Manx Missile Gets #27!

Mark Cavendish took the first stage of this year's Tour de France, earning his 27th Tour de France stage win.  Amazing!  Below is Cavendish's winning time and a comparison with our prediction.

• Stage 1:   4h 14' 05" (actual), 4h 20' 25" (prediction), 06' 20" slow (2.49% error)

We'll definitely take that error on the first stage!  Here is Cavendish's average speed:

• Stage 1:  12.33 m/s (44.39 kph or 27.59 mph)

Cavendish will don the yellow jersey for tomorrow's 183-km (114-mi) Stage 2.   The hilly stage begins in the commune of Saint-Lô, moves south, then southwest, before turning north along the coast toward the commune of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin.  Our prediction is given below.

• Stage 2:  4h 22' 59" (prediction)

There are three category 4 climbs early on and a category 3 climb to finish the stage.  Will Cavendish be able to enjoy his first yellow jersey for more than a day?