2011 Tour de France

The Roman amphitheatre at the Puy du Fou theme park hosted the team presentation ceremony on 30 June.

Twenty-two teams participated in the 2011 edition of the Tour de France.[3] The race was the 17th of the 27 events in the UCI World Tour,[4] and all of its eighteen UCI ProTeams were entitled, and obliged, to enter the race.[5] On 19 January 2011, the organiser of the Tour, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), announced the four second-tier UCI Professional Continental teams given wildcard invitations, all of which were French-based. One team, the Spanish-based Geox–TMC, which included the third-placed rider in the 2010 Tour, Denis Menchov, and the 2008 Tour winner, Carlos Sastre, was overlooked.[6] The presentation of the teams – where the members of each team's roster are introduced in front of the media and local dignitaries – took place in front of audience of 7,000 inside the Roman amphitheatre at the Puy du Fou theme park in Les Epesses, Vendée, on 30 June, two days before the opening stage.[7]

Each squad was allowed a maximum of nine riders, resulting in a start list total of 198 riders.[8] Of these, 49 were riding the Tour de France for the first time.[9] The riders came from 30 countries; France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and United States all had 12 or more riders in the race.[10] Riders from ten countries won stages during the race; British riders won the largest number of stages, with five.[11] The average age of riders in the race was 29.38 years, ranging from the 21-year-old Anthony Delaplace (Saur–Sojasun) to the 39-year-old Jens Voigt (Leopard Trek).[10] Of the total average ages, FDJ was the youngest team and Team RadioShack the oldest.[12]

The teams entering the race were:[3]

UCI ProTeams

UCI Professional Continental teams

Alberto Contador's now-disqualified Giro d'Italia victory made him the leading contender for the Tour's general classification.

In the lead-up to the Tour, Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank–SunGard), winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours, was widely considered as the top pre-race favourite for the general classification. His closest rivals were thought to be Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) and Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team). The other riders considered contenders for the general classification were Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Ivan Basso (Liquigas–Cannondale), Robert Gesink (Rabobank), Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel–Euskadi), Chris Horner (Team RadioShack), Fränk Schleck (Leopard Trek) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma–Lotto).[13][14][15][16][17][18]

In September 2010, Contador announced that he had tested positive for the banned clenbuterol from a sample taken during his now-disqualified 2010 Tour victory.[19] He was suspended from racing during an investigation until February 2011. When cleared to race he competed in and won the general classifications of the Vuelta a Murcia, Volta a Catalunya and Giro d'Italia before the Tour.[20] With overall victory in the Tour he was aiming to complete the Giro-Tour double, last achieved by Marco Pantani in the 1998 Tour.[18] Schleck had placed second to Contador in the previous two Tours and won the young rider classification in the previous three. In the lead up to the Tour his best results were third in the one-day race Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the mountains classification of the Tour de Suisse.[21] Evans, podium finisher in the 2007 and 2008 Tours, had a successful season before the Tour, winning the general classifications of both the Tour de Romandie and Tirreno–Adriatico, as well as second place in the Critérium du Dauphiné.[15]

The sprinters named as the "riders to watch" by Bicycling magazine and possible contenders for the points classification and wins on the flat or hilly bunch sprint finishes were Mark Cavendish (HTC–Highroad), Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma–Lotto) and Garmin–Cervélo riders Tyler Farrar and Thor Hushovd.[17] Former winners of the points classification and notable sprinters included in the startlist were the defending champion, Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre–ISD), and the winner in 2007, Tom Boonen (Quick-Step).[22] The points classification winner of the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Tours, 39-year-old Robbie McEwen, was not selected by his team for the race, Team RadioShack.[23] Óscar Freire of Rabobank was another former winner (2008) left out of his team's Tour squad.[24]

Cavendish was runner-up in the 2010 Tour's points classification and had won 15 stages in the three previous Tours;[17][22] he had won a stage at the Tour of Oman, the one-day race Scheldeprijs and two stages at the Giro during the 2011 season prior to the Tour.[25] Gilbert had amassed a total of eleven wins (not including the national championships) for the season before the Tour, including three spring classics: Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne.[26] Farrar's form in the lead-up to the Tour included a stage win in both Tirreno–Adriatico and the Ster ZLM Toer.[27] Hushovd, the world road race champion, only had one win in the season before the Tour, a stage of the Tour de Suisse.[28] Petacchi's best results prior the Tour were a trio of stages in the Giro, the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour of Turkey.[29] The major victory of Boonen's season up to the Tour was the Gent–Wevelgem one-day race.[30]

The Col du Galibier in the Alps was climbed twice to celebrate the centenary of the introduction of the mountain range into the Tour.

