These are the profiles and summaries for the individual stages in the
2011 Tour de France
The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 21 stages over 23 days, covering a distance of . The route en ...
, with Stage 12 on 14 July, and Stage 21 on 24 July.
Stage 12
;14 July 2011 —
Cugnaux
Cugnaux (; Languedocien: ''Cunhaus'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.
Population
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Cugnalais.
Twin towns
Cugnaux is twinned with these
* Cavarzere, Italy (Since 2 ...
to
Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Occitanie Region. The ski resort lies at a height of 1720 meters and was opened on January 16, 1975. In recent years the road to Luz Ardiden ...
,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 12 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_12_profil.png)
The first stage to enter the high mountains, the route included one first category (
La Hourquette d'Ancizan
La Hourquette d'Ancizan (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, between the communities of Ancizan (east) and Campan (west).
Toponymy
The origin of the word hourquette is unclear. French ...
, used by the tour for the first time), and two highest category climbs, and a summit finish. The early breakaway, consisting of
Geraint Thomas
Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
(),
Iván Gutiérrez (),
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno (born 30 October 1981 in Zaldibar, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country) is a Spanish Basque people, Basque professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTour team .
His only victory has been a ...
(),
Laurent Mangel
Laurent Mangel (born 22 May 1981 in Vesoul, Haute-Saône) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2014 for the , and teams.
Major results
;2004
: 1st Overall Tour Nord Isère
::1st Points clas ...
(),
Blel Kadri
Blel Kadri (born 3 September 1986) is a former French professional road racing cyclist, who most recently rode for UCI ProTeam . He is of Algerian descent.
Career 2013
In March 2013, Kadri won the Roma Maxima, a newly revived race formerly known ...
() and
Jérémy Roy (), established a maximum lead of nine minutes and preserved their lead over the first two climbs. On the final climb, an attack by
Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert (born 19 February 1985) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He competed in a total of ten Grand Tours during his career. His younger brother Dennis Vanendert also competed profes ...
() and
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2 ...
() was the first to overhaul the breakaway, and they were pursued by a group of the main GC contenders, initially with pacesetting by
Sylwester Szmyd
Sylwester Szmyd (born 2 March 1978) is a Polish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2016.
Born in Bydgoszcz, Szmyd competed as a climber who served as a leader in smaller stage races, and as a strong m ...
which reduced the size of the group, although contrary to expectations, yellow jersey wearer
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler (; born 22 June 1979) is a French former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2017, for the team and its previous iterations.
One of the most prominent French riders of his generation, Voeckler has b ...
remained with the leaders. With remaining,
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, ...
broke clear of the yellow jersey group, but was unable to catch Sánchez and Vanendert, who took the first two places. Within the final kilometre,
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
lost time to some of his main rivals for the overall competition,
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
,
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...
and
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
.
Stage 13
;15 July 2011 —
Pau to
Lourdes
Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...
,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 13 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_13_profil.png)
From the original ten man breakaway, three riders,
Jérémy Roy (),
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian national road race champion (2004, 2010, 2013), and was the winner of th ...
() and
David Moncoutié
David Moncoutié (born 30 April 1975) is a retired French professional road racing cyclist, who rode with the French team , for his entire professional career. He was a climber, and won his first professional race in a mountain stage of Critér ...
(), went clear on the highest category ascent to the
Col d'Aubisque
The Col d'Aubisque ( oc, Còth d'Aubisca) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du T ...
, with Roy leading over the top by nearly a minute from Moncoutié, with Hushovd more than a minute further behind. Roy's lead over the peloton at that point was over 8 minutes, and he became leader of the King of the Mountain competition. On the descent, Hushovd caught Moncoutie and the pair pursued Roy until Hushovd, who had worn the yellow jersey for 7 stages earlier in the race, dropped Moncountie inside the last , and passed Roy to win the stage: Moncoutié eventually took second place. Most of the other riders from the early break stayed clear of the peloton, from which
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...
(), accompanied by
Bauke Mollema
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Groningen, Netherlands
, height =
, weight =
, currentteam =
, discipline = Road
, role = Rider
, ridertype = All-rounder
, amateuryears1 = 2004–2006
, amateurtea ...
(), broke away on the descent to regain his place in the top ten overall and gain some points over the other contenders in the points competition. There was little other change in the general classification, with the main peloton coming in some seven and a half minutes behind Hushovd, but
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden (born 22 June 1975) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2013. His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and finishing second in the ge ...
withdrew earlier in the stage having suffered injuries earlier in the race.
