Even for those who love to watch cycle races, the stages of the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, June 26, arrive at the worst hours of the day, as vigilance slackens and the call for a nap becomes irresistible.
The studies devoted to the nap are unanimous; it’s good for the health. A Chinese study of 2,214 people aged 60 or over has been shown that a nap of five minutes to two hours decreases stress, stimulates cognitive abilities, lowers the risk of heart disease, etc. Another study, published in 2015 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, demonstrated a link between napping and stimulation of the immune system. But you still have to be able to fall asleep in front of your TV without missing the crucial moments of one of the most watched sporting events in the world.
To this end, we analyzed each stage and the foreseeable mileage averages of the peloton in order to determine possible rest times between climbs, sprints, finishes and other bonus points to be won. Be careful, however: if we can foresee the long, somewhat off-putting plain stages, it is impossible to anticipate a breakaway full of panache, a collective attack by a group of Spanish riders who are aiming for the team classification, the rider’s in-flight explosion. British team from an Israeli team or an unexpected border coming out of the Solognot forests.