Bicycling Magazine 2011 Tour de France: Stage 8 - Aigurande > Super-Besse, Saturday 9 July 

The Tour's return to the Massif Central will be a testpiece for climber's form. At the finish of this 189km stage, the steep pitches of Super-Besse will make for a flurry of attacks, and perhaps an opportunistic outsider for the GC will make a break for the line.


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Author: Bicycling Magazine
Date: 9 Jul 2011 8:04:11 PM
Activity: Bicycling
State: France (FRA)
Distance: 119.54 mi  (Change units)
Survey Elevation: Total Gain: 12169 ft
Total Loss: 9324 ft
Net Change: 2844 ft
Difficulty: 8 / 10
Tags: 2011 Tour de France, 2011 Tour de France Stages to Watch, Aigurande, France
Rating: Unrated   Rate it

BICYCLING magazine Stage to Watch
The Tour’s first real uphill battle comes not in the Pyrenees or the Alps but in the Massif Centrale, with the steep finish to the ski resort at Super-Besse, a moderate 11-kilometer ascent that ends with a surprisingly steep final ramp. While not daunting compared with the grand cols that await, the first significant climb in the Tour always produces a few surprises; some riders need a couple of days of climbing in their legs to warm up to the mountains after the flatter opening stages. In 2008, this ascent made for a frenzied and controversial finish.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS PESCHEUX’S ANALYSIS: An appearance by the favourites
“We are starting to get to the heart of the matter now. There is a second-category col, the Croix Saint-Robert, before the finish. The route is lumpy (as you would expect as we’re in the Massif Central) and will start to take a toll on the legs. However, the favourites rarely lose the Tour on a stage of this kind. But that might happen if there’s a lot of action and one of them ends up struggling with some kind of problem. If that does occur, then the race will really be on. That said, it’s on stages of this type that the sprinters fall back in the overall standings and the favourites climb towards the leading places.”
 
Note: Stage route, exact start/finish, and sprints/climbs have been approximated from information provided by LeTour.com. Actual stage may vary slightly.
 
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Position Format: Datum:
Tracks

