2012 Criterium du Dauphiné

[cycladianpirate]

The realpolitik has done a great job of delivering us crappy parcours recently. I think Tirreno-Adriatico is just about the only stage race that's had a good parcours this year.

Catalunya could have been quite good if the queen stage went ahead. But this is possibly an even more criminal misuse of terrain than País Vasco.

Either I've expressed myself very badly, or you're deliberately missing my point. What does Tirreno-Adriatico, Pais Vasco or volta a Catalunya have to do with a race that finishes 20 days before the start of the Tour?

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

2011 Dauphiné:
48km ITT
2 x major mountain stages (both MTFs)
Winner of ITT won the race

2010 Dauphiné:
55,8km ITT
3 x major mountain stages (2 MTFs)
Winner of ITT won the race

2009 Dauphiné:
54,5km ITT
3 x major mountain stages (2 MTFs)
Winner of ITT placed 2nd, 12th in ITT won the race

2008 Dauphiné:
36,6km ITT
4 x major mountain stages (1 MTF)
Winner of ITT won the race


Now... 2012 Dauphiné:
58,9km ITT
1 x major mountain stage (0 MTFs)
Winner of ITT wins the race?

2011 - wrong.
2009 - deliberately misleading.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Weigh are they a waste of mountains? The mountain is always the same. It's just the riders who don't ahve the guts or quality to attack. Attacking on the foot of the Grand Colombier and the field is totally destroyed.

NOooooo.
Attack at the foot of the Grand C, Sky, OPQ and BMC ride a steady tempo, which everybody will be happy to follow, knowing that there are 50kms of flat to take back 5 minutes or more, any kamikazes might have gained.

Simple question: Who are your top 4 or 5 favourites to win the GC?
Would any of them be climbers first, time trialists second?

 

[Red Rick]

2011 Dauphiné:
48km ITT
2 x major mountain stages (both MTFs)
Winner of ITT won the race

2010 Dauphiné:
55,8km ITT
3 x major mountain stages (2 MTFs)
Winner of ITT won the race

2009 Dauphiné:
54,5km ITT
3 x major mountain stages (2 MTFs)
Winner of ITT placed 2nd, 12th in ITT won the race

2008 Dauphiné:
36,6km ITT
4 x major mountain stages (1 MTF)
Winner of ITT won the race


Now... 2012 Dauphiné:
58,9km ITT
1 x major mountain stage (0 MTFs)
Winner of ITT wins the race?

I assume by winner itt you mean the best placed GC rider in the tt, and not the stage winner?
Anyway, you're right, this route sucks.

 

[Bavarianrider]

NOooooo.
Attack at the foot of the Grand C, Sky, OPQ and BMC ride a steady tempo, which everybody will be happy to follow, knowing that there are 50kms of flat to take back 5 minutes or more, any kamikazes might have gained.

Simple question: Who are your top 4 or 5 favourites to win the GC?
Would any of them be climbers first, time trialists second?

Besides from Wiggins and Evans i only see climbers first riders who will be able to make TOP 5.

Actually besides from Wiggins, there are no elite GC riders anymore who are not climbers first and mediocere TTlers at best.
Ok Froom would be another one. Klöden another one, but Klöden is over the top, as is Leipheimer. And both Klöden and Leipheimer are built like pure climbers.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Valverde?

Is Valverde due to race this year?

Is this parcours too changed from the ones he won in 2008 & 2009?

 

[El Pistolero]

Is Valverde due to race this year?

Is this parcours too changed from the ones he won in 2008 & 2009?

He won't win, too many time trial kms.

 

[maltiv]

He won't win, too many time trial kms.

When he won in 2009 there was 56 km's of time trial, so not much difference. Was quite an unique situation though with him somehow gaining 2 minutes (I think) on everyone up Mont Ventoux.

 

[will10]

When he won in 2009 there was 56 km's of time trial, so not much difference. Was quite an unique situation though with him somehow gaining 2 minutes (I think) on everyone up Mont Ventoux.

Not much difference except:

 

[auscyclefan94]

not with the colombians there. let's hope they will be invited

If I had a dollar for every time you said this and you were wrong I would be....

