2011 Tour de France
The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the most important stages - cycle race in the world. It began on July 2, 2011 at the Passage du Gois in the Vendee and ended 24 July 2011 traditionally on the Avenue des Champs- Élysées in Paris.
With a total distance of 3430 km it was around 200 km shorter than the Tour de France in 2010 and consisted of 21 stages. As most recently in 2008, the tour did not start with a prologue time trial, but with a regular stage. In addition to the team time trial around Les Essarts on the second day of the race, saw the itinerary this year before only an individual time trial.
Participants
At the 2011 Tour de France, as usual, took part in 22 teams, each with 9 riders. These included according to the regulations of the International Cycling Union UCI race of the UCI World Tour, the 18 ProTeam. In addition, the organizers ASO had made use of the possibility to invite four Professional Continental team. The 198 drivers were from a total of 30 nations, including Germany with 12, Switzerland with 4 and Austria with a starter. France presented with 45 drivers - how many years - the largest national contingent.
At 39 years and 14 tour starts was Jens Voigt (LEO ) is the oldest driver in the field of participants. The American George Hincapie (BMC ) joined in 2011 already to his 16th Tour de France and placed so that the attendance record of Joop Zoetemelk one. Anthony Delaware Place ( SAU ) was the youngest competitor at age 21. In the junior rating fell this year all the drivers from the year 1986, in total there were 39, accounting for about one-fifth of the peloton as the previous year.
A detailed entry list with an overview of the nationalities, successes and exits of individual drivers and teams during the 2011 Tour de France can be found on the separate page → peloton 2011.
Starting position
In the battle for the overall title was ahead of the Tour de France with a duel between last year's winner Alberto Contador (SBS ) and Andy Schleck (LEO ), 2010 runner-up and three -time winner of the youth classification, calculated. Chances of a podium finish were mainly Cadel Evans ( BMC) and the winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Bradley Wiggins ( SKY), awarded that started with good preparation in the tour. Due to their rankings in the previous year were also Samuel Sánchez ( EUS), Jurgen Van Den Broeck ( OLO ), Robert Gesink ( RAB) and Christopher Horner ( RSH) on the list of favorites for overall victory. German hopefuls were Tony Martin (HTC ) and Andreas Klöden ( RSH) and Linus Gerdemann (LEO ), however, the income only helper roles in the preliminary planning of their teams.
The main contender for the green jersey as the best point was the world champion Thor Hushovd ( GRM), defending champion Alessandro Petacchi (LAM ) and Mark Cavendish ( HTC), who won five stages in 2010. Tom Boonen (QST ) were good chances after his return to the Tour de France as well have expected a victory in a bunch sprint as the German Gerald Ciolek (QST ) and André Greipel ( OLO ) and the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen ( SKY).
The classics specialist Philippe Gilbert ( OLO ), who led the drivers' championship of the UCI World Tour at the start of the tour, dared to at least one victory at a moderate stage. The Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel (QST ), which had been voted the most active riders in the Tour de France 2010, Sandy Casar (FDJ ), Thomas Voeckler (EUC ) as well as Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha (SKY ), which is often in previous years had shown in flight groups were regarded as promising candidates for a runaway victory.
The only former winner of the dotted jersey in the tour squad, Anthony Charteau (EUC ), more than an outside chance were awarded to repeat his triumph. This was the mountain classification - even in the face of new regulations - completely open before the tour starts.
List of stages
The route for this year's edition of the Tour de France was presented on October 19, 2010 by Tour director Christian Prudhomme in Paris. Since the stage plan included no prologue, the usual for a few years completion time trial on the penultimate day of racing was the only individual time trial of the Tour de France. However, a team time trial was scheduled for 2011. The route plan involved beyond ten flat stages, three mountainous stages and six high mountain stages with four mountain top finishes. A total of 23 increases in categories 2, 1 and HC had to be overcome. The Col du Galibier was traveled twice in view of the 100th anniversary of the first mountain pass crossing.
After the " Grand Depart" on July 2 in the Vendée, in which the starting field crossed the Passage du Gois, led the stages of the first race weekend on mostly flat terrain through Brittany and Normandy. With a distance of 226.5 kilometers took place on 7 July, the longest part of section of this edition.
The eighth stage led the peloton into the Massif Central, where two medium mountain stages were played before the first rest day. After two more flat stages in the south of France, the tour reached in the second half of the second week of the Pyrenees. Among other things, a mountain-top finish was on the Plateau de Beille. From Limoux, one of 15 cities debuting stage, it was on the 15th stage on the Mediterranean coast to Montpellier.
The third week consisted of four Alpine stages. The 18th stage was launched in Italian Pinerolo and ended up on the Col du Galibier at an altitude of 2,645 meters, the highest finish in the history of the Tour de France. Already the next day found the next summit finish of the Tour legend rather than on L' Alpe d' Huez.
The final individual time trial was held around Grenoble. The last stage began, as usual, near Paris, and ended with the repeated circumnavigation of the Champs- Elysées.
Features and anniversaries
Rule Changes
In order to increase the tension in the battle for the green jersey as the leader in the points classification and the polka-dot jersey for the mountain classification, there was at the 2011 edition of the Tour de France changes in the rules:
- Scoring: There is only one intermediate sprint per stage, this is but disputed upgraded that not only get the first three drivers points, but as in the goal to place 15 points will be awarded. The winner of the intermediate sprints receives 20 points. The target procedure is the individual time trial and mountain stages as well, at moderate stages of the winner receives 30 points, 45 points in flat stages.
- Mountain Rating: The previous rule that the last mountain stage, each stage will be double counted, applies only at mountain top finishes. Which there were four in 2011. Overall, less mountain points are awarded to fewer drivers. For the highest category there are 20 points for the other categories, the winner gets ten, five, two and one point. Overall, get in the categories descending six, five, four, two and one driver points.
- Time bonuses: Since 2008, there is neither in intermediate sprints or at the stage finish Zeitbonifikationen for the overall standings.
100 years Col du Galibier
In the third week tour in 2011 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first crossing of the mountain pass Col du Galibier. The inclusion of Galibiers into the program of the Tour de France in 1911 went back to an initiative of the Tour founder Henri Desgrange, who is honored for years at the regular crossing of the Galibier by the award of the souvenirs Henri Desgrange to the first driver on the pass. The pass was avoided due to the anniversary in 2011 during both the 18th ( in the form of a mountain-top finish ), and during the 19th stage.
100 years Gustave Garrigou
Since 2011, the Tour victory of the Frenchman Gustave Garrigou jährte for the 100th time, this anniversary was particularly celebrated on the 10th stage in his hometown Vabre - Tizac.
150 years Italy
On July 20, the tour came to Italy. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of the independence of Italy.
Ratings in the itinerary
The table shows the leaders in the respective rating or the support of the jerseys or jersey numbers at the end of each stage.
167th and last overall ( " Lanterne Rouge ") of the 2011 Tour de France was Fabio Sabatini Liquigas -Cannondale. He finished the tour with a backlog of 3:57:43 hours.
Comments on the table:
Doping
On 11 July 2011, the UCI announced that the Russian Alexander Kolobnew was tested by Team Katusha based on a drug test on July 6 positive effect on the administration of the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, which is often used to mask other doping substances. The analysis of the B sample confirmed the doping test, after which Kolobnew of Katjuscha was suspended.