Stage 8 Route Information

Distance: 119.54 mi Points: 2195
Total Time: none Speed: 0.0 mph Pace: 0:00 / mi
Active Time: none Speed: 0.0 mph Pace: 0:00 / mi
# Distance Instruction Distance to next
1 0.06 mi Slight left onto Pl. du Chp de Foire/D951BContinue to follow D951B Then go 1.31 mi
2 1.37 mi Slight right onto La Brande du Bourliat/D990Continue to follow D99 Then go 3.94 mi
3 5.31 mi Continue onto D Then go 9.49 mi
4 14.80 mi Slight right onto D68 Then go 0.97 mi
5 15.76 mi Continue onto Rue des Lilas/D97Continue to follow D9 Then go 5.96 mi
6 21.72 mi D97 turns slightly left and becomes La Tuileri Then go 0.39 mi
7 22.11 mi Turn left onto La Planche au Pré/D15 Then go 0.06 mi
8 22.18 mi Turn right onto Crépon/D917Continue to follow D917 Then go 0.35 mi
9 22.52 mi Continue onto Rue Vincent/D997Continue to follow D99 Then go 2.15 mi
10 24.68 mi Slight left to stay on D997 Then go 0.09 mi
11 24.77 mi Turn left onto La Côte/D917Continue to follow D917 Then go 3.96 mi
12 28.73 mi Slight right to stay on D91 Then go 3.81 mi
13 32.54 mi Slight left onto Les Bouches/D917Continue to follow D917Go through 1 traffic circle Then go 0.19 mi
14 32.74 mi Slight left to stay on D917Go through 1 traffic circl Then go 4.85 mi
15 37.58 mi Turn lef Then go 0.03 mi
16 37.62 mi Turn left onto D91 Then go 1.33 mi
17 38.95 mi Turn right onto Rue de la Chapellerie Then go 0.06 mi
18 39.01 mi Continue onto Pl. de la Brèche Then go 0.03 mi
19 39.04 mi Slight left onto Quai Napoléon Then go 0.08 mi
20 39.12 mi Turn left onto Av. Georges Clemenceau/D993 Then go 0.12 mi
21 39.24 mi Slight left to stay on Av. Georges Clemenceau/D993Continue to follow Av. Georges Clemenceau Then go 2.85 mi
22 42.09 mi Slight right onto D99 Then go 0.55 mi
23 42.64 mi Turn right onto Rue de Verdun/D996Continue to follow D99 Then go 10.63 mi
24 53.27 mi Turn right onto Route de Montluçon/D996 Then go 0.00 mi
25 53.28 mi Turn left onto Route de Montluço Then go 0.43 mi
26 53.71 mi Continue onto Rue Paul Doumer Then go 0.04 mi
27 53.75 mi Turn right onto Route de la Courtine Then go 0.16 mi
28 53.90 mi Turn left onto Rue de l'Abattoir/D98 Then go 1.43 mi
29 55.33 mi Continue onto D Then go 6.15 mi
30 61.48 mi Continue onto D206 Then go 1.70 mi
31 63.18 mi Continue onto D13 Then go 0.07 mi
32 63.25 mi Turn left onto D8 Then go 2.49 mi
33 65.74 mi Sharp righ Then go 0.11 mi
34 65.85 mi Slight right onto D8 Then go 2.78 mi
35 68.63 mi Slight right to stay on D8 Then go 7.86 mi
36 76.49 mi Turn left onto D204 Then go 0.55 mi
37 77.04 mi Continue onto Route de Bourg Lastic/D987 Then go 0.12 mi
38 77.16 mi Continue onto D565 Then go 0.08 mi
39 77.24 mi Continue onto D98 Then go 1.67 mi
40 78.91 mi Slight right onto Chadeau/D987 Then go 0.02 mi
41 78.93 mi At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto Chadeau/D82Continue to follow D8 Then go 9.48 mi
42 88.40 mi Slight right to stay on D8 Then go 0.37 mi
43 88.78 mi Slight left to stay on D82Go through 1 traffic circl Then go 1.07 mi
44 89.85 mi Continue onto D98 Then go 0.97 mi
45 90.82 mi Slight right onto Les Roussières/D98 Then go 0.05 mi
46 90.86 mi Turn right onto Les Roussières/D922Continue to follow D92 Then go 3.80 mi
47 94.66 mi Turn left onto Route du Mont Doré/D21 Then go 1.63 mi
48 96.29 mi Keep left at the fork Then go 0.01 mi
49 96.31 mi At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto D99 Then go 2.21 mi
50 98.51 mi Slight left onto Av. de la Bourboule/D996 Then go 0.32 mi
51 98.84 mi Slight left to stay on Av. de la Bourboule/D996Continue to follow D996 Then go 0.37 mi
52 99.21 mi Continue onto Rue Favart/D983Continue to follow D983 Then go 0.54 mi
53 99.75 mi Turn left onto Route de Besse/D3 Then go 10.58 mi
54 110.32 mi Turn right toward Courbanges Then go 0.02 mi
55 110.34 mi Turn left toward Courbanges Then go 0.30 mi
56 110.64 mi Continue straight onto Courbanges Then go 0.04 mi
57 110.68 mi Turn right to stay on Courbanges Then go 0.02 mi
58 110.70 mi Slight left to stay on Courbanges Then go 0.02 mi
59 110.72 mi Turn left to stay on Courbanges Then go 0.01 mi
60 110.74 mi Turn right to stay on Courbanges Then go 0.01 mi
61 110.75 mi Turn right onto Courbanges/D36Continue to follow D3 Then go 4.30 mi
62 115.05 mi Turn right onto Chemin de Ronde Then go 0.05 mi
63 115.10 mi Slight left onto Pl. du Petit Mèze Then go 0.05 mi
64 115.15 mi Turn right onto Pl. du Grand Mèze/D978 Then go 0.03 mi
65 115.18 mi Slight right to stay on Pl. du Grand Mèze/D978 Then go 0.02 mi
66 115.20 mi At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit and stay on Pl. du Grand Mèze/D978 Then go 0.30 mi
67 115.50 mi Slight right to stay on Berthelage/D97 Then go 1.52 mi
68 117.03 mi Slight right to stay on D978 Then go 0.03 mi
69 117.06 mi Turn left onto D149 Then go 0.01 mi
70 117.07 mi Turn right to stay on D149 Then go 0.09 mi
71 117.16 mi Continue onto D978 Then go 0.20 mi
72 117.36 mi At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto D149 Then go 1.30 mi
73 118.66 mi Slight right to stay on D149 Then go 0.10 mi
74 118.76 mi At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Av. du Sancy/D149 Then go 0.44 mi
75 119.20 mi Turn right onto Av. du Sancy Then go 0.25 mi
76 119.45 mi Slight left onto Av. du Sancy/D149D

Points of Interest

Start: Aigurande (415m)

Location: 46.434433, 1.826798

KOM #1: Côte d'Évaux-les-Bains (445m) Cat 4

Location: 46.174333, 2.485228
Km 65.5 - Côte d'Évaux-les-Bains - 1.7 km climb to 6.2 % - Category 4

Sprint

Location: 46.027482, 2.500420

KOM #2: Côte du Rocher des Trois Tourtes (766m) Cat 4

Location: 45.769348, 2.566510
Km 119.5 - Côte du Rocher des Trois Tourtes - 1.3 km climb to 4.6 % - Category 4

KOM #3: Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (1451m) Cat 2

Location: 45.564123, 2.835288
Km 164.0 - Col de la Croix Saint-Robert - 6.2 km climb to 6.2 % - Category 2

Finish: KOM #4 - Super-Besse Sancy (1275m) Cat 3

Location: 45.510858, 2.856402
Km 189.0 - Super-Besse Sancy - 1.5 km climb to 7.6 % - Category 3

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