Stage 11: Albertville > Col Du Granon Serre Chevalier (July 11)

TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 11:  MOUNTAIN STAGE 3 (Alps)

149 km / 3978m

ALBERTVILLE>COL DU GRANON SERRE CHEVALIER

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

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Official pre-race summary for Stage 11 (July 11):

 letour.fr - Stage 11

Official post-race summary for Stage 11 (July 11):

letour.fr - Stage 11

STAGE 11 DETAILS AND STATISTICS

2022 Tour de France Stage 11. 

Stage 11:

• Distance: 149 kilometers
• Altitude Gained: 3,978 meters
• Percentage Grade:

• 36% (55 kilometers) descent
• 37% (55.5 kilometers)  0-5%
• 24% (35.5 kilometers)  5-10%
• 3% (5 kilometers) 10-15%

• Steepest (Col du Granon):

• 500 meters 11.1%
• 1 Kilometer 10.7%

• Highest Point on the Route: 2,642 meters (highest point of the 2022 TdF).
• Lowest Point on the Route: 300 meters

COMMENTS FROM RACE DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME - STAGE 11:

“None of the contenders for the yellow jersey can afford a slip-up today. The climbs are tightly packed, starting with the Montvernier hairpins, then continuing with the crossing of the Télégraphe and Galibier passes. After passing through Serre-Chevalier, 10 kilometres of climbing at an average of more than 9% remain to reach the 2,413-metre Col du Granon, which was the Tour’s highest finishing point for 25 years” (Tour de France Stage 11).

THE CLIMBS OF STAGE 11 OF THE 2022 TOUR DE FRANCE

CLIMB 1 (CAT __) - LACETS DE MONTVERNIER

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3 TdF appearances between 2015 - 2022.

Lacets de Montvernier - some of the greatest lacets (hairpins) in the world!

17 lacets in 1.9km

CLIMB 2 (CAT  __) - COL DU TÉLÉGRAPHE

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

31 TdF appearances between 1911 and 2022.

Alone, Col du Télégraphe is a challenge at 11.7 km at 7.1% . . .

but Télégraphe + Col du Galibier is a monster at 35 km, 2115m at 5.4% (7.1% climb only).

CLIMB 3 (CAT __) - COL DU GALIBIER

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

63 TdF appearances between 1911 and 2022.

Col du Galibier is perhaps the fifth most famous bike climb in the world, after:

Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux, Passo dello Stelvio and Col du Tourmalet.

CLIMB 4 (CAT __) - COL DU GRANON

PJAMM CYCLING INTERACTIVE PROFILE TOOL

2022 is Col du Granon’s second appearance in the TdF - first was in 1986.

To finish an already rugged stage - Col du Granon at 11.4 kilometers gaining 1,101 meters at 9.7% average grade.

COMMENTS FROM RACE DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME - STAGE 11

“The Tour’s second visit to the Col de Granon invites a focus on the 1986 race, prior to which there had never been a finish at an altitude of more than 2,400m (a record that was raised to 2,642m in 2011 on the Col du Galibier). Shortly after setting off from Gap, Spaniard Eduardo Chozas embarked on a solo raid which ended with victory after 170 kilometres out on his own and featured the crossing of the Vars and Izoard passes. History also records that Bernard Hinault spent his last day in the Tour’s yellow jersey on that alpine stage, where he yielded the overall lead to his La Vie Claire team-mate Greg LeMond” (Tour de France Stage 11).

EXPLANATION OF KING OF MOUNTAIN, KOM POINTS AND BONUS POINTS

FOR THE 2022 TOUR DE FRANCE

KOM DEFINED:  Climb-related points are accumulated during the race and the rider with the most accumulated points at the beginning of the stage wears the red polka dot jersey that day and the rider with the most points at the end of the race is crowned that year’s Tour de France King of the Mountains.

“Category”:  When the mountain classification (King of the Mountains) was introduced in 1933, there were points given to the first 10 riders over the summit (10 for first, 1 for 10th).  In 1947, the Tour introduced two climb “categories” with a certain amount of points for the second category and twice as many as for the first category.  Over the years “categories” were added, in addition to an “Above” category (Hors or HC) and since 1979 there have been an HC (hardest), Category 1 (second hardest) on down to Category 4 (least difficult climb).

The category of the climb is significant for 2 reasons:

• The points awarded for the TdF KOM for each climb is based upon the category of climb - thus, “category” is the basis for the points that are used to determine each year’s King of the Mountains.
• Most cycling fans, particularly Grand Tour fans, are very interested in the climb “category” because that tells them how hard each climb on a stage is and where the riders will struggle more and the point in a stage where that day, or even the entire tour, will be won or lost.

KOM HISTORY:  King of the Mountains -- Mountain Classification victories (first recognized in 1933; jersey introduced 1975)

• TdF:

• Richard Virenque: 7 - 1994-1997, 1999, 2003, 2004 (best tour finish #2 1997)
• Frederico Bahamontes (six: 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964; nine in Grand Tours)  

• Triples (none ever in the same year):  Frederico Bahamontes and Louis Herrera.
• Doubles same year (TdF+Giro):  Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Lucien Van Impe, Claudio Chaippucci

POINTS:  KOM points are awarded in two ways on the Tour de France:

•  To riders first over the summit of categorized climbs (in descending order HC, 1-4).  

• The higher the category the more riders receive points (HC points are awarded to 8 riders while CAT 4 points are awarded to only 1 rider).

• Bonus point (see below).

TDF POINTS FORMULA:

Wikipedia has the best summary and graph we’ve seen for TdF KOM points distribution:

he points gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:

Wikipedia - Mountains Classification - Tour de France

BONUS POINTS:  These points go towards the King of the Mountain designation and are awarded to the first (8 points), second (5) and third (2) riders reaching designated summits in the race.  

This year’s bonus points are given at the top of the following climbs:

Stage 2: Mûr-de-Bretagne (first passage)

Stage 7: Signal d’Uchon

Stage 8: Col de la Colombière

Stage 11: Mont Ventoux, second passage

Stage 14: Col de Saint-Louis

Stage 15: Col de Beixalis

MONEY PRIZES FOR KING OF THE MOUNTAINS

• Prize for First to 4th place:

• Winner = €25,000
• 2nd = €15,000
• 3rd = €10,000
• 4th = €4,000, 5th €3,500, 6th €3,000, 7th €2,500, and 8th €2,000

• Daily prize for wearing the Polka Dot jersey = €6,000
• Per category climb:

• HC

• 1st = €800
• 2nd = €450
• 3rd = €300

• Cat 1

• 1st = €650
• 2nd = €400
• 3rd = €150

• Cat 2

• 1st = €500
• 2nd = €250

• Cat 3

• 1st = €300

• Cat 4

• 1st = €200

Jacques Goddet Souvenir (Stage 18 Col du Tourmalet) = €5000

Henri Desgrange Souvenir (Stage 15 Port D’Envalira) = €5000

The maximum amount the KOM winner could earn if he won every stage and wore the jersey from Stage 2 to the finish is $178,250 Euros ($217,351).