2011 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21
Encyclopedia
These are the profiles and summaries for the individual stages in the 2011 Tour de France
, with Stage 12 on 14 July, and Stage 21 on 24 July.
to Luz Ardiden
, 211 km (131 mi)
The first stage to enter the high mountains, the route included one first category (La Hourquette d'Ancizan
, used by the tour for the first time), and two highest category climbs, and a summit finish. The early breakaway, consisting of Geraint Thomas
, Iván Gutiérrez
, Rubén Pérez
, Laurent Mangel
, Blel Kadri 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
and Samuel Sánchez
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
which reduced the size of the group, although contrary to expectations, yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler
remained with the leaders. With 2.5 km (2 mi) remaining, Fränk Schleck
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
lost time to some of his main rivals for the overall competition, Ivan Basso
, Cadel Evans
and Andy Schleck
.
, 152.5 km (95 mi)
From the original ten man breakaway, three riders, Jérémy Roy
, Thor Hushovd
and David Moncoutié
, went clear on the highest category ascent to the Col d'Aubisque
, 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 3 km (2 mi), 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
, accompanied by Bauke Mollema
, 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
withdrew earlier in the stage having suffered injuries earlier in the race.
, 168.5 km (105 mi)
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
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
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 team mate Pierre Rolland, Rigoberto Urán
, who took the white jersey for the leading young rider at the end of the stage, Jean-Christophe Péraud
, and Jelle Vanendert
. After three abortive attempts by Andy Schleck to split the group, Vanendert broke from the select group of favourites with some 6 km (4 mi) 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.
to Montpellier
, 192.5 km (120 mi)
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—Mickael Delage
, Niki Terpstra
, Samuel Dumoulin
, Mikhail Ignatiev
and Anthony Delaplace
—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 3 km (2 mi) remaining; despite some attempts at late breakaways including one by Philippe Gilbert
, sprinters dominated the finish, with Mark Cavendish
winning his fourth stage of the race ahead of Tyler Farrar
and Alessandro Petacchi
.
to Gap
, 162.5 km (101 mi)
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
got clear to lead over the category 2 mountain. He was eventually caught by his team-mate Thor Hushovd
and another Norwegian, Edvald Boasson Hagen
, before Hushovd went on to win the stage, his second of the tour. On the ascent of the Col de Manse, Alberto Contador
made two attacks, the second of which was successful, with Cadel Evans
and Samuel Sánchez
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
.
(Italy
), 179 km (111 mi)
This stage had five categorised climbs, but as with the preceding stage, finished with a descent. More than 60 km (37 mi) 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
broke away to be first over the Col de Sestriere
, but was caught by a counterattack on the final climb initiated by Sylvain Chavanel
, which also included Edvald Boasson Hagen
, Bauke Mollema
and Jonathan Hivert
. 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
and Andy Schleck
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
, accompanied by Contador and Samuel Sánchez
, 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
, who both conceded 27 seconds to their rivals.
–Serre Chevalier
, 200.5 km (125 mi)
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 45 km (28 mi), and their lead reached nine minutes, but dropped to five and a half by the time Maxim Iglinsky
led over the Col Agnel
. The lead group had been reduced to six by the top of the second climb, the Col d'Izoard
, 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
. He gained two minutes on the remaining part of that climb, and had assistance from Joost Posthuma
and Maxime Monfort
, 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 10 km (6 mi) to go, Schleck had reached the head of the race with an advantage of 4:24 over the yellow jersey group. Cadel Evans
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
and Samuel Sánchez
. 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
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
moved to 15 points behind Mark Cavendish
in the competition for the green jersey.
to Alpe d'Huez
, 109.5 km (68 mi)
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 10 km (6 mi), the race was animated by a break by Alberto Contador
after 16 km (10 mi). He was joined in the break by yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler
, Andy Schleck
and Cadel Evans
, but another acceleration 5 km (3 mi) 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
, Contador and Schleck had passed most of the first breakaway group, and in passing the col second behind Gorka Izagirre
, 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
saw the front group reduced to four men: Contador, Schleck, Rui Costa
and Christophe Riblon
; Samuel Sánchez
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
. Ryder Hesjedal
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
, and then by Evans and Bauke Mollema
, 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 10 km (6 mi) remaining, Peter Velits
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 2.5 km (2 mi) 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.