Stage 14
;16 July 2011 —
Saint-Gaudens to
Plateau de Beille
Plateau de Beille (Occitan language, Occitan: ''Plan de Belha'') is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department, and in the Regions of France, region of the Occitania (administ ...
,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 14 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_14_profil.png)
This stage had six categorised climbs. From the original break, which had as many as 24 members but was disrupted by several breaks from among the group,
Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar (born 2 February 1979) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional between 2000 and 2013, all for the team. His greatest results have been winning three stages of the Tour de France, as well the over ...
of had the virtual lead at one point, but by the beginning of the last climb, to the highest category finish at
Plateau de Beille
Plateau de Beille (Occitan language, Occitan: ''Plan de Belha'') is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department, and in the Regions of France, region of the Occitania (administ ...
his lead was little over two minutes. On the steeper lower slopes of the climb the chase group was reduced to the eight leading men in the general classification, Voeckler's teammate
Pierre Rolland,
Rigoberto Urán
Rigoberto Urán Urán, ODB (born 26 January 1987) is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the road race. He became the first Colombian ever ...
, who took the white jersey for the leading young rider at the end of the stage,
Jean-Christophe Péraud
Jean-Christophe Péraud (born 22 May 1977) is a retired French cyclist who rode for and during his professional career. He was a member of the French team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Career
Péraud was European cross-country champ ...
, and
Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert (born 19 February 1985) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He competed in a total of ten Grand Tours during his career. His younger brother Dennis Vanendert also competed profes ...
. After three abortive attempts by Andy Schleck to split the group, Vanendert broke from the select group of favourites with some remaining, and was the first to overtake Casar, but only Damiano Cunego was unable to stay with the group. Ivan Basso put the group under further pressure, but Samuel Sánchez was the only one to make any meaningful pursuit of Vanendert, with those two riders reversing the finishing positions from stage 12. Andy Schleck gained two seconds over the group in the final few hundred metres, and Vanendert's stage victory also earned him the leadership of the mountains category.
Stage 15
;17 July 2011 —
Limoux
Limoux (; oc, Limós ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Occitanie region in southern France. Its vineyards are famous for being first to produce sparkling wi ...
to
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 15 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_15_profil.png)
On the last largely flat stage before the final day of the race, the main breakaway group of the day had five members; and was established from the beginning of the stage. The group—
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage (born 6 August 1985) is a French former professional road and track cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam .
Career
Born in Libourne, Delage participated at the World Track Championships in Moscow in 2003 as a junior, where he w ...
(),
Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra (; born 18 May 1984) is a Dutch racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–Ro ...
(),
Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin (born 20 August 1980) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the , and teams. He now works as a directeur sportif for UCI ProTeam .
Career
Dumoulin rode as an amate ...
(),
Mikhail Ignatiev () and
Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace (born 11 September 1989) is a professional French road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .
Career
Delaplace was a junior champion for France in 2007. He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Tour de France, where he ...
()—was never more than three minutes clear of the peloton and as the catch approached, Ignatiev and Terpstra moved clear of their colleagues. Terpstra was the last member of the group to be caught, with about remaining; despite some attempts at late breakaways including one by
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...
, sprinters dominated the finish, with
Mark Cavendish
Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
winning his fourth stage of the race ahead of
Tyler Farrar Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
and
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi (born 3 January 1974) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 1996 and 2015. A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 48 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the ...
.
Stage 16
;19 July 2011 —
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (; oc, label=Vivaro-Alpine, Sant Pau de Tricastin), sometimes known as -en-Tricastin, is a commune, an administrative region, in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Name
The settlement is attested as ''August ...
to
Gap,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 16 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_16_profil.png)
The first stage to enter the Alps had a very high pace for the first two hours, with no break from the peloton until the second half of the stage. Ten riders eventually moved clear of the peloton, but extended their margin rapidly to six minutes. After an unsuccessful attempt to move ahead of the bunch by
Mikhail Ignatiev (),
Ryder Hesjedal
Eric Ryder Hesjedal (; born December 9, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional racing cyclist who competed in both mountain biking and road racing between 1998 and 2016. Hesjedal won a silver medal at the 1998 Junior, 2001 Under-23, and Elite ...
() got clear to lead over the category 2 mountain. He was eventually caught by his teammate
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian national road race champion (2004, 2010, 2013), and was the winner of th ...
and another Norwegian,
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 17 May 1987) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He was ranked as no. 3 in the world by UCI as of 31 August 2009, when he was 22 years old. He is known as an all-rounder, havin ...
(), before Hushovd went on to win the stage, his second of the tour. On the ascent of the
Col de Manse
The Col de Manse () is a mountain pass located in the Massif des Écrins approximately north-east of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. The pass connects Gap with the high Champsaur valley and the ski resort of Orcières-Merlette. T ...
