How to tackle l’étape du tour

True to form, this year’s Vuelta doesn’t shy away from the high mountains and offers just two nailed-on sprint stages

Length: 21.3km Elevation gain: 1,142m Average gradient: 5% Maximum gradient: 12% The Colle del Nivolet in north-west Italy is the most beautiful mountain road in the world. Fact. But that’s not the on

‘ Another day in the simulation. Switzerland.exe is running flawlessly,’ says Material-Resist3770 above a mountain scene so stunningly perfect that it could be computer-generated. This internet post i

Over his 12 years as a professional rider, Thierry Gouvenou never stood atop the podium. But in his 12 years designing stage routes, the 56-year-old Frenchman has built a reputation as the artist behi

Times are changing at the world’s biggest bike race. For most of us watching at home, the more fans, the more razzmatazz, the more hullaballoo the better. The carefully distilled passion fills up our

I’ll admit it: the thought of Morzine in the summer conjured up more images of melting cheese and mountain air than threshold sessions and brick runs. But that’s exactly what brought me here - six day