# Fastest TDF stage in history?



## tommyrhodes (Aug 19, 2009)

Who holds the record for the fastest TDF stage in history? I always thought LeMond held it from his epic TT battle. Just saw a thing on tv that said johan bruyneel held the record? Who is the current record holder?


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

I believe it's one of Cipollini's stage wins in '99.

That's fastest road stage, certainly there have been short TTs or prologues run at a faster average speed.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

JB won the fastest stage (mass start). Lemond has the fastest TT.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Correct you are:

•50.355 kph (31.22mph) over 194.5km(120.59mi.) - fastest average over a flat stage (Mario Cipollini from Laval to Blois, 1999)

Ride time was something like 3:48.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

brianmcg said:


> JB won the fastest stage (mass start). Lemond has the fastest TT.


Fastest Prologue?


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

davidka said:


> Correct you are:
> 
> •50.355 kph (31.22mph) over 194.5km(120.59mi.) - fastest average over a flat stage (Mario Cipollini from Laval to Blois, 1999)
> 
> Ride time was something like 3:48.


Rumor has it Cipo and others were experimenting with a 10 tooth cog on that stage. I don't know if it's true (around that time (granted it was the peak of the doping era) there were numerous rumors of 10t cogs). I doubt any of the sprinters were using them in the last 200 meters. I guess with the AVERAGE 50+km/h, I can imagine on occasion saying "wow, a 53x11 isn't enough..." that has to be fun...

Overall, the JB stage in 1993 was even more impressive. I was living in Italy and remember watching it in disbelief. Without trolling to get this thread moved, that performance was not human.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

euro-trash said:


> Rumor has it Cipo and others were experimenting with a 10 tooth cog on that stage. I don't know if it's true (around that time (granted it was the peak of the doping era) there were numerous rumors of 10t cogs). I doubt any of the sprinters were using them in the last 200 meters. I guess with the AVERAGE 50+km/h, I can imagine on occasion saying "wow, a 53x11 isn't enough..." that has to be fun...
> 
> Overall, the JB stage in 1993 was even more impressive. I was living in Italy and remember watching it in disbelief. Without trolling to get this thread moved, that performance was not human.


I'm pretty sure, from an engineering standpoint, 10t cogs are not possible unless new freehub bodies with smaller diameters were created.

Most sprinters use 55x11 on flat stages, anyway.


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

iliveonnitro said:


> I'm pretty sure, from an engineering standpoint, 10t cogs are not possible unless new freehub bodies with smaller diameters were created.
> 
> Most sprinters use 55x11 on flat stages, anyway.


Contemporary report: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/tour99/stage4.html


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

I believe Zabriske has the fastest non-prologue time trial, beating Lemond's average speed (2005).


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## mendo (Apr 18, 2007)

asgelle said:


> Contemporary report: http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/tour99/stage4.html


Would a 10t be possible with a freewheel?


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## Gregpape23 (Jul 29, 2008)

stevesbike said:


> I believe Zabriske has the fastest non-prologue time trial, beating Lemond's average speed (2005).


So wouldn't that be the fastest average speed for a tdf stage?? Didn't he avg like 54 kmh or something?? Or are we talking strictly about mass start.

But JEEZ, 31mph over 120 miles?!?! That sounds insane...


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

mendo said:


> Would a 10t be possible with a freewheel?


It was 1999 not 1959.


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## natethomas2000 (Aug 2, 2009)

I could do about 31 mph downhill over that distance, but I'd have to keep my cadence high - that speed over that distance is ridiculous!


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## Jokull (Aug 13, 2007)

These should be the definitive answers as they come from the Tour de France website: http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/docs/histo_09.pdf

Dave Zabriski's 2005 time trial win has slipped the net though - it was 19 km long, so doesn't fit into the >20 km table, but was a time trial, not a prologue, and therefore isn't in the prologue table. For the record, he did 54.676 km/h.

Fastest Stage
Mario Cipollini 50,355 km/h Laval - Blois (194,5 km) 1999
Pablo Lastras 49,938 km/h Bordeaux - Saint-Maixent l’Ecole (203,5 km) 2003
Johan Bruyneel 49,417 km/h Evreux - Amiens (158 km) 1993

Fastest Time Trial longer than 20 km
Greg LeMond 54,545 km/h Versailles - Paris (24,5 km) 1989
David Millar 54,361 km/h Pornic - Nantes (49 km) 2003
Lance Armstrong 53,986 km/h Fribourg en Brisgau - Mulhouse (58,5 km) 2000

Fastest Prologue
Chris Boardman 55,152 km/h Lille - Euralille (7,2 km) 1994
Chris Boardman 54,193 km/h Dublin (5,6 km) 1998
Fabian Cancellara 53,660 km/h Londres (7,9 km) 2007

Fastest Team Time Trial
Discovery Channel Team 57,320 km/h Tours - Blois (67,5 km) 2005
Gewiss - Ballan 54,930 km/h Mayenne - Alençon (67 km) 1995
Carrera 54,610 km/h Berlin (40,5 km) 1987


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

Gregpape23 said:


> So wouldn't that be the fastest average speed for a tdf stage?? Didn't he avg like 54 kmh or something?? Or are we talking strictly about mass start.
> 
> But JEEZ, 31mph over 120 miles?!?! That sounds insane...


typically the time trial and mass start fastest times are distinguished. My recollection in the Cipo stage was that they had a very strong tailwind and everyone was spinning out their highest gears.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

mendo said:


> Would a 10t be possible with a freewheel?


The Shimano Capreo cassette goes all the way down to a 9T with a freehubl! I believe it would be compatible with an otherwise standard 9-speed Shimano drive train, though I'm not suggesting that it would have been used for pro racing.


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## Tugboat (Jul 17, 2006)

Dave Z's is pretty impressive that it's faster than the 3rd quickest TTT.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Lance's 3rd fastest avg speed is incredible considering he rode nearly 3 times the distance the record required. Nearly 60k? 3rd fastest tourr TT average ever? Holy smokes!!!


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## tommyrhodes (Aug 19, 2009)

I was watching a discovery channel special on youtube about Lance Armstrongs preperation for the tour and they were talking about Johan. They said he had the record. Given that it was the discovery channel I'm sure they were simply intentionally misleading the viewer to think he still held it and not just once held it. Still a great accomplishment but I just wanted some clarification. Still amazes me to look at the speed these guys ride their bikes.....


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## BAi9302010 (Mar 7, 2002)

Fastest ever stage of the Tour de France...






After Boardman broke the hour record for the first time, Luc Leblanc remarked that if Boardman could break it, half of the pro peloton could. In his first TdF, Boardman caught his minute-man, Leblanc, over a 7.1km course and set the fastest ever Tour stage in the process.

Rik Verbrugghe holds the record for the fasest ever stage in a grand tour. 58.874km/h over the 7.6km prologue course from the 2001 Giro. Cipollini holds the fastest road stage (48.521km/h) from the 1997 edition and Alex Zulle holds the fastest time trial stage (53.771km/h stage 15) from the 1998 edition.

The fastest ever Vuelta stage is held by Ruben Plaza. Plaza won the 39km stage 20 time trial in 2005 at a speed of 56.22km/h. I guess this would make it the fastest ever non-prologue stage of a Grand Tour. Gonzalez de Galdeano holds the record for the fastest road stage. 2001 Vuelta stage 9, 179km @ 55.176km/h.


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