The 100th Edition of the Tour de France

The 100th Edition of the Tour de France

Featured here is the fourth leg of the 2013 Tour de France which was held in Nice.  This marked the 100th edition of the TDF, cycling’s premier Grand Tour.  Twenty-two teams took part in this event, in which the top riders of the world competed.  

by Jim Jackson

On July 2, 2013, Nice was the setting for the fourth leg of the 100th edition of the Tour de France.  The TDF held its first bicycle racing even on July 1, 1903, but had several years where the event was canceled for various reasons, mainly the world wars.

As a bicycle enthusiast, you probably understand the difficulty in watching this event or any other traditional bicycle stage race.  Since each stage of the race is typically several hundred miles each day, you may be lucky enough to catch perhaps two sections of the overall course.  You may see the start or the finish and depending on your driving and navigation skills, a point somewhere along the racecourse. 

 

As you wait for the riders to approach the spot where you have been patiently waiting since the early hours, you almost get a sense of melancholy and even disappointment as the riders speed past so quickly at speeds that can approach 60 MPH.  After the long hours of waiting, the riders zip past you so quickly that in mere seconds they are long gone, and the long line of support vehicles are what you seem to see the most of.  But as a TDF and bike racing enthusiast, this is a great joy regardless of how quickly it passes by.

 

If you really want to get a full share of being a spectator at this magnificent spectacle, consider watching either an individual time trial or a team time trial.  The advantage is that you can park yourself at one strategic location and see all of the riders and all of the teams as they participate in this challenging and grueling contest.   If you arrive early, you can even watch as the riders take to the course to warm-up well before the actual race.  Both events are typically held in nearly every annual grand tour. 

 

The fourth stage of the 2013 edition of the Tour de France was held in Nice, France and was the scene of the team time trials.   I really shouldn’t have to remind anyone about how absolutely wonderful and magical the city of Nice can be, especially when the TDF holds a leg of the race here.

 

The 2013 edition of the TDF featured 22 teams and each squad had nine riders.  Among the featured riders were race favorite Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and of course, the 41-year-old legend, Jens Voigt.

 

The first stage of the 2013 TDF started on the island of Corsica on June 30th and would conclude on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 21st.  The total distance traveled on the twenty-one stages of the tour was 2,115 miles (3,403 km).

 

At the conclusion of the race in Paris, it was Chris Froome of Team Sky who wore the coveted yellow jersey (French: Maillot Jaune).  Second place went to Nairo Quintana of the Movistar team and third place overall went to team Katusha rider, Joaquim Rodríguez.

 

First of all, the team time trial in Nice lived up to everyone’s expectations.  Of course, Nice is a wonderfully special place even if a stage of the TDF was held here.  It is like one huge Disneyland for adults with marvelous buildings, spectacular architecture, unbelievable restaurants, shopping, wine, history, and enchanting beaches.

 

  

The list of starters in the 2013 TDF was like a who's-who in the cycling world.  However, there were 198 riders, of which 54 were riding in the TDF for the very first time. There were 34 countries that were represented by riders with Germany having the largest number of stage wins, six.  The average age of the riders was 29 1/2 years with the youngest rider being 19-year-old Danny van Poppel and the oldest being fan favorite Jens Voigt who was 41-years-old.

 

The team time trial course ran at times in parallel to the spectacular French Riviera and just a few yards from the beaches.

 

The German, Marcel Kittel of the Argos-Shimano team would be the first rider to wear the coveted yellow leader's jersey.  Several others wore the yellow jersey but after the eighth stage, it was Chris Froome of Britain who won the right to wear the yellow.  Froome would build his lead at each stage, especially after a solid performance in the individual time trials, and ultimately become the overall race winner in Paris.

 

 

Above, the Hotel Negresco sits along the Promenade des Anglais which served at the final portion of the team time trial.

Above, the 1km banner along the Promenade des Anglais before the finish line.

Above and below, the many sponsor cars that paraded along the course-way before the start of the team time trials.

 

 

Above and below team Quick-Step riders and sponsor cars competed for space during warm-ups.

 

 

 

 

 

Below, team Cofidis takes a few laps before the start of the race.

Below, a lone rider gets in some extra warm-ups before his team takes to the course. 

Below, the Lotto Jumbo riders get their legs ready for the time trials.

 

 

Below, team Euskadi gets in a little workout!

 

  

 

Below, shots of some of the different teams that competed in the 100th edition of the TDF.

 

  

  

 

 

Below, Orica–GreenEdge won the team time trials in Nice! 

 

 

 Photos of the race:

 

 

After the conclusion of the team time trials, it was back to the bus and perhaps an interview or two.

   

 

 

 

Above, Alberto Contador, the Spanish cyclist and one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France (2007, 2009 & 2010), the Giro d'Italia (2008, 2011 &2015), and the Vuelta a España three times (2008, 2012, 2014). He is one of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours of cycling. He has also won the Vélo d'Or a record 4 times. Controversy surrounds him as he tested positive for clenbuterol during a race.

Above and below, team AG2R La Mondiale who is sponsored by the French multinational insurance firm headquartered in Paris under the same name.  