On 26 January 2010, the race director, Christian Prudhomme, announced that the department of Vendée would host the 2011 edition's opening stage (known as the Grand Départ). It was the fifth time Vendée had hosted the Grand Départ, which consisted of two stages.[31] The entire route was announced by the ASO on 19 October 2010 at the official presentation at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. The route was thought to suit climbing specialists, with Prudhomme saying "We wanted a balanced route. We tried to keep the suspense for the Alps but also to have a big battle as early as the Pyrenees,".[32] To celebrate the centenary of the introduction of the Alps into the Tour it featured two of its most famous climbs, the Col du Galibier and Alpe d'Huez, with the Galibier climbed twice.[33]

The first of the two stages held in Vendée started in Passage du Gois and finished in Mont des Alouettes, whilst stage two was held in Les Essarts. The Tour left Vendée in Olonne-sur-Mer and headed north to Redon for the finish of the third stage. The following two stages took place in the region of Brittany. Stage six left the region to the finish in Lisieux. Stages seven and eight took the race through the middle of the country from Le Mans to the Super Besse resort in the elevated region Massif Central, which hosted stage nine. The following two stages headed south through the lower slopes, and stage twelve took the race into the Pyrenees. The mountain range hosted the next two stages. The fifteenth stage took place between Limoux and Montpellier. Stage sixteen took the route into the Alps. The next two stages took the race into Italy, with Pinerolo hosting between them. Stage nineteen was the last in the Alps, before the twentieth, which was held in the foothills around Grenoble. A long transfer took the Tour to its conclusion in Paris with the Champs-Élysées stage.[1]

There were 21 stages in the race, covering a total distance of 3,430.5 km (2,132 mi),[1] 212 km (131.7 mi) shorter than the 2010 Tour.[34] For only the second time since the 1967 Tour, the race started with a mass-start stage instead of a prologue (an individual time trial under 8 km (5 mi)), the last occasion being in 2008.[35][36] The longest mass-start stage was the seventh at 218 km (135 mi), and stage 21 was the shortest at 95 km (59 mi).[1] The race featured only 65.5 km (40.7 mi) of time trialling, with stage two's team time trial and stage twenty's individual time trial. Of the remaining stages, ten were officially classified as flat, three as medium mountain and six as high mountain.[1] There were four summit finishes: stage 12, to Luz Ardiden; stage 14, to Plateau de Beille; stage 18, to Col du Galibier; and stage 19, to Alpe d'Huez.[37] It was the first time a stage had finished on the 2,645-metre (8,678 ft)-high Galibier. It was the highest summit finish in Tour history,[38] beating the finish of the 2,413 metres (7,917 ft)-high Col du Granon during the 1986 Tour.[39] The highest point of elevation in the race was the 2,744 m (9,003 ft)-high Col Agnel mountain pass on stage 18.[40] It was among nine hors catégorie (English: beyond category) rated climbs in the race.[40] There were fifteen new stage start or finish locations. The rest days were after stage 9, at the Le Lioran mountain resort, and after 15, in the department of Drôme.[1]

Stage characteristics and winners[1][40][41]

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
1	2 July	Passage du Gois to Mont des Alouettes	191.5 km (119 mi)		Flat stage	Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
2	3 July	Les Essarts	23.0 km (14 mi)		Team time trial	Garmin–Cervélo
3	4 July	Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon	198.0 km (123 mi)		Flat stage	Tyler Farrar (USA)
4	5 July	Lorient to Mûr-de-Bretagne	172.5 km (107 mi)		Flat stage	Cadel Evans (AUS)
5	6 July	Carhaix to Cap Fréhel	164.5 km (102 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
6	7 July	Dinan to Lisieux	226.5 km (141 mi)		Flat stage	Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)
7	8 July	Le Mans to Châteauroux	218.0 km (135 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
8	9 July	Aigurande to Super Besse	189.0 km (117 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Rui Costa (POR)
9	10 July	Issoire to Saint-Flour	208.0 km (129 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Luis León Sánchez (ESP)
	11 July	Le Lioran			Rest day
10	12 July	Aurillac to Carmaux	158.0 km (98 mi)		Flat stage	André Greipel (GER)
11	13 July	Blaye-les-Mines to Lavaur	167.5 km (104 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
12	14 July	Cugnaux to Luz Ardiden	211.0 km (131 mi)		High mountain stage	Samuel Sánchez (ESP)
13	15 July	Pau to Lourdes	152.5 km (95 mi)		High mountain stage	Thor Hushovd (NOR)
14	16 July	Saint-Gaudens to Plateau de Beille	168.5 km (105 mi)		High mountain stage	Jelle Vanendert (BEL)
15	17 July	Limoux to Montpellier	192.5 km (120 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
	18 July	Drôme			Rest day
16	19 July	Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap	162.5 km (101 mi)		Medium mountain stage	Thor Hushovd (NOR)
17	20 July	Gap to Pinerolo (Italy)	179.0 km (111 mi)		High mountain stage	Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)
18	21 July	Pinerolo (Italy) to Col du Galibier	200.5 km (125 mi)		High mountain stage	Andy Schleck (LUX)
19	22 July	Modane to Alpe d'Huez	109.5 km (68 mi)		High mountain stage	Pierre Rolland (FRA)
20	23 July	Grenoble	42.5 km (26 mi)		Individual time trial	Tony Martin (GER)
21	24 July	Créteil to Paris (Champs-Élysées)	95.0 km (59 mi)		Flat stage	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
	Total		3,430.5 km (2,132 mi)[1]

