Steve Cummings wins a FAST stage!

Tour de France cyclists never cease to amaze me.  They set a torrid pace today.  Below is the winning time for Steve Cummings and a comparison with our prediction.

• Stage 7:  3h 51' 58" (actual), 4h 11' 35" (prediction), 19' 37" slow (8.46% error)

We're not happy with that error!  Check out Cummings' average speed below.

• Stage 7:  11.68 m/s (42.03 kph or 26.12 mph)

 That's at the top of the time schedule range; our prediction was closer to the bottom of that range.  Cyclists enjoyed a bit of a tailwind, but temperatures were comparable to yesterday's stage.  The competition to reach the summit of Col d' Aspin was fierce and the downhill sprint that followed the climb was incredibly fast.  Kudos to the cyclists for dazzling us once again!

Tomorrow's 184-km (114-mi) Stage 8 is this year's first mountain stage.  Beginning in Pau, cyclists will head southeast through the Pyrenees to Bagnères-de-Luchon.  A massive HC-climb to the 2115-m (6939-ft) summit of Col du Tourmalet highlights the beginning of the stage.  As if that weren't enough, cyclists will tackle a category-2 climb and two category-1 climbs before a fast downhill sprint to the finish.  Below is our prediction.

• Stage 8:  4h 50' 14" (prediction)

That prediction amounts to a fast day of racing.  We want to see racing tomorrow like we saw today!