,
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
made two attacks, the second of which was successful, with
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...
and
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2 ...
joining him in taking a time advantage on the stage over the other riders in contention for high placings in the general classification, and more than a minute over
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
.
Stage 17
;20 July 2011 — Gap to
Pinerolo
Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary be ...
(Italy),
![Tour de France 2011 etape 17 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_17_profil.png)
This stage had five categorised climbs, but as with the preceding stage, finished with a descent. More than had passed before any break was established, but a group of fourteen riders finally got clear and extended their lead to over eight minutes. From that group,
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno (born 30 October 1981 in Zaldibar, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country) is a Spanish Basque people, Basque professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTour team .
His only victory has been a ...
() broke away to be first over the Col de
Sestriere
Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...
, but was caught by a counterattack on the final climb initiated by
Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel''Procycling'', UK, November 2008 (born 30 June 1979) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2018 for the , , and two spells with the / team. His brother Sébastien Chavanel ...
(), which also included
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 17 May 1987) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He was ranked as no. 3 in the world by UCI as of 31 August 2009, when he was 22 years old. He is known as an all-rounder, havin ...
(),
Bauke Mollema
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Groningen, Netherlands
, height =
, weight =
, currentteam =
, discipline = Road
, role = Rider
, ridertype = All-rounder
, amateuryears1 = 2004–2006
, amateurtea ...
() and
Jonathan Hivert
Jonathan Hivert (born 23 March 1985) is a French professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .
Career
In 2013, Chambray-lès-Tours-born Hivert won the general classification of the 2.1 event Étoile de Bessèges. He wa ...
(). Boasson Hagen led over the final mountain and retained his lead on the descent to win the stage, while Hivert left the road twice and thus enabled Mollema to take second place. Among the General Classification contenders both
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
and
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
were aggressive on the last climb, but were unable to drop their opponents, while on the descent an attack initiated by yellow jersey wearer
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler (; born 22 June 1979) is a French former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2017, for the team and its previous iterations.
One of the most prominent French riders of his generation, Voeckler has b ...
, accompanied by Contador and
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2 ...
, was able to escape the group. Voeckler went off the road on two corners on the descent; and although Contador and Sánchez were able to stay clear for most of the descent, they were caught by a group that included all the other members of the top eight in the overall ranking—apart from Voeckler and
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
, who both conceded 27 seconds to their rivals.
Stage 18
;21 July 2011 — Pinerolo (Italy) to
Col du Galibier
The Col du Galibier (el. ) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the highest point of the Tour de France.
It connects Saint-M ...
–
Serre Chevalier
Serre Chevalier () is a major ski resort in Southeastern France, near the Italian border, located in the Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated to the northeast of Écrins National Park in the French Alps, the reso ...
,
![Tour de France 2011 etape 18 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_18_profil.png)
This stage had three highest category climbs, including both the highest point of the 2011 Tour and the highest finish in the history of the race. A group of 14 riders made a break after , and their lead reached nine minutes, but dropped to five and a half by the time
Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Gennadyevich Iglinsky ( kz, Максим Геннадьевич Иглинский; born 18 April 1981, in Astana) is a Kazakh former road racing cyclist who rode professionally from 2004 to 2014 with the , Domina Vacanze, and teams.
...
() led over the
Col Agnel
Col Agnel ( it, Colle dell'Agnello) is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, west of Monte Viso between France and Italy which links the Queyras valley (Hautes-Alpes) with Pontechianale in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont.
At 2,744 m (9,003 f ...
. The lead group had been reduced to six by the top of the second climb, the
Col d'Izoard
Col d'Izoard () is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France.
It is accessible in summer via the D902 road, connecting Briançon on the north and the valley of the Guil in Queyras, which ends at Guillestre in the sou ...
, which Iglinski again passed first, but by this time the group of favourites for the overall race had been affected by a solo attack by
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
. He gained two minutes on the remaining part of that climb, and had assistance from
Joost Posthuma
Joost Posthuma (born 8 March 1981) is a Dutch retired professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2004 and 2012. Born in Hengelo, Posthuma was known for his time-trialling and he wore the white jersey for the best youn ...
and
Maxime Monfort
Maxime Monfort (born 14 January 1983) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams.
Monfort won a variety of races including the Tour de Luxembourg in 2004, t ...
, members of his team who had been in the early break. The group of the remaining leading General Classification competitors seemed poorly co-ordinated, and with to go, Schleck had reached the head of the race with an advantage of 4:24 over the yellow jersey group.
