Today is a tough day in the mountains as the riders skirt the edges of Switzerland and Lake Geneva. Many hard climbs are on the menu today, and the non-climbers will definitely find themselves in a spot of bother as they head to the finish at Morzine-Avoriaz.  Click for more stage background

Only two previous road stages have finished at Avoriaz; once in 1975 and again in 1985. The Tour's route changes every year, and that makes it very interesting and exciting!

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: 189 KM or 117.4 miles. How far is that?

189 is the same as 117 miles. Have you ever ridden that far? I have, and it makes for a long day in the saddle!

Estimated Length of Time:5:00 How long is that?

Five hours is the expected time for today's stage. In five hours you could watch ten episodes of Hannah Montana! Or, better yet, not.

Terrain: mountainous.

Number of Climbs: Two Cat 4, one Cat 3, and two Cat 1 climbs. 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: 6000 How much would you have to eat?

Yesterday was mountainous for sure, but today  we are really in the thick of it. A mountaintop finish atop a category 1 climb, with several tough climbs before that, makes for a rather tough stage indeed! Time to dig in to some serious eats!

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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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