The 2013 TdF route poses some interesting challenges for someone who would like to see the final mountain stages and finish. Not that we know of anyone who’s made a habit over the years of doing exactly that! First step is to visualize things, which I’ve done here, using information from the official LeTour.fr website.
TUESDAY, JULY 16TH – STAGE 16 168km Vaison-la-Romaine / Gap
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17TH – STAGE 17 32km Embrun / Chorges
SUNDAY, JULY 21ST – STAGE 21 118km Versailles / Paris Champs-Élysées
Off topic, but for those of you who haven’t ridden Skyline (Hwy 35) recently….do the words “chip seal” bring happy thoughts? I was up there today (27th) and Skyline’s been “improved” from Page Mill north nearly to Hwy 84/Skylonda. I don’t think they’ve done anything between Hwy 9 and Page Mill. Not much loose gravel but it is rough and in places rutted. They’re not rolling it smooth, just letting traffic harden it up. They’re working north with a schedule to finish up at Hwy 92 in one to two weeks. Your Tuesday/Thursday descents from Skeggs to Skylonda might be a little sporty for a while. On the other hand, 75 degree’s, light breezes, blue sky and views that can’t be matched; yeah, it was a great day to be on a bike.