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...
was the pace setter for the group in pursuit of Schleck, and some of the leading challengers lost time to the pursuing group, including
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
and
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2 ...
. Andy Schleck's winning margin was reduced at the end of the stage to a little over two minutes, with his brother
Fränk passing the remnants of the chase group to take second place.
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler (; born 22 June 1979) is a French former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2017, for the team and its previous iterations.
One of the most prominent French riders of his generation, Voeckler has b ...
retained the overall race lead, although his advantage was reduced to 15 seconds. More than half the field finished outside the cut-off time for elimination, but were reprieved and instead penalised by the loss of 20 points, which meant that
José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas Gil (born 8 June 1985) is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .
Career
Rojas turned professional in 2006 with . His older brother Mariano Rojas, was a professional cyclist as ...
moved to 15 points behind
Mark Cavendish
Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
in the competition for the green jersey.
Stage 19
;22 July 2011 —
Modane
Modane (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southeastern France.
The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise ...
to
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
It is part of th ...
,
![Schleck gif](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Schleck_gif.gif)
This was the shortest stage of the tour, other than time trials, and featured three mountains. Although a 14-man break had moved ahead of the peloton within the first , the race was animated by a break by
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
after . He was joined in the break by yellow jersey wearer
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler (; born 22 June 1979) is a French former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2017, for the team and its previous iterations.
One of the most prominent French riders of his generation, Voeckler has b ...
,
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
and
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...
, but another acceleration later left only Schleck able to stay with Contador. Evans soon afterwards had a mechanical issue with his bicycle, and waited for the peloton to catch him up, while Voeckler opted to try to follow Contador and Schleck alone. By the top of the first climb, the
Col du Télégraphe
Col du Télégraphe is a mountain pass in the French Alps situated above the Maurienne valley between the eastern end of the massif d'Arvan-Villards and the massif des Cerces.
The pass links Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to the north and Valloire t ...
, Contador and Schleck had passed most of the first breakaway group, and in passing the col second behind
Gorka Izagirre
Gorka Izagirre Insausti (born 7 October 1987) is a Spanish professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Ion Izagirre.
Career
Both Izagirre brothers were signed by the for the 2014 season, with I ...
, Schleck became virtual leader of the mountains classification on the last day that points were available in that competition.
The climb to the
Col du Galibier
The Col du Galibier (el. ) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the highest point of the Tour de France.
It connects Saint-M ...
saw the front group reduced to four men: Contador, Schleck,
Rui Costa
Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors.
...
and
Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon (born 17 January 1981) is a French former road and track racing cyclist who competed as a professional for the team for 13 seasons between 2005 and 2017. He also competed for France at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Career
Born in ...
;
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2 ...
counter-attacked to join the group on the descent, while Voeckler dropped to the pursuit group that included the other leading riders in the general classification. The advantage of the leaders over the chase group dropped from its maximum of nearly two minutes to 42 seconds by the top of the Galibier, by which time Voeckler had been dropped to a third group. The chase group caught up with the leaders by the bottom of the valley, and the larger group was also joined by the yellow jersey group before the beginning of the climb to
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
It is part of th ...
.
Ryder Hesjedal
Eric Ryder Hesjedal (; born December 9, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional racing cyclist who competed in both mountain biking and road racing between 1998 and 2016. Hesjedal won a silver medal at the 1998 Junior, 2001 Under-23, and Elite ...
and
Pierre Rolland had attacked along the valley, and led by some 38 seconds at the beginning of the climb. Attacks at the foot of the climb by
Jakob Fuglsang
Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (born 22 March 1985) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Before turning professional for , he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under ...
, and then by Evans and
Bauke Mollema
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Groningen, Netherlands
, height =
, weight =
, currentteam =
, discipline = Road
, role = Rider
, ridertype = All-rounder
, amateuryears1 = 2004–2006
, amateurtea ...
, were unable to escape the group, but Contador was again able to break clear. When he caught Rolland and Hesjedal, the Canadian immediately fell away, while Rolland was able to stay with Contador for some time. The following group gradually diminished in numbers, and Voeckler dropped back, eventually finishing in 20th place. Shortly after Contador moved clear into the lead on his own, with remaining,
Peter Velits
Peter Velits (born 21 February 1985 in Bratislava) is a Slovakian former professional road racing cyclist. His career highlights included third place overall and a stage win at the 2010 Vuelta a España, the 2007 World Under-23 Road Race Champi ...
and Sánchez broke from the pursuit group. Sánchez caught up with Rolland, and the pair drew closer to Contador, while the two favourites for the general classification, Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans, rode in close proximity.