There were four main individual classifications contested in the 2011 Tour de France, as well as a team competition. The most important was the general classification, which was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage.[74] There were no time bonuses given at the end of stages for this edition of the Tour.[75] If a crash had happened within the final 3 km (1.9 mi) of a stage, not including time trials and summit finishes, the riders involved would have received the same time as the group they were in when the crash occurred.[76] The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Tour.[74] The rider leading the classification wore a yellow jersey.[77]

Points classification points for the top 15 positions by type[78]

Type		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
	Flat stage	45	35	30	26	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2
	Medium mountain stage	30	25	22	19	17	15	13	11	9	7	6	5	4	3
	High mountain stage	20	17	15	13	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
	Individual time trial
	Intermediate sprint

The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing among the highest placed in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type.[78] In the 2010 Tour, stages classified flat had three intermediate sprint points worth 6, 4, and 2 points to the first three riders across the line. For 2011, flat stages had just one intermediate sprint which was worth 20 points to the rider in first position, and the first 15 score points. The intention was to have riders needing to sprint twice during the day to score well.[33] Points awarded at the finish of flat stages also increased, from 35 points for the winner to 45.[79] Medium mountain stages awarded 30 points to the winner, high mountain stages and the individual time trial gave 20 points.[80] No points were awarded for the team time trial on stage two. The leader was identified by a green jersey.[77]

The third classification was the mountains classification. Points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit of the most difficult climbs first. The climbs were categorised as fourth-, third-, second-, first-category and hors catégorie, with the more difficult climbs rated lower.[81] In the 2010 Tour, any hors catégorie, first-, or second-category climb awarded double points if it was the last of the stage.[82] In 2011, only the summit stage finishes awarded double points, specifically stages 12, 14, 18 and 19.[81] Pre-race analysis speculated that the winner would be more likely, under this system, to be a general classification contender than in years past.[83] This speculation proved accurate, as Samuel Sánchez, who finished sixth in the general classification, won the mountains classification, and the top three finishers in the general classification were in the top five of the mountains classification.[65] The leader wore a white jersey with red polka dots.[77]

The final individual classification was the young rider classification. This was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders who were born on or after 1 January 1986.[81] The leader wore a white jersey.[77]

The final classification was a team classification. This was calculated using the finishing times of the best three riders per team on each stage, excluding the team time trial; the leading team was the team with the lowest cumulative time. The number of stage victories and placings per team determined the outcome of a tie.[84] The riders in the team that lead this classification were identified with yellow number bibs on the back of their jerseys.[85]

In addition, there was a combativity award given after each stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have "made the greatest effort and who has demonstrated the best qualities of sportsmanship".[75] No combativity awards were given for the time trials and the final stage.[86] The winner wore a red number bib the following stage.[85] At the conclusion of the Tour, Jérémy Roy won the overall super-combativity award,[87] again, decided by a jury.[75]

A total of €3,412,546 was awarded in cash prizes in the race. The overall winner of the general classification received €450,000, with the second and third placed riders got €200,000 and €100,000 respectively. All finishers of the race were awarded with money. The holders of the classifications benefited on each stage they led; the final winners of the points and mountains were given €25,000, while the best young rider and most combative rider got €20,000. Team prizes were available, with €10,000 for the winner of team time trial and €50,000 for the winners of the team classification.[88] There were also two special awards each with a prize of €5000,[86] the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Galibier in stage eighteen, and the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, given to the first rider to pass Goddet's memorial at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet in stage twelve.[86] Andy Schleck won the Henri Desgrange and Roy won the Jacques Goddet.[89][90]

Classification leadership by stage[91][92]

