2011 Tour de France: wot a great race this was!

So it all finished in Paris yesterday with many deserved winners!

First Cadel Evans, the Australian to win the race as well as the first person from the southern hemisphere to do so. He proved to be the strongest and most complete rider in the Tour – able to climb, to descend, limit his losses and to put in a great time trial at the end.

It was great to see Mark Cavenish win both the stage and the Green Jersey. Mark is the first person to have won in the final stage on the Champs d'Élysée in three successive years. In the end he beat Rojas comprehensively in the Green Jersey competition – 334 points to 272 points with Philippe Gilbert third on 236 points. On the final stage Mark picked up 54 points out of a possible 65 – nine from the intermediate sprint and 45 with the stage win. In contrast Rojas picked up seven from the intermediate and Gilbert six. Neither Rojas or Gilbert picked up any points in the final sprint.

This win is the fifth stage Cav has won this year and moves him to 20 stage wins. This takes him to 6th= in the list of all time stage winners – equal with Nicolas Frantz. Cav is now only 14 victories behind Eddy Merckx the overall leader with 34. Given that he has amassed 20 wins in just four editions of the Tour, it is a fair probability that he will even overtake the great Eddy. Much credit has to go to Cav's HTC team

Also well deserved was Pierre Rolland's White Jersey (the best young rider) and his prestigious victory on the Alpe d'Huez. Pierre is a good prospect for the future as long as the French don't pile too much pressure on him.

Although Thomas Voeckler didn't hold Yellow to Paris he fought with great style and courage to hold the Yellow for 12 days – many more than I and lots of others thought he would.

Others worthy of mention include Philippe Gilbert, Thors Hushovd, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Jérémy Roy, who made a number of brave escapes but just failed to get a stage win.

Finally the Tour organisers should be congratulated for putting together such a good and testing course.

2011 Tour de France: Cadel takes Yellow. 21st stage: Cav confirms Green?

Bike shop in Pauillac in 2010 suitably decorated for the Tour

The winner of this very exciting Tour de France was crowned yesterday at Gap. Cadel Evans rode a superb time trial, especially after all the effort and energy he had expended in the last two Alpine stages. He needed to take 57 seconds out of Andy Schleck over the 42.5km course. That proved to be easy – by the end he had taken 2 min 31 sec. Cadel narrowly missed winning the stage – Tony Martin's brilliant ride was just 7 seconds faster. But it was good to see the honours shared. Good to see Cadel win as he was clearly the strongest rider over the three weeks.

Once again the Schlecks showed that time trialling, along with perhaps descending in the wet, is their weakness. Andy Schleck is credited with riding a good time trial last year as he finished close to Contador. In reality it was Contador who rode well below his best in lat year's Bordeaux to Pauillac stage. This year Contador came in third at 1 min 06 sec down on Tony Martin, while Andy Schleck was 2 min 38 sec down and Frank at 2 min 41 sec.

Despite Andy Schleck's brave attack on Thursday's mountainous stage 60km from the finish, the Schlecks needed to have more time on their rivals going into the time trial. I think they paid for their timidity in the Pyrénées.

Stage 21: Créteil to Paris Champs-Élysées

Today's stage into Paris will be largely ceremonial. As is now traditional the leaders will not attack each other. For them the racing finished yesterday with Cadel Evans as the winner of the 2011 Tour with an advantage of 1 min 34 sec over Andy Schleck and brother Frank at 2 min 30 sec.

The racing will start as the riders approach the Champs-Élysées as there still remains the stage finish and very importantly the winner of the Green Jersey is yet to be decided. Mark Cavendish still leads with 280 points from Jose Joaquin Rojas on 265 and Philippe Gilbert on 230. Mark Cavendish has easily won the sprints on the Champs-Élysées in the last two previous editions and should do so again but there are always things that can go wrong!