Sánchez and Rolland caught up with the rapidly tiring Contador with remaining, and Rolland immediately attacked and went on to win the stage and take the lead in the young riders' competition. The two Spaniards worked together for a while, before Sánchez, in an effort that was to secure him the polka-dot jersey of the top climber, moved on to take second place. Despite a flurry of late attacks, Evans and both Schleck brothers finished on the same time. Andy Schleck assumed leadership of the overall classification. As had happened on the previous stage, more than half the field had to rely on a reprieve from the commissionaires having missed the cut-off time, but the penalty points made little difference to the green jersey competition as the two leaders in that classification both received the same sanction.
Stage 20
;23 July 2011 —
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
,
individual time trial
An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
(ITT)
![Tour de France 2011 etape 20 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_20_profil.png)
In the final competitive stage of the race, riders left in reverse order of their standings in the general classification.
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...
, the world champion at the time trial, was widely considered favourite to win the stage, and his time was the fastest for some time, but it was surpassed by
Richie Porte
Richard Julian Porte (born 30 January 1985) is an Australian professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His successes include wins at 8 UCI World Tour, World Tour stage races: Paris–Nice in 201 ...
and, shortly after, by
Thomas De Gendt
Thomas De Gendt (born 6 November 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He previously rode for rivals , , and .
Career
Born in Sint-Niklaas, De Gendt won the opening stage of the 2011 Paris–Nice ...
, before
Tony Martin set the best time at every intermediate checkpoint, and at the stage finish, times which remained unbeaten.
Pierre Rolland, although he lost his place in the top ten to
Jean-Christophe Péraud
Jean-Christophe Péraud (born 22 May 1977) is a retired French cyclist who rode for and during his professional career. He was a member of the French team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Career
Péraud was European cross-country champ ...
, was able to retain his lead in the young riders' category ahead of
Rein Taaramäe
Rein Taaramäe (born April 24, 1987) is an Estonian road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .
Career Cofidis (2008–14)
Taaramäe turned professional in 2008 for after riding for the team as a stagiaire in late 2007 and winni ...
. Defending champion
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
, in posting the time which was second at the time, moved up one place in the overall rankings, before the final three riders, whose compared times were to be decisive in the final positions for the tour. It was widely expected that the 57 second advantage that
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration f ...
had over
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...
at the beginning of the stage would leave the pair very closely matched, but even by the first checkpoint in seemed evident that Evans would more than make up the deficit. Evans beat Contador's time, to take second on the stage, and to pass both Andy and
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, ...
and assume the lead in the overall classification.
Stage 21
;24 July 2011 —
Créteil
Créteil () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Cré ...
to Paris (
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...
),
![Tour de France 2011 etape 21 profil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Tour_de_France_2011_etape_21_profil.png)
After a silent tribute to
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon (; 12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and the Giro d'Italia in 1989. He is former FICP World No. 1 in 1989. He nearly captured t ...
and the victims of the
attacks in Oslo and Utøya Island, and in keeping with tradition, the final stage began at a slow pace, and was a largely ceremonial procession through the suburbs of Paris. Shortly after the riders reached the circuit in the centre of the city, racing began in earnest, and after various unsuccessful attempts, the main break was initiated by
Ben Swift
Benjamin Ian Swift (born 5 November 1987) is a British professional Track cycling, track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Swift won the UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's scratch, scratch race at ...
() with 40 km to go, and he was joined by
Kristjan Koren (),
Sergio Paulinho
Sergio may refer to:
* Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio
* Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found
* ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass
* ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film
* ''Se ...
(),
Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon (born 17 January 1981) is a French former road and track racing cyclist who competed as a professional for the team for 13 seasons between 2005 and 2017. He also competed for France at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Career
Born in ...
() and
Lars Bak
Lars Ytting Bak (born 16 January 1980) is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the Fakta, , , , and squads. From 2022, Bak will act as team manager for UCI Women's WorldTeam .
Ba ...
(). At the intermediate sprint, with 35 km remaining,
Mark Cavendish
Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
() extended his lead in the points competition, and shortly after that the breakaway reached its greatest advantage at 45 seconds. As the peloton closed down their advantage, mainly through the work of and , the breakaway lost members, until in the final kilometre only Bak remained clear, but the closing peloton was being driven by his own team. The lead-out train for Cavendish led the race through the final corners, and he won the final stage for the third successive year, a record, to become the first British winner of the green jersey. The leaders of the other three categories finished in the peloton to secure their victories, and the traditional prize-giving was made shortly after the race.
Footnotes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2011 Tour De France, Stage 12 To Stage 21
Stage 12 To Stage 21
Tour de France stages