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Alps then Pyrenees.
"Col du Tourmalet will be ridden twice to celebrate 100 years of mountain stages in the Pyrenees." – BBC

Just had a quick look at the feedback on the bbc website – general opinion is that the 2nd week looks a bit dull. But if its anything like last year, it was all over by the 2nd mountain top finish (Verbier) so all that plodding about up and down the Tourmalet in the 3rd week won't change the result. And no Alp d'heuz again and no Team time trail. Thinking it could be better

goes straight past our friends house again 🙂
better go book the ferries!

Belgium and Holland are part of France now?

annexed at the same time as London was the other year.
Cheeky frogs eh?

Stage 3 on cobbles would be cool to see, and is pretty close.

Any idea which stage will be used for the Etape?

I see lots of broken things on stage three 🙂

My money is on one or other of the Tourmalet stages.

Which stage for the Etape??? When do they tell us?

Coolio I can pop my head out the window and watch them fly past 😀

Looks like it is the Pau to Tourmmalet! Get booking!

Km 57,5 – Col de Maris-Blanque – 9,5 km de montée à 7,5 %

Km 118,5 – Col du Soulor par Ferrières – 22 km de montée à 4,9 %

Km 174 – Col du Tourmalet par Barèges – 19 km de montée à 7,4 %

11th July 2010:

tdf summit finish at morzine
wendyball final
british grand prix

port de bales….great climb!

I have a theory that people who use the term 'wendyball' fancy David Beckham, perhaps subconsciously.

It is just a theory though.

Hmmm Morzine-Avoriaz finish, rest day and start, in a week that I may well have decided to go check out the MTB scene at Morzine/Les Gets/Chatel.

11th July 2010:

tdf summit finish at morzine
wendyball final
british grand prix

So the question is: will I be at Donnington or Silverstone?

Stage 10, des rousses is nearest mountains to the UK. Not the high mountains admittedly, but awesome for general MTB or road riding either side of the tour passing. Really beautiful, lightly forested. Well worth a visit. Metabief is just down the road for a bit of Telesiege riding too.

Hmmm Morzine-Avoriaz finish, rest day and start, in a week that I may well have decided to go check out the MTB scene at Morzine/Les Gets/Chatel.

I was in Morzine a few years ago when there was a finish/start there. It didn't have a huge impact apart from:
loads of lorries rolling in to town
the guides changing their day off to go and watch
wasting half a day of my life to watch the drug-cheat Landis go over the Col de Ranfolly
restaurants/bars being a bit busier (nothing too bad though)
loads of lorries rolling out of town

port de bales….great climb!

Indeed. Rode it in the 2007 Étape.

Also rode this year's Étape, and promptly threw up at the top of Ventoux.

So, this year, I shall experience the Tourmalet as so many other Brits do – from the comfort of my own armchair.

(I am doing the full edition of the Tour of Flanders, though, just to get in my annual beasting.)

It looks like the Morzine start heads off through Les Gets too.

Watch them pass in Morzine, get the chair up, blast down and watch them again in Les Gets? C'est possible?

in all honesty I love the pyrenees more than the alps….. 😀

found tourmlet good aspin hard faves preysoude and port de bales, most windy superbargenes, portillion enjoyable.

Shame – as past few years I've combined our annual DH week in Morzine with seeing the TdF.

But with the Alps coming before the Pyrenees, I'd have to take the kids out of school a whole week.

Any good lift-assisted DH riding pots in the Pyrenees?

Watch them pass in Morzine, get the chair up, blast down and watch them again in Les Gets? C'est possible?

Not a chance.

It's not that far and not that steep – I could probably ride to Les Gets before you could do the up and over route..

Should be a busy week here in Morzine… even more fun if France make it to the worldcup finals as well…(with england beating them, of course)

Well it looks right up Contador's street, lots of mountains and not much TT.

Digger see AQR site……lifts do open in luchon, very very different to the alps greener friendlier and still as steep. PLenty of uplift vans passed us with big bikes on. Recommend AQR as well, really friendly people and good guides 😀

DaRC_L – Member
Well it looks right up Contador's street, lots of mountains and not much TT.

Yeah, cos Contador's sh!t at time trialling 🙄

Any good lift-assisted DH riding pots in the Pyrenees?

Spain La Molina
Andorra Val Nord, Grandvalira
France Les Angles, Ax les thermes, Luchon
also Artouste, St Lery and Cauterets but no idea what they are like

flowmtbguy – Member
Watch them pass in Morzine, get the chair up, blast down and watch them again in Les Gets? C'est possible?
Not a chance.

Ah well. Nice idea.

I preferred it when it went past my house 2 years ago.

Maybe I will break my own rule & go into Brussels on a weekend….

Lance was pleasantly magnanimous about Bertie in the interviews after the press conference…

BlingBling – Member
Coolio I can pop my head out the window and watch them fly past

Whereabouts are you based BlingBling?

Lance was pleasantly magnanimous about Bertie in the interviews after the press conference…

Bout time given he was a complete c**t during the Tour. Glad to see him lose 🙂

The Megaavalanche finishes the day before the Morzine rest day. But of driving involved but potential for a good ten days racing/watching/DHing; the other half is thrilled!

No closer to us than Albertville this year. Boo! 😡