Rojas, who is the only other realistic contender, has yet to beat Mark in a full out sprint this Tour. There is an intermediate sprint on the Champs-Élysées with 20 points going to the winner and then for the final sprint there are 45 points for the first over the line. Cav will be super determined to win both the stage taking his stage victories to an amazing 20 in four editions of the Tour and confirm his hold on the Green Jersey. Fingers crossed!

2011 Tour de France: great 19th stage and all set up for grande finale

Yesterday's race to and up the Alpe d'Huez is likely to be remembered as a legendary stage, especially as in Pierre Rolland it featured a French win for the first time this Tour and on top of the famous Alpe. The racing by the favourites started on the lower slopes of the Col du Télégraphe when Contador attacked. Cadel Evans was unlucky to have had a mechanical problem soon after and lost time when he had to change bikes. However, despite the best efforts of Alberto everything came back together at Bourg d'Oisans at the foot of the Alpe d'Huez. Contador attacked again got away and looked to be heading for the stage victory having passed Pierre Rolland, team mate of Thomas Voeckler, who had been allowed to attack just before the start of the climb. However, as Contador started to fade, Samuel Sánchez and Rolland caught Contador. Soon the Frenchman proved to be stronger than the two Spaniards and Pierre rode away for a famous first Tour stage victory.

Cadel Evans and the two Schlecks finished together with Andy taking the Yellow as Thomas Voeckler had been unable to follow the pace of the leaders up the Alpe. Even so he has done an amazing job defending Yellow since he won the jersey in Saint-Flour.

Mark Cavendish and most of the rest of the field just failed to make the cut but were reinstated. However, the riders all lost 20 points off their Green Jersey totals. Mark Cavendish now has 280, Rojas 265 and Gilbert 230 points. Mark should still win the Green but it is not quite as comfortable for him as it was before these two brutal Alpine stages.

Stage 20 Gap to Gap Individual Time Trial 42.5k

So it is has come down to time trial to decide the outcome of the 2011 Tour. Andy Schleck has 53 seconds on brother Frank and 57 on Cadel Evans, who starts as favourite to overhaul Andy. However, in the Bordeaux time trial last year Andy did much better than expected, so it could well be very tight. I'd like to see Cadel win but Andy Schleck might just hang on.

'Sculpture' from the finishing line of last year's time trial at Pauillac

2011 Tour de France: 14th stage marred by timidity + preview of 15th to Montpellier

The Schleck brothers have three days in the Alps to save their Tour. If they can't break the stalemate then their ambitions will be swept away in the Grenoble Time Trial by Ivan Basso and Cadel Evans. To ensure victory for either Andy or Frank they need to put in at least two minutes to their principal rivals. Not forgetting that Thomas Voeckler still leads the race by 1.49 from Frank Schleck. I'll happily admit that I undersestimated Voeckler's ability when I thought he would lose the Yellow Jersey yesterday. He raced as a champion – sadly the others, especially the Schlecks, didn't.

The Schlecks had their team ride at the front for the last 60k of the race. For all of their efforts they had a gain of just two seconds by Andy Schleck. If, an unlikely event, I was in the Schlecks' Leopard-Trek team, I would want to know why I had been asked to expend all that energy when they weren't prepared to put in a full bloodied attack on the climb to Plateau de Beille. The two brothers seem far too cautious and timid – afraid to really go for it. Contador had difficulty responding to an early tentative attack by Andy Schleck but they failed to press their advantage, so Alberto remains in contention.

The Schlecks claim it will be different in the Alps. Maybe? But it is also possible that Contador will have recovered some form, will attack and put some time into his rivals. After the way Voeckler responded to all the moves on the final climb, one can't discount him anymore although he is traditionally not a strong time trialist.

Today's stage from Limoux to Monpellier (192.5K) ought to be one for the sprinters, so logically another win for Mark Cavendish providing he has recovered from yesterday's bad day. If not Cav this time, then I'd go for Rojas. There is just one short 4th category climb just to the west of Saint-Chinian, otherwise it is pretty flat. The sprinters will surely want to catch any breakaway before the end as this will be their last chance before the finish in Paris.

