Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Friday 11 July 2014

2014 Tour de France: Epernay to Nancy – Stage for Sagan?



Today is the last possible chance for the sprinters until Sunday 20th with the stage into Nîmes until then it will be a question of getting over the hills. The stage is long at 234 kms relatively flat, although the route is more continually up and down rather than pan flat. Two Category 4 climbs within in the last 20 kms makes this more a stage for Peter Sagan, Simon Gerrans or Fabian Cancellara than Marcel Kittel, for instance. The last climb comes five kilometres from the finish and is 1.3k long with an average gradient of 7.9% followed by a swift descent to the finish. If someone gets away on the last climb they might manage to stay away and solo to victory.  

The forecast is for showers and wind largely from behind the riders.

There could be slight changes overall but it would be surprising if this was more than just a few seconds.

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