STAGE 18 REPORT:
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| Stage 18 on the map |
145.5k from Pau to
Hautacam; Hi mtns; summit
finish;
Weather: Mostly
sunny; 76f at low elevation, and about 60f up at the finish; [Thunderstorms
were forecast for later in the day, but they never came.]
Abandoned: Heinrich
Haussler (stomach bug)
The 2014 Tour De
France raced its last day in the mountains today, conquering the Hors Categoie Pyrenean climbs of the
famed Tourmalet, and the perhaps infamous Hautacam. The Tourmalet is a classic
Tour big-mountain favorite, and is the highest pass in the Pyrenees at 2115
meters. Among this year's riders, men who have led the race over the 17k-long
climb include Thomas Voeckler, Jeremy Roy and Sylvain Chavanel. The winners on
the Hautacam however, now look like a who's who of doped cyclists. Leaving
their names aside for now, we can only hope and trust that today's winner will
not have his name one day expunged from the record books.
Vincenzo Nibali may
look unbeatable, but a great battle for the overall podium positions and the
king of the mountains jersey would be on the menu for stage 18...
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| Stage 18 profile; the last of the mountains |
The peloton were
fortunate to race on dry roads under sunny skies all day, despite the predicted
afternoon thunderstorms. A 20-rider break formed early, and built a four-minute
lead...