, 42.5 km (26 mi) individual time trial
(ITT)
In the final competitive stage of the race, riders left in reverse order of their standings in the general classification. Fabian Cancellara
, 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
and, shortly after, by Thomas De Gendt
, 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
, was able to retain his lead in the young riders' category ahead of Rein Taaramäe
. Defending champion Alberto Contador
, 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
had over Cadel Evans
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
and assume the lead in the overall classification.
to Paris
(Champs-Élysées
), 95 km (59 mi)
After a silent tribute to Laurent Fignon
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
with 40km to go, and he was joined by Kristjan Koren , Sergio Paulinho
, Christophe Riblon
and Lars Bak
. At the intermediate sprint, with 35 km remaining, Mark Cavendish
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 lead 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.
2011 Tour de France
-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
, with Stage 12 on 14 July, and Stage 21 on 24 July.
| LegendJerseys appearing in the table on the left of the page indicate those worn by the cyclist during the particular stage, while those appearing in the table on the right of the page indicate those awarded to the cyclist after the stage. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Denotes the leader of the general classification |  |
Denotes the leader of the points classification Points classification in the Tour de France The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition... |
 |
Denotes the leader of the mountains classification |  |
Denotes the leader of the young rider classification Young rider classification in the Tour de France -History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification... |
 |
Denotes a rider representing the leaders of the team classification |  |
Denotes the rider designated as the day's most combative Combativity award The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :... |
| s.t. indicates that the rider crossed the finish line in the same group as the one receiving the time above him, and was therefore credited with the same finishing time. | |||
Stage 12
14 July 2011 — CugnauxCugnaux
Cugnaux is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
to Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées. The ski resort, which lies at a height of 1720 meters, opened on January 16, 1975...
, 211 km (131 mi)
The first stage to enter the high mountains, the route included one first category (La Hourquette d'Ancizan
La Hourquette d'Ancizan
La Hourquette d'Ancizan is a high mountain pass in the French Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, between the communities of Ancizan and Campan .-Details of climb:...
, 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 Thomas
Geraint Howell Thomas, MBE is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who rides for the UCI ProTour team . A track cycling world champion and Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit, Thomas has also enjoyed success on the road, winning the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2004, the British National...
, Iván Gutiérrez
Iván Gutiérrez
José Iván Gutiérrez Palacios is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was Spanish Road national champion, three time Spanish time trial champion and won a silver medal in the 2005 Time Trial World Championships...
, Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi....
, Laurent Mangel
Laurent Mangel
Laurent Mangel is a French racing cyclist who rides for Saur-Sojasun. From 2005-2008 he was with UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :* Tour de Langkawi - 1 stage * Boucles de la Mayenne - 1 stage...
, Blel Kadri and Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuiously attacking from inside the breakaway.-Biography:Roy turned professional...
, 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
Jelle Vanendert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmares :20012006...
and Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
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
Sylwester Szmyd is a Polish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Major achievements :200120022003...
which reduced the size of the group, although contrary to expectations, yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
remained with the leaders. With 2.5 km (2 mi) remaining, Fränk Schleck
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial...
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
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
lost time to some of his main rivals for the overall competition, Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with UCI ProTeam . Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, is among the best mountain riders in the professional field in the 21st century, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders...
, Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
and Andy Schleck
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
.
Stage 12 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 12
|
Stage 13
15 July 2011 — Pau to LourdesLourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
, 152.5 km (95 mi)
From the original ten man breakaway, three riders, Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuiously attacking from inside the breakaway.-Biography:Roy turned professional...
, Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
and David Moncoutié
David Moncoutié
David Moncoutié is a French professional road racing cyclist with the French team Cofidis, with whom he turned professional in 1997. He is a climber, and won his first professional race in a mountain stage of Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré...