Stage	Winner	General classification	Points classification	Mountains classification	Young rider classification	Team classification	Combativity award
1	Philippe Gilbert	Philippe Gilbert	Philippe Gilbert	Philippe Gilbert	Geraint Thomas	Omega Pharma–Lotto	Perrig Quéméneur
2	Garmin–Cervélo	Thor Hushovd				Garmin–Cervélo	no award
3	Tyler Farrar		José Joaquín Rojas				Mickaël Delage
4	Cadel Evans			Cadel Evans			Jérémy Roy
5	Mark Cavendish		Philippe Gilbert				Iván Gutiérrez
6	Edvald Boasson Hagen			Johnny Hoogerland			Adriano Malori
7	Mark Cavendish		José Joaquín Rojas		Robert Gesink		Yannick Talabardon
8	Rui Costa		Philippe Gilbert	Tejay van Garderen			Tejay van Garderen
9	Luis León Sánchez	Thomas Voeckler		Johnny Hoogerland		Team Europcar	Flecha and Hoogerland
10	André Greipel						Marco Marcato
11	Mark Cavendish		Mark Cavendish				Mickaël Delage
12	Samuel Sánchez			Samuel Sánchez	Arnold Jeannesson	Leopard Trek	Geraint Thomas
13	Thor Hushovd			Jérémy Roy		Garmin–Cervélo	Jérémy Roy
14	Jelle Vanendert			Jelle Vanendert	Rigoberto Urán	Leopard Trek	Sandy Casar
15	Mark Cavendish						Niki Terpstra
16	Thor Hushovd					Garmin–Cervélo	Mikhail Ignatiev
17	Edvald Boasson Hagen						Rubén Pérez
18	Andy Schleck				Rein Taaramäe		Andy Schleck
19	Pierre Rolland	Andy Schleck		Samuel Sánchez	Pierre Rolland		Alberto Contador
20	Tony Martin	Cadel Evans					no award
21	Mark Cavendish
Final		Cadel Evans	Mark Cavendish	Samuel Sánchez	Pierre Rolland	Garmin–Cervélo	Jérémy Roy

• In stage two, Cadel Evans, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, as Philippe Gilbert held the general classification as well as the points classification and the mountains classification. Thor Hushovd, who was third in both the general and points classifications, wore the polka dot jersey.[93]
• In stage three, as Philippe Gilbert held the points classification as well as the mountains classification, Cadel Evans, who was second on the only climb yielding points to that stage, wore the polka dot jersey.[94]
• After stage nine, both Juan Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland were awarded the red number bib for stage ten. They received the combativity award after stage nine for finishing the stage despite a collision with a television car.[95] Flecha refused to accept the award on the podium after the stage; Hoogerland, having already been up there to receive the polka dot jersey, did take the award.

Riders from the ProTeams competing individually, as well as for their teams and nations, for points that contributed towards the World Tour rankings.[98] Points were awarded to the top twenty finishers in the general classification and to the top five finishers in each stage.[99] The 260 points accrued by Cadel Evans moved him from fourth position to second in the individual ranking. Leopard Trek took the lead of the team ranking, ahead of BMC Racing Team in second. Spain remained as leaders of the nation ranking, with Italy second.[100]

UCI World Tour individual ranking on 25 July 2011 (1–10)[100][101]

Rank	Prev.	Name	Team	Points
1	4	Cadel Evans (AUS)	BMC Racing Team	574
DSQ	2	Alberto Contador (ESP)[lower-alpha 1]	Saxo Bank–SunGard	471
3	1	Philippe Gilbert (BEL)	Omega Pharma–Lotto	402
4	3	Michele Scarponi (ITA)	Lampre–ISD	348
5	13	Samuel Sánchez (ESP)	Euskaltel–Euskadi	297
6	5	Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)	Team Katusha	288
7	19	Fränk Schleck (LUX)	Leopard Trek	262
8	36	Andy Schleck (LUX)	Leopard Trek	252
9	6	Fabian Cancellara (SUI)	Leopard Trek	250
10	7	Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ)	Astana	230

• 2011 in men's road cycling
• 2011 in sports

• Liggett, Phil; Raia, James; Lewis, Sammarye (2005). Tour de France for Dummies. For Dummies. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-7645-8449-7.
• Race regulations (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• UCI cycling regulations. Part 2, road races. Aigle, Switzerland: Union Cycliste Internationale. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2019.

• Boulting, Ned (2012). How Cav Won the Green Jersey: Short Dispatches from the 2011 Tour de France. London: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-2938-6.
• Guinness, Rupert (2012). The Tour: Behind the Scenes of Cadel Evans' Tour de France. Melbourne: Hardie Grant Publishing. ISBN 978-1-74273-828-4.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2011 Tour de France.

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 1 August 2011)