. In other words, a Col, like place names in Scotland and Wales that mean “bridge bridge” and “hill hill”.
SATURDAY
Megéve On the final climb of the Joux-Plane a police motorbike can be seen close to the lead riders, clearly delegated with the job of discouraging fans who attempt to run alongside the riders, even if that involves coming close to crushing their toes. It’s a new innovation, and after the various episodes involving fans and riders in recent years, a more than welcome one.