, went clear on the highest category ascent to the Col d'Aubisque
Col d'Aubisque
The Col d'Aubisque is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques , in the Aquitaine region of France....
, 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 3 km (2 mi), 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
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
, accompanied by Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema is a Dutch professional cyclist currently riding for Rabobank. Mollema is a Climbing specialist.-Early years:...
, 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
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...
withdrew earlier in the stage having suffered injuries earlier in the race.
Stage 13 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 13
|
Stage 14
16 July 2011 — Saint-Gaudens to Plateau de BeillePlateau de Beille
Plateau de Beille is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège department, in the Midi-Pyrénées. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1790 meters....
, 168.5 km (105 mi)
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
Sandy Casar is a French professional racing cyclist.Casar turned professional in 2000 after riding for Jean Floch-Mantes as an amateur. As a professional he has always ridden for FDJ.Severo...
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
Plateau de Beille is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège department, in the Midi-Pyrénées. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1790 meters....
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 team mate Pierre Rolland, Rigoberto Urán
Rigoberto Urán
Rigoberto Urán Urán is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .-Early life:Urán's first cycling race was at the age of 14, three months before his father was accidentally killed in a gunfight related to the drug war in Colombia...
, who took the white jersey for the leading young rider at the end of the stage, Jean-Christophe Péraud
Jean-Christophe Péraud
Jean-Christophe Péraud is a French cyclist and was a member of the French team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He won the Silver medal in the cross-country race. In June 2009 he became the surprise winner of the French National Time Trial Championship...
, and Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmares :20012006...
. After three abortive attempts by Andy Schleck to split the group, Vanendert broke from the select group of favourites with some 6 km (4 mi) 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 14 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 14
|
Stage 15
17 July 2011 — LimouxLimoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
to Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, 192.5 km (120 mi)
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—Mickael Delage
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage is a French professional racing cyclist. He rides for . He is also active as a track cyclist.As a junior he participated at the World Championships in track cycling in Moscow 2003, where he won the silver medal at the points race, after Australian Miles Olman...
, Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He is the silver medal winner of the team pursuit in the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, together with Levi Heimans, Jens Mouris and Peter Schep...
, Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin is a French professional road bicycle racer who rides for Cofidis.-Amateur career:Dumoulin rode as an amateur for the TCCT . He won the national youth championship in 1996, then the éspoir Paris–Tours and Paris-Auxerre in 2001. He turned professional in 2002 for Jean Delatour...
, Mikhail Ignatiev
Mikhail Ignatiev
Mikhail Borisovich Ignatiev is a Russian professional track and road bicycle racer. He currently rides for UCI ProTour team , as well as participating in various track events...
and Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace is a professional French road cyclist, currently riding for Saur-Sojasun.Delaplace was a junior champion for France in 2007. He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Tour de France, where he was the youngest rider in the competition, and finished 135th in the general...
—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 3 km (2 mi) remaining; despite some attempts at late breakaways including one by Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
, sprinters dominated the finish, with Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
winning his fourth stage of the race ahead of Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
and Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
.
Stage 15 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 15
|
Stage 16
19 July 2011 — Saint-Paul-Trois-ChâteauxSaint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-See also:*Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux Cathedral*Tricastin*Communes of the Drôme department-External links:*...
to Gap
Gap, Hautes-Alpes
Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River...
, 162.5 km (101 mi)
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
Mikhail Ignatiev
Mikhail Borisovich Ignatiev is a Russian professional track and road bicycle racer. He currently rides for UCI ProTour team , as well as participating in various track events...
, Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian professional racing cyclist for . He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal at the 2001 Under-23 world championship...
got clear to lead over the category 2 mountain. He was eventually caught by his team-mate Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
and another Norwegian, Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no...
, before Hushovd went on to win the stage, his second of the tour. On the ascent of the Col de Manse, Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
made two attacks, the second of which was successful, with Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
and Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
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 Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
.
