 |
| http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-15 |
 |
| http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-15 |
From LeTour: Jean François Pescheux's view
A fully deserved winner: "This stage is the longest of this 100th Tour. It is also one of the most prestigious because nobody wins by chance on the Ventoux, especially not on 14 July? There are two scenarios: either a group gets away from a long way out and maintains enough of an advantage for the escapees to fight it between themselves; or the leaders shut down the race as far as the foot of the climb, transforming the stage into one enormous hill-climb! Depending on the weather, a lot of damage could be done today. Imagine what it could be like if there's blazing heat all day? Whether you're in the yellow jersey or not, if you do badly on this climb you will lose a quarter of an hour!"
The longest stage of the race. Mount Ventoux. Bastille Day. Talk about an eagerly anticipated stage. First, a video of the OPQS team car at the end of yesterday's stage. Next, some safety advice from David Millar:
millarmind
3. Bike riders appear further away through a camera lense/phone/ipad than they actually are, take a long shot, not a close-up!
4. Cheer for me! We
hear everything when passing and, most importantly, enjoy the
spectacle, I'll be standing there with you soon.
As for today's route, I highly recommend a look at this post from WillJ on Podium Cafe. There is a lot of history for the Tour here and I expect tv coverage to hit the key points. But as for the climb itself, Will tells us:
"The 2013 Tour will ride the classic Bédoin side. At 21.5 kilometres and 1610 metres of ascent it averages 7.5%. Broadly speaking the climb can be divided into three sections:
Greghenderson1
Up early to watch, with a little less sleep than intended due to Tim Linceum's no-hitter last night. The pre-video break of the day has some interesting names: Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Markel Irizar (Radioshack), Pierrick Fédrigo and Jeremy Roy (FDJ.fr), Christophe Riblon (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Alberto Losada (Katusha), Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge), Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) and Julien El Fares (Sojasun). Can Chavanel win another for OPQS? I'd be delighted to see that as the result.
Video! I see bikes. Or, at least, men talking about bikes.
Nice field art. Someday I'd like to know the backstory of these projects. How long does it take? How do they choose an image? Is it one farmer or a group?
opqscyclingteam
5:12am
via
TweetDeck
Movistar has been pushing the pace at the front of the peloton. A really fast start to today's stage--the riders are about 45 minutes ahead of the fastest time schedule.
inrng
5:56am
via
Web
15 kilometers to go and Chavanel hits the steep climbs with 1:21 over the field. Movistar back on the front behind. Favorites still together, though there goes Andy Schleck off the back.
opqscyclingteam
6:49am
via
TweetDeck
As for today's route, I highly recommend a look at this post from WillJ on Podium Cafe. There is a lot of history for the Tour here and I expect tv coverage to hit the key points. But as for the climb itself, Will tells us:
"The 2013 Tour will ride the classic Bédoin side. At 21.5 kilometres and 1610 metres of ascent it averages 7.5%. Broadly speaking the climb can be divided into three sections:
- Easy: The first 6 kms are open, and not steep. A perfect warm-up.
- Very Hard: At Les Bruns, the road turns sharply left and heads up and into the forest. The next ten kilometres are consistently brutal. Few hairpins, but a continually wiggly road through the Réserve de Biosphère du Mont Ventoux – a rare ecological environment.
- Hard: At Chalet Reynard, the route exits the woods for a final 6 glorious (and usually windy) kilometres through a unique lunar environment.
Greghenderson1
Up early to watch, with a little less sleep than intended due to Tim Linceum's no-hitter last night. The pre-video break of the day has some interesting names: Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Markel Irizar (Radioshack), Pierrick Fédrigo and Jeremy Roy (FDJ.fr), Christophe Riblon (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Alberto Losada (Katusha), Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge), Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) and Julien El Fares (Sojasun). Can Chavanel win another for OPQS? I'd be delighted to see that as the result.
Video! I see bikes. Or, at least, men talking about bikes.
Nice field art. Someday I'd like to know the backstory of these projects. How long does it take? How do they choose an image? Is it one farmer or a group?
opqscyclingteam
5:12am
via
TweetDeck
Movistar has been pushing the pace at the front of the peloton. A really fast start to today's stage--the riders are about 45 minutes ahead of the fastest time schedule.
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4520770/tour-de-france-stage-15-live |
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4520770/tour-de-france-stage-15-live |
inrng
5:56am
via
Web
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4520770/tour-de-france-stage-15-live |
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4520770/tour-de-france-stage-15-live |
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4520770/tour-de-france-stage-15-live |
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4522028/tour-de-france-stage-15-live-second-thread |
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4522028/tour-de-france-stage-15-live-second-thread |
opqscyclingteam
6:49am
via
TweetDeck
Strangely, Sky has just passed out feed bags. That will be a fine as it is too late in the race. Just about 9 kilometers to go and Kennaugh drops.
opqscyclingteam
7:07am
via
TweetDeck
 |
| http://www.podiumcafe.com/2013/7/14/4522028/tour-de-france-stage-15-live-second-thread |
opqscyclingteam
7:07am
via
TweetDeck
Richie Porte continues to lead the group. Valverde, Gesink, Martin and others drop. Left: Porte, Froome, Contador and Kreuziger.
inrng
7:09am
via
Web
inrng
7:09am
via
Web
 |
| https://twitter.com/BrianMFloyd/status/356415983256227840/photo/1 |
from FranklyWines $25.00
From Jenny and Francois, the importer: Hervé Souhaut created Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet in 1993. Hervé works 5 hectares of old and ancient vines—between 50 to 100 years-old—located on the right bank of the Rhône Valley just opposite the storied hills of Hermitage. This region is widely recognized as being one of the finest areas for wine production on the planet; thanks in part to its elevation, ancient vineyard sites and the southeastern and southern exposures.
La Souteronne Vin De Pays:
Age of Vines: 60 to 80 years old non-clone vines.
Yields: 25 hl/ha 3,000 bottles annually.
Pruning Method: Gobelet
Soil: Schist.
Varietals: Gamay.
Vinification Method: Grapes are hand-harvested & undergo a very long maceration at a low temperature—without de-stemming the fruit. The wine is fermented in wooden tanks & aged on fine lees in secondhand oak casks for eight months. The wine is bottled without filtration. Total SO2 is only 25 mg/L.
Tasting Note: Nearly purple in the glass with a garnet rim. The nose is an enticing array of strawberry, black cherry, plum, fig paste, smoky herbs and pounded stones. Buoyant black fruit dominates the palate and is followed by pretty red berry tones, and smoky minerality that is framed by a judicious note of wood. This is an elegant and dynamic old vines Gamay.
I say: One of my most anticipated wines of the Tour for one of the most anticipated stages of the race. It does not disappoint. French Gamay from a great producer, not in Beaujolais. Fresh and floral, some pepper, nice acidity. Cherries, violets, alpine strawberries, with herbs and stones. Elegant but very, very gulpable. Another wine that I could happily buy a case of and enjoy again and again.
No comments:
Post a Comment