The yellow jersey, of course, goes to the rider with the lowest overall time following each stage. After the 21st and final stage, the jersey goes to the overall winner of the Tour de France. There is also the King of the Mountains polka dot distinction for whomever posts the best time on climbs. And for sprinters, there is the green jersey, with points earned at each sprint determining the winner.
Tour de France 2014, Stage 15: Route, TV schedule and more
A strong sprint at the end of a downhill run in Stage 15 sets up the Tour de France for the home stretch.
Doug Pensinger
Sunday’s 222 km Stage 15 is one of the stages featuring a green sprint stage in a perfect place: towards the end of a mostly downhill stage.
Although how fast they can go may depend on the weather. According to UK’s Cycling Week, the profile of the stage usually pushes riders into bunch sprinting, “strong winds in this region mean that the sprinters’ teams - and the overall contenders - will need to have their wits about them if they don’t want to end up on the wrong side of a split in the bunch.” Which means that there be more echelons in order to protect riders from losing precious time to wind resistance.
With the overall leader, Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, finishing second on Saturday’s Stage 14 to Poland’s Rafal Majka but gaining a full minute on his nearest competitor, the competition for the yellow jersey may be all but over. The strong showing let Nibali stretch his lead to over four-and-a-half minutes.
Here's a look at the route, via the Tour's website:
And here’s a look at the downward tilt of the sprint to Nimes:
The Tour will be broadcast on NBCSN at 8 a.m. ET, and will be replayed at 8:00 p.m and midnight.
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