Stage 16 of the Tour de France was set between the rest day and the mountain Time Trial. The 168km course ran from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap featuring two early climbs, ending with the infamous Col de la Manse and the narrow, technical descent into Gap.
Today's victory belonged to Movistar Team and their Portuguese pro, Rui Costa. The two-time Tour de Suisse winner made his move early on the final climb and held his lead with a skilled descent into the Gap finish.
The SRM race file below is from Rui Costa at approximately 67kg.
Costa won Stage 16 in just under four hours with an average power of 246 watts. He averaged 79rpm cadence at an average speed of 43kph. Costa's heart rate average during the race was 153bpm and after climbing nearly 2,000 meters he burned over 3,000 kilocalories.
"I knew today was a good day for me," Costa adds. "With those two climbs in the beginning to respond the moves with strength rather than relying on good luck. My legs felt well all day - I knew it had to be my day. It was hard to get the break going, with lots of riders trying to stay at front..."
"I really knew the place to move was the last climb," Costa recalls. "Everything went as I planned: jumping into the uphill and reaching the top with a gap."
Costa made his attack in the first 3 kilometers of the climb with 400 average watts (approximately 6 watts/kg). In the total 10km ascent Rui pushed 381 average watts. His cadence average up the climb was 88rpm at an average speed of 30.3kph.
Costa maintained his lead with a flawless descent into Gap. His mastered downhill technique allowed him to push over 237 average watts at an average speed of nearly 60kph. His maximum speed on the final descent was 75kph and a maximum power output of 760 watts on the downhill.
| Time | 3:51:32 min |
| AVG Power | 246.0 watts |
| AVG Heart rate | 153.0 bpm |
| AVG Speed | 43.03 kph |
| AVG Cadence | 79.0 rpm |
| ALT Gain | 1,984 meters |
| Distance | 168 kilometers |
| Energy | 3,417 kilojoules |
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