Stage 16 Result
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General Classification after Stage 16
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Stage 17
20 July 2011 — Gap to PineroloPinerolo
Pinerolo is a town and comune in north-western Italy, 40 kilometres southwest of Turin on the river Chisone.-History:In the Middle Ages, the town of Pinerolo was one of the main crossroads in Italy, and was therefore one of the principal fortresses of the dukes of Savoy. Its military importance...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), 179 km (111 mi)
This stage had five categorised climbs, but as with the preceding stage, finished with a descent. More than 60 km (37 mi) 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
Rubén Pérez Moreno is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi....
broke away to be first over the Col de Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
, but was caught by a counterattack on the final climb initiated by Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003...
, which also included Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no...
, Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema is a Dutch professional cyclist currently riding for Rabobank. Mollema is a Climbing specialist.-Early years:...
and Jonathan Hivert
Jonathan Hivert
Jonathan Hivert is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares :2008200920102011- External links :*...
. 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
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
and Andy Schleck
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
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
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
, accompanied by Contador and Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
, 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
Ivan Basso is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with UCI ProTeam . Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, is among the best mountain riders in the professional field in the 21st century, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders...
, who both conceded 27 seconds to their rivals.
Stage 17 Result
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General Classification after Stage 17
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Stage 18
21 July 2011 — Pinerolo (Italy) to Col du GalibierCol du Galibier
Col du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the ninth highest paved road in the Alps and the sixth highest mountain pass. It is often the highest point of the Tour de France....
–Serre Chevalier
Serre Chevalier
Serre Chevalier is one of the major French ski resorts. Located in the southern part of the Alps, close to the Parc National des Ecrins, in the Hautes-Alpes department of the French Alps, it enjoys a large skiing area and very sunny weather, boasting 300 days of sunshine a year...
, 200.5 km (125 mi)
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 45 km (28 mi), and their lead reached nine minutes, but dropped to five and a half by the time Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky is a Kazakh road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team , who he joined in 2007. Iglinsky turned professional in 2005 with Domina Vacanze and rode for in 2006. Iglinsky won stage 6 of the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.He is the elder brother of Valentin Iglinsky.-...
led over the Col Agnel
Col Agnel
Col Agnel is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, west of Monte Viso between France and Italy which links the Queyras valley with Pontechianale in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont....
. The lead group had been reduced to six by the top of the second climb, the Col d'Izoard
Col d'Izoard
Col d'Izoard is a high 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 south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes...
, 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 Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
. He gained two minutes on the remaining part of that climb, and had assistance from Joost Posthuma
Joost Posthuma
Joost Posthuma is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. He rides on the UCI ProTour for the professional cycling team...
and Maxime Monfort
Maxime Monfort
Maxime Monfort is a Belgian racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . Monfort is a climbing specialist.-Palmares:2004...
, 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 10 km (6 mi) to go, Schleck had reached the head of the race with an advantage of 4:24 over the yellow jersey group. Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
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
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
and Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
. Andy Schleck's winning margin was reduced at the end of the stage to a little over two minutes, with his brother Fränk
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial...
passing the remnants of the chase group to take second place. Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
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
José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996...
moved to 15 points behind Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
in the competition for the green jersey.
Stage 18 Result
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General Classification after Stage 18
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Stage 19
22 July 2011 — ModaneModane
Modane is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860.-Transportation:...
to Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
, 109.5 km (68 mi)
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 10 km (6 mi), the race was animated by a break by Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
after 16 km (10 mi). He was joined in the break by yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
, Andy Schleck
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
and Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
, but another acceleration 5 km (3 mi) 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
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....
, Contador and Schleck had passed most of the first breakaway group, and in passing the col second behind Gorka Izagirre
Gorka Izagirre
Gorka Izagirre Intxausti is a professional cyclist, who rides for the UCI ProTeam, .-Palmarès:2010* 1st, Stage 4, Tour of Luxembourg* 1st, Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia* 7th, Stage 3, Eneco Tour2011* 2nd, Trofeo Deia* 7th, Stage 3, Tour Down Under...