 

[Libertine Seguros]

When he won in 2009 there was 56 km's of time trial, so not much difference. Was quite an unique situation though with him somehow gaining 2 minutes (I think) on everyone up Mont Ventoux.

Not really a 'somehow', more the final hurrah of the 'old' Cadel Evans, before he finally snapped and started assembling the palmarès his talent deserved.

Evans rode nice and slowly up the final climb, to the point where Fuglsang and Gesink got bored and rode off. Everybody else was building form (as we know, it's a warmup race), except Valverde who of course couldn't start the Tour since it went into Italy, so were happy to go at Evans' pace.

Still, there's three road stages that could make significant GC inroads, whereas there's just one this year.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The other magical thing about the Grand Colombier placement within it's stage is that it so far from the finish, none of the climb will be televised.
We won't see any of the attacks that kick off at the foot of the climb and destroy the field.
All that will be served up to the viewing public is the pan flat run in.

Talk about marketing the sport. Masterful.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

If I had a dollar for every time you said this and you were wrong I would be....

broke

....

 

[barmaher]

2009 Tour, Stage 17: How to do a mountain stage without an MTF well. See also: Monte Grappa, 2010 Giro; Grindelwald, 2011 Tour de Suisse; Pinerolo, 2011 Tour.

Stage 6 in the 2012 Dauphiné is a good stage with no MTF.

You are right though. It is a terrible route. Stage 7 is very good, but should be in the first couple of stages. Stage 7 should be a proper mountain stage with at least a Cat 2 finish.

 

[guncha]

No MTFs? I am wondering whether CP is the MTF hater.
Does CP think someone will attack during Colombier stage?

 

[karlboss]

Actualy it's more then balanced.

60km of flat TT that's roughly 75 Minutes for rolleurs to gaine time
Joux Plane = roghly 35 for climbers to gain time.
Stage 6 offers roughly The Cat 2 and 1 mountain offer roughly35 minutes too + the way to the finish were climbers could increase their gaps.
Grand Colmbiere: The race isn't decided here, but surely pure rolleurs can be droped ins uch a way that they can't come back.
So actually the route offers roughly the same amount of Time for both TTlers as well as Climbers. And it's certainly difficult enough that pure rolleurs don't have a chance at all.
So all in all a very fair course

How long do these Cadel Evans, Wiggins type have to not come back for? i think you'll find it is much too far.

 

[cineteq]

This is an awful route. NOT because it lacks a major MTF, but because it lacks a second stage where people can realistically hope to make up time. As it is, it'll end up like the 2011 Paris-Nice, where in the last couple of stages quality riders like Xavi Tondó and Samuel Sánchez could attack, and the others could just go "bye, see you guys later, have fun!" because they were complete and utter irrelevances to the GC thanks to the overlong TT.

It's not an awful route if you match it against this year's Tour. The truth of the matter, that even if it was an excellent parcours, the fact this is a *preparation* race for the TdF, makes it impossible to see real competition among the big favorites. Thus that's the real issue is not the parcours per se, it's rather the riders giving 75%, 80% of what they can actually do. That's why I'm looking forward to Pais Vasco instead.

 

[Bavarianrider]

How long do these Cadel Evans, Wiggins type have to not come back for? i think you'll find it is much too far.

I am taking about rolleurs not elite climbers like Wiggins or Evans.

 

[boomcie]

If I had a dollar for every time you said this and you were wrong I would be....

Very strange?

 

[theyoungest]

Very strange?

No. Because when you're strange, no one remembers your name. And everyone knows ACF.

 

[McLovin]

This profile is so misleading. Madeleine looks like Aprica

 

[movingtarget]

SBS in Australia will be televising this race LIVE for the 1st time!

Great news. I am tired of being stuffed around by Eurosport and their schedule changes.

 

[movingtarget]

I think Andy Schleck will chose the tour de suisse again, although it was said by Bruyneel he would start in the Dauphine but 60km ITT a few weeks before the TDF...

Time for some TT training for Andrew ?

 

[hughmoore]

Time for some TT training for Andrew ?

Surely you must do some actual TTs to improve?

Or I am missing something?


Hugh

 

[barmaher]

Surely you must do some actual TTs to improve?

Or I am missing something?


Hugh

What is his problem?

Positioning?
Low pain threshold?
Inability to produce sufficient power?
Body shape?