 

  

  

 

 

Geraint Thomas, above left, finished not only the team time trial in Nice but 19 more stages of the TDF with a fractured pelvis that he received in a massive pile-up during Stage 1.  He refused to give up and finished the tour, but it was his teammate, Chris Froome, who would take the grand prize and the coveted yellow jersey. 

  

 

Pretty hard to find a nicer team than Italy’s Lampre.  Their team manager went out of his way to get me a Lampre riding cap as the team was leaving to get to the next day’s stage.

 

A total of €2,023,300 was awarded in cash prizes in the race. The overall winner of the general classification received €450,000, with the second and third place riders getting €200,000 and €100,000 respectively. All finishers of the race were awarded money. 

The holders of the classifications benefited on each stage they led; the final winners of the points and mountains were given €25,000, while the best young rider and most combative rider got €20,000.

 

Team prizes were available, with €10,000 for the winner of the team time trial and €50,000 for the winners of the team classification. There was also a special award with a prize of €5,000, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, given in honor of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the highest climb in the Tour, the Port de Pailhères. This prize was won by Nairo Quintana on stage eight.

What could be better for a cycle race enthusiast than to see a stage of the Tour de France?  It is also at the top of any competitive riders bucket list.  And what a better way than to see it in the magnificent city of Nice along the French Riviera!

Below, recent and vintage Tour de France Posters:

Thank you TDF 2013, Lampre and Banque Le Credit Lyonnais for the cool swag!

The teams entering the race were:

UCI ProTeams:

Ag2r–La Mondiale

Argos–Shimano

Astana

Belkin Pro Cycling

BMC Racing Team

Cannondale

Euskaltel–Euskadi

FDJ

Garmin–Sharp

Team Katusha

Lampre–Merida

Lotto–Belisol

Movistar Team

Omega Pharma-Quick-Step

Orica–GreenEDGE

RadioShack–Leopard

Saxo–Tinkoff

Team Sky

Vacansoleil–DCM

UCI Professional Continental teams:

Cofidis

Team Europcar

Sojasun

Stage characteristics and winners
Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
1	29 June	Porto-Vecchio to Bastia	213 km (132 mi)		Flat stage	Marcel Kittel (GER)
2	30 June	Bastia to Ajaccio	156 km (97 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Jan Bakelants (BEL)
3	1 July	Ajaccio to Calvi	145.5 km (90 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Simon Gerrans (AUS)
4	2 July	Nice	25 km (16 mi)		Team time trial	Orica–GreenEdge
5	3 July	Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseille	228.5 km (142 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
6	4 July	Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier	176.5 km (110 mi)		Flat stage	André Greipel (GER)
7	5 July	Montpellier to Albi	205.5 km (128 mi)		Flat stage	Peter Sagan (SVK)
8	6 July	Castres to Ax 3 Domaines	195 km (121 mi)		High mountain stage	Chris Froome (GBR)
9	7 July	Saint-Girons – Bagnères-de-Bigorre	168.5 km (105 mi)		High mountain stage	Dan Martin (IRL)
	8 July	Saint-Nazaire			Rest day
10	9 July	Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to Saint-Malo	197 km (122 mi)		Flat stage	Marcel Kittel (GER)
11	10 July	Avranches to Mont Saint-Michel	33 km (21 mi)		Individual time trial	Tony Martin (GER)
12	11 July	Fougères to Tours	218 km (135 mi)		Flat stage	Marcel Kittel (GER)
13	12 July	Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond	173 km (107 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
14	13 July	Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule to Lyon	191 km (119 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Matteo Trentin (ITA)
15	14 July	Givors to Mont Ventoux	242.5 km (151 mi)		High mountain stage	Chris Froome (GBR)
	15 July	Vaucluse			Rest day
16	16 July	Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap	168 km (104 mi)		High mountain stage	Rui Costa (POR)
17	17 July	Embrun to Chorges	32 km (20 mi)		Individual time trial	Chris Froome (GBR)
18	18 July	Gap to Alpe d'Huez	172.5 km (107 mi)		High mountain stage	Christophe Riblon (FRA)
19	19 July	Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand	204.5 km (127 mi)		High mountain stage	Rui Costa (POR)
20	20 July	Annecy to Semnoz	125 km (78 mi)		High mountain stage	Nairo Quintana (COL)
21	21 July	Versailles to Paris (Champs-Élysées)	133.5 km (83 mi)		Flat stage	Marcel Kittel (GER)
	Total		3,403.5 km (2,115 mi)

