Take Your Bike

Take Your Bike

Activity 3. Stage 1. of the Tour de France

 

  1. Read the informative text about the stages that the Tour de France participants overcome.

The route of the Tour de France is different every year. Each stage is unique and offers different challenges to cyclists. Here are the types of stages that cyclists will face over the three weeks:

  • Plane stages
  • Semi-mountainous (hilly) stages
  • Mountain stages
  • Time trials – running against the clock

Characteristics of the stages:

  1. These stages are filled with hills that make it difficult for the peloton to stay together. This type of stage is suitable for all-round riders and can be won by sprinters, climbers or breakaway specialists.
  2. These stages are the longest, and the perfect place for sprinters. Teams with sprinters often try to keep the peloton together in the flatter terrain to ensure that it comes down to a bunch sprint where their sprinter has the best chance of winning.
  3. Cyclists set off individually to achieve the fastest time on the set course. Because riders start at set intervals, the race is less about team tactics than individual speed and strength.
  4. The Tour de France is often won or lost here. These stages are the most spectacular, with riders tackling steep climbs and long descents in the Alps and Pyrenees. In them, the contenders for first place will struggle to gain time from their rivals.

 

  1. Match the type of stage with its characteristic by writing the characteristic number against the corresponding stages.
A.    Plane stages
B.    Semi-mountainous (hilly) stages
C.    Mountain stages
D.    Time trials – running against the clock

 

  1. Take a look at the map and diagram. They show the first stage of the Tour in 2024.

Route map of Phase 1, 2024  Source: https://hedgehogcycling.co.uk/stage-1-tour-de-france-2024.html

 

On the diagram are marked the places through which the cyclists will pass. The horizontal axis shows the distance from the starting point. The altitude is marked on the vertical axis. Sometimes the Tour starts outside France. This stage passes through Italy.

Source: stage-1-tdf-2024-profile.jpg (hedgehogcycling.co.uk)

 

  1. Solve the problems using the information from the diagram.
  • In which city does the stage start?
  • In which city does the stage end?
  • How long is the stage?
  • Indicate the place with the highest altitude. Enter also the value of the altitude. How far is this location from the starting point?
  • Where do the riders arrive after 130 km?

 

  1. What are the biggest challenges for cyclists? Write down three to five guesses.