The course passes around the south of Carcassonne, so not really possible to highlight Domaine O'Vineyards, which is to the north of Caracassonne but I will include a photo of Ryan O'Connell, one of Languedoc's leading wine producer bloggers.

Ryan O'Connell@the 2010 European Wine Bloggers' Conference in Vienna 

2011 Tour de France: Stage 7 – another stage win for Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish duly won the sprint at Châteauroux brilliantly led in by his HTC team to record his 17th Tour de France stage win. Mark won his first stage here in Châteauroux in 2008 and now only four Tours later he is 8th equal in the list of all time T de F stage winners. What a really remarkable achievement! He does, however, have to win another 17 to equal Eddy Merckx, who racked up an incredible 34 stage victories during his career.

Top 13th all-time stage winners

34: Eddy Merckx (Bel)
28: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
25: André Leducq (Fra)
22: André Darrigade (Fra) (sprinter)
22: Lance Armstrong (USA)
20: Nicolas Frantz (Lux)
19: Francois Faber,( Lux)
17: Jean Alavoine, (Fra)
17: Mark Cavendish (UK)

16: Jacques Anquetil (Fra)

16: Charles Pelissier, (Fra)
16: René Le Grèves, (Fra)
15: Freddy Maertens, (Bel)

Mark Cavendish's latest triumph was marred by the crash that took Bradley Wiggins out of this year's Tour with a suspected broken collarbone. A great shame as it looked as if Bradley had really good form and could have had a high place overall. A number of fancied riders for a good overall placing lost over three minutes because of the crash. Who would have bet this morning that on the Tour's flattest stage that a big group would lose so much time. The Tour's unpredictability is one of its attractions.

2011 Tour de France: Eric Chevalier is the Loire vigneron for Stage 3

I'm delighted to announce that Eric Chevalier has been chosen as the Loire vigneron for Stage 3 of this year's Tour de France.

Today's stage starts in Olonne-sur-Mer and heads northwards avoiding the coast, which featured on Saturday's opening stage. As reported yesterday the route passes the winery of Thierry Michon (Domaine de Saint Nicolas). It then heads north east – ducking to the east of Challans – on a level to Nantes before heading north west towards Le Pont de Saint-Nazaire to cross La Loire and the race's entry into Brittany. It finishes at Redon.

As the race heads north west to La Loire it will pass through the small town of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu. The talented Eric Chevalier is based just a few kilometres to the south of Saint-Philbert at the little hamlet of L'Aujardière. Eric's winery is just off the D70 used by the race but I am sure that he will be able to set up a table on the main road to allow the passing riders to sample his fine Fié Gris (Sauvignon Rose/Sauvignon Gris) and his equally good Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu. With the intermediate sprint at Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons some 20 kilometres further on I'm sure a glass of either would be an ideal preparation!

My guess – not a very difficult one! – is that this stage will end in a sprint. It would be good to see Mark Cavendish open his account for the 2011 Tour here.

Fié Gris: the wine that made Eric famous

2011 Tour de France will pass through Céré-la-Ronde

Café du Nord in the centre of Menetou-Salon decked out for the 2009 Tour

On Friday 8th July the 7th stage of the next year's Tour de France will pass through Céré-la-Ronde. The stage (215km) starts in Le Mans and finishes in Châteauroux and will be a relatively flat one, which will probably feature a long escape by a small group of riders although it is likely that it will end in a bunch sprint. Mark Cavendish will have fond memories of Châteauroux as it was here in 2008 that he won his first Tour stage. It was, however, very close as the lone escapee, Nicolas Vogondy, was caught only 50 metres from the finishing line.

Not all of the details of the route have been announced yet but the race will enter Céré from the north on the D281 and then head towards Orbigny on the D81 and I assume on to Nouans-les-Fontaines. Before reaching Céré I guess the race will probably cross the Cher either at Chissay - St Georges-sur-Cher or at Montrichard. The latter would avoid the level crossing over the railway line from Tours to Bourges.

Information about Céré here and here.