, 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
Col du Galibier
Col du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the ninth highest paved road in the Alps and the sixth highest mountain pass. It is often the highest point of the Tour de France....
saw the front group reduced to four men: Contador, Schleck, Rui Costa
Rui Costa (cyclist)
Rui Alberto Faria da Costa is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam ....
and Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon is a French professional road and track racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team . He won stage 14 of the 2010 Tour de France with a mountain-top finish at the ski resort of Ax-3 Domaines in the Pyrenees.- Palmares :200420062007*: 1st, Tour de la Somme2010- External links :*...
; Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
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
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
. Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian professional racing cyclist for . He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal at the 2001 Under-23 world championship...
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 Fuglsang
Jakob Diemer Fuglsang is a Danish professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam . Before turning professional for Team Saxo Bank, he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale-Vredestein. He has won the U23 World Cup...
, and then by Evans and Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema is a Dutch professional cyclist currently riding for Rabobank. Mollema is a Climbing specialist.-Early years:...
, 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 10 km (6 mi) remaining, Peter Velits
Peter Velits
Peter Velits is a Slovak professional road racing cyclist for . His career highlights include winning the 2007 UCI Road World Championships - Men's Under-23 Road Race. His twin brother, Martin Velits rides on as well. In 2012 Martin and Peter will be riding for Quick-Step .- Palmares:2003...
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 2.5 km (2 mi) 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 19 Result
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General Classification after Stage 19
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Stage 20
23 July 2011 — GrenobleGrenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, 42.5 km (26 mi) individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
(ITT)
In the final competitive stage of the race, riders left in reverse order of their standings in the general classification. Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
, 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
Richie Porte
Richard "Richie" Porte is an Australian professional road bicycle racer on . In his first year in the UCI Pro Tour, Porte has been a consistent performer in the General classification at several stage races....
and, shortly after, by Thomas De Gendt
Thomas De Gendt
Thomas De Gendt is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam Vacansoleil-DCM. He previously rode for .-Palmares:20072008...
, before Tony Martin
Tony Martin (cyclist)
Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion...
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
Jean-Christophe Péraud is a French cyclist and was a member of the French team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He won the Silver medal in the cross-country race. In June 2009 he became the surprise winner of the French National Time Trial Championship...
, was able to retain his lead in the young riders' category ahead of Rein Taaramäe
Rein Taaramäe
Rein Taaramäe is an Estonian road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental cycling team .-Career:Taaramäe turned professional in 2008 for after riding for the team as a stagiaire in late 2007 and winning a stage at the Circuit des Ardennes early in the season. In 2008 he won two stages of...
. Defending champion Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
, 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 Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
had over Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
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 Schleck
Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial...
and assume the lead in the overall classification.
Stage 20 Result
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General Classification after Stage 20
|
|||||
Stage 21
24 July 2011 — CréteilCréteil
-Health:As of 1 January 2006, 27 pharmacies, about 60 dentists, about 60 general practitioners, 10 pediatricians, and a half-dozen ophthalmologists and dermatologists constitute the general medical staff of the city.Health facilities include:...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
), 95 km (59 mi)
After a silent tribute to Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and in 1984. He missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the tour. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, after having been the runner-up in 1984,...
and the victims of the attacks in Oslo and Utøya Island
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
, 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
Ben Swift
Benjamin Swift is an English professional track and road racing cyclist who currently rides for Team Sky.-Biography:...
with 40km to go, and he was joined by Kristjan Koren , Sergio Paulinho
Sérgio Paulinho
Sérgio Miguel Moreira Paulinho is a Portuguese road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He was a domestique in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France....
, Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon is a French professional road and track racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team . He won stage 14 of the 2010 Tour de France with a mountain-top finish at the ski resort of Ax-3 Domaines in the Pyrenees.- Palmares :200420062007*: 1st, Tour de la Somme2010- External links :*...
and Lars Bak
Lars Bak
Lars Ytting Bak is a Danish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He became a professional in 2002 for Team Fakta where he rode with fellow Dane Allan Johansen...
. At the intermediate sprint, with 35 km remaining, Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
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 lead 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.
Stage 21 Result
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Final General Classification
|