Classification leadership by stage
Stage	Winner	General classification	Points classification	Mountains classification	Young rider classification	Team classification	Combativity award
1	Marcel Kittel	Marcel Kittel	Marcel Kittel	Juan José Lobato	Marcel Kittel	Vacansoleil–DCM	Jérôme Cousin
2	Jan Bakelants	Jan Bakelants		Pierre Rolland	Michał Kwiatkowski	RadioShack–Leopard	Blel Kadri
3	Simon Gerrans		Peter Sagan				Simon Clarke
4	Orica–GreenEDGE	Simon Gerrans				Orica–GreenEDGE	no award
5	Mark Cavendish						Thomas De Gendt
6	André Greipel	Daryl Impey					André Greipel
7	Peter Sagan			Blel Kadri			Jan Bakelants
8	Chris Froome	Chris Froome		Chris Froome	Nairo Quintana	Movistar Team	Nairo Quintana
9	Dan Martin			Pierre Rolland			Romain Bardet
10	Marcel Kittel						Jérôme Cousin
11	Tony Martin				Michał Kwiatkowski		no award
12	Marcel Kittel						Juan Antonio Flecha
13	Mark Cavendish					Saxo–Tinkoff	Mark Cavendish
14	Matteo Trentin						Julien Simon
15	Chris Froome			Chris Froome	Nairo Quintana		Sylvain Chavanel
16	Rui Costa					RadioShack–Leopard	Rui Costa
17	Chris Froome					Saxo–Tinkoff	no award
18	Christophe Riblon						Christophe Riblon
19	Rui Costa						Pierre Rolland
20	Nairo Quintana			Nairo Quintana			Jens Voigt
21	Marcel Kittel						no award
Final		Chris Froome	Peter Sagan	Nairo Quintana	Nairo Quintana	Saxo–Tinkoff	Christophe Riblon

Final standings

Final results (1–10)
Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Chris Froome (UK)	Team Sky	83h 56' 40"
2	Nairo Quintana (COL)	Movistar Team	+ 4' 20"
3	Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)	Team Katusha	+ 5' 04"
4	Alberto Contador (ESP)	Saxo–Tinkoff	+ 6' 27"
5	Roman Kreuziger (CZE)	Saxo–Tinkoff	+ 7' 27"
6	Bauke Mollema (NED)	Belkin Pro Cycling	+ 11' 42"
7	Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)	Astana	+ 12' 17"
8	Alejandro Valverde (ESP)	Movistar Team	+ 15' 26"
9	Daniel Navarro (ESP)	Cofidis	+ 15' 52"
10	Andrew Talansky (USA)	Garmin–Sharp	+ 17' 39"

Final points classification (1–10)
Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Peter Sagan (SVK)	Cannondale	409
2	Mark Cavendish (GBR)	Omega Pharma–Quick-Step	312
3	André Greipel (GER)	Lotto–Belisol	267
4	Marcel Kittel (GER)	Argos–Shimano	222
5	Alexander Kristoff (NOR)	Team Katusha	177
6	Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP)	Vacansoleil–DCM	163
7	José Joaquín Rojas (ESP)	Movistar Team	156
8	Michał Kwiatkowski (POL)	Omega Pharma–Quick-Step	110
9	Chris Froome (GBR)	Team Sky	107
10	Christophe Riblon (FRA)	Ag2r–La Mondiale	104

Final mountains classification (1–10)
Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Nairo Quintana (COL)	Movistar Team	147
2	Chris Froome (GBR)	Team Sky	136
3	Pierre Rolland (FRA)	Team Europcar	119
4	Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)	Team Katusha	99
5	Christophe Riblon (FRA)	Ag2r–La Mondiale	98
6	Mikel Nieve (ESP)	Euskaltel–Euskadi	98
7	Moreno Moser (ITA)	Cannondale	72
8	Richie Porte (AUS)	Team Sky	72
9	Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)	Garmin–Sharp	64
10	Tejay van Garderen (USA)	BMC Racing Team	63

Final young rider classification (1–10)
Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Nairo Quintana (COL)	Movistar Team	84h 01' 00"
2	Andrew Talansky (USA)	Garmin–Sharp	+ 13' 19″
3	Michał Kwiatkowski (POL)	Omega Pharma–Quick-Step	+ 14' 39"
4	Romain Bardet (FRA)	Ag2r–La Mondiale	+ 22′ 22″
5	Tom Dumoulin (NED)	Argos–Shimano	+ 1h 30′ 10″
6	Alexandre Geniez (FRA)	FDJ	+ 1h 33' 46″
7	Tejay van Garderen (USA)	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 34' 37″
8	Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA)	Sojasun	+ 1h 35′ 45″
9	Tony Gallopin (FRA)	RadioShack–Leopard	+ 1h 58' 39″
10	Arthur Vichot (FRA)	FDJ	+ 2h 10' 46″

Final team classification (1–10)
Rank	Team	Time
1	Saxo–Tinkoff	251h 11′ 07″
2	Ag2r–La Mondiale	+ 8' 28″
3	RadioShack–Leopard	+ 9' 02″
4	Movistar Team	+ 22' 49″
5	Belkin Pro Cycling	+ 38' 30″
6	Team Katusha	+ 1h 03' 48″
7	Euskaltel–Euskadi	+ 1h 30' 34″
8	Omega Pharma–Quick-Step	+ 1h 50' 25″
9	Team Sky	+ 1h 56' 42″
10	Cofidis	+ 2h 07' 11″

Add another drop in the bucket!

All photographs are the copyright of Jim Jackson Photography and Nida Jackson Photography. Please contact me for authorization to use or for signed, high-resolution copies.

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