[Ready4Freddy]

TdF 2010 Stage 17 graphics and previews are up!

Click the 'To' option to go to the start of the Stage 17 posts.

The Stage starts at 12:30 local time CEST (6 hrs ahead of US EDT).

velonews.com - "After the final rest day, the Tour returns with one, final epic stage. Two Cat. 1 climbs will soften legs before the final monster: the hors category Tourmalet, this time attacked from the rugged western slope. With the finish at the top of 18.6km of climbing, averaging 7.5 percent, it should be a spectacular finale.

Both Basso and Armstrong have won stages to La Mongie, partway down the east side of the Tourmalet, in the past. The Tour has never finished up the western side.

Other Notes:

- Although the Tour has climbed Tourmalet 73 times, this is only the 2nd time that the finish has been at the peak.

- This is the second climb up Tourmalet this Tour; they will be coming from the other direction, climbing the descent from Tuesday's Stage 16.

- An interesting detail: the last three winners of a stage that started in Pau were Italian.

FReepmail me to get on or off the 2010 TdF Ping List.

[Ready4Freddy]

12:30 - Three Pyrenean Giants A Feature Today

The final day of racing in the mountains has three climbs on the itinerary. The first is the category-one col de Marie-Blanque, a 9.3km long ascent with an average gradient of 7.6 per cent. Then comes the category-one col du Soulor - 11.9km long at 7.8 percent... and the final giant, the col du Tourmalet - 18.6km long with an average gradient of 7.5 per cent. It’s been pouring rain this morning and the temperature at the finish is about 14 degrees Celsius now.