Stage 11 should surely be a day for the sprinters; we have left the Alps behind, and have only one Cat 3 climb early in the day before a long downhill and a flat finale along the Rhone Valley.  Click for more stage background

Only once before has the town of Valence hosted a TDF stage finish. This was in 1996. Do you know what it would be like if the Tour had a finish in your town? Imagine helicopters, traffic jams, police motorcades, thousands of people from all over the world, lots of skinny bike racers in bright shiny lycra! 

Start Time: 12:00 p.m. Central European Time.

Stage Type: Road Race. Explain

Riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first at the end of the course. Members of teams together to work to give advantage to their fastest riders or to their rider best placed in the overall standings.

Stage Distance: 185 KM or 115 miles. How far is that?

185 kilometers is the same as 115 miles. This is a typical length for a Tour de France stage, and will take the riders about 4 1/2 hours. That's a long time in the saddle, but these top pros are used to it!

Estimated Length of Time:4:30 How long is that?

Four and a half hours is is pretty standard for a TDF stage; perhaps even a little on the short side. That said, spending 4.5 hours doing ANYTHING can be quite tiring, so imagine spending it racing a bicycle at top speed!

Terrain: flat.

Number of Climbs: One cat 3 climb. What does "cat" mean?

"Cat" is short for "category." The climbs are rated according to how long and hard they are. They are ranked Category 1-4, with 4 being the "easiest" (I'm not sure they're so easy!) and 1 being the "hardest." But wait- there's even a harder one! Climbs that are rated "Hors Categorie" (above category) are longer and steeper than a Category 1. That sounds HARD!

Estimated Calories: 3500 How much would you have to eat?

Today's not one of the huge calorie-burners, given mostly to the fact that there is only one categorized climb, the Cat 3 Col de Cabre. Still, the racers have been at it for a week and a half, and that means the body wants NOURISHMENT! So there will lots of eating and snacking at this point in the race.

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Are you hungry?

By Mari Holden at Velo Betty

It's really important for the cyclists to eat and drink while they are on the bike. In a race like the Tour de France the riders can barely keep up with replacing the amount of calories that they burn. So, they have to make sure that they eat while they are riding. Normally they will carry some small bars and gels in their jersey pockets. But, they can go back to their team cars in the caravan to get more food and bottles. There are guys on the team who are designated to help the other riders, and they will make many trips to the car. Their job is really important because they are helping the other riders on the team. There are also areas called "feed zones" where each team has people waiting by the side of the road to hand their riders bottles. They normally hand the bottles to their riders in "musettes which are like cloth purses for food and bottle. That way each rider can get a couple bottles and some food all in one bag. The cyclists have to eat so much every day that they actually get tired of eating and have to work hard to get their calories. So, sometimes the teams add some of the riders favorites in their musette bags... Things like small sandwiches, and cookies are favorites...

 

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