16 July 2014

Gallopin's Sprint Lifts France!

Two days after France saw the yellow jersey leave one of her countryman on Bastille Day, Tony Gallopin gave France something to cheer about.  His impressive sprint to the finish line, where his speed hit 54 kph (34 mph) through the streets of Oyonnax, earned him the win in Stage 11.  The image below shows Gallopin celebrating as he crosses the finish line with a bunch of his fellow cyclists barreling down on him (click on the image for a larger view).
Below is Gallopin's winning time and a comparison with our prediction.
  • Stage 11:  4h 25' 45" (actual), 4h 33' 24" (prediction), 07' 39" slow (2.88% error)
On a gorgeous French day for racing with tailwinds reaching as high as 10 kph (6.2 mph) in several places, and following a rest day, we are thrilled to be less than 3% slow.  Gallopin's average speed is given below.
  • Stage 11:  11.76 m/s (42.33 kph or 26.30 mph)
Tomorrow's Stage 12 is another of the medium-mountain variety.  Beginning in the French commune of Bourg-en-Bresse, the 185.5-km (115.3-mi) stage takes riders mostly south, but a little west toward the finish in the city of Saint-Étienne.  Two category-4 climbs and two category-3 climbs greet cyclists along the way.  Below is our prediction.
  • Stage 12:  4h 30' 16" (prediction)
If the weather is great, if cyclists enjoy a little tailwind, and if they aren't too worried about the two big mountain stages to follow, we could be a tad slow again.  We hope we can come in under 3% error again!

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