Power data from some of the final flat stages of the Tour
16 July 2009Can any day of riding in the Tour de France really be called easy? For most of us, keeping up with the peloton even on the flats is just a wild fantasy, but for most of the riders in the peloton, the last few days have provided a welcome chance to recover for the brutal mountain stages ahead. A look at Chris Anker Sorensen’s power data reveals just how mellow the flat stages have been in comparison to the work he did in the Pyrenees.
For Stage 10 on Bastille Day, July 14th, Sorensen celebrated by taking it relatively easy. There wasn’t much to do except fetch bottles and keep watch over his team leader Andy Schleck. With little drama throughout the stage, it ended up almost being a recovery day for him.
Stage 11 was almost a complete repeat of stage 10 for Chris Anker Sorensen. The stage was primarily flat and uneventful since Team Columbia HTC had a confident and very dominant Mark Cavendish. Cavendish’s team took control and chased down a two-man breakaway and sealed the deal on a third stage victory for their sprinter.
The tactics by Team Columbia HTC also meant Team Saxo Bank could focus all of their attention on keeping Andy Schleck safe and sound the past two days. Chris did everything possible to make sure his team leader enters the Alps as fresh as possible. Including Monday’s rest day, the past three days have been an opportunity to rest up and look towards the upcoming drama in the Alps.
For all of the files and stage details for stages 1-11 visit the TrainingPeaks Tour de France reports page.
One Response to “Power data from some of the final flat stages of the Tour”
July 16th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
All I can say is bring on the Alps!
Perhaps Andy Shleck will be strong, or maybe Astana will its stable of strong riders will show. Regardless, it’ll be fun.