2013 Paris Nice

[Pentacycle]

Look at the classic Nice-Nice stages of the last few years... THAT is how to finish a stage on the Promenade des Anglais. Not with 70km of gradual downhill to ensure that the only chance of any action is if a guy in the top 5 falls over descending and Team Sky throw a temper tantrum until everybody waits for them to catch up even though they keep falling over.

And look how much happened there over the last couple of years...it's barely ever significantly added something. This year Sky won't control the heck out of this race.(or so I hope) It's all about the field strength, there's probably much less control in this year's edition.

Edit: My lack of cycling history and terrain knowledge is really starting to bother me now...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

And look how much happened there over the last couple of years...it's barely ever significantly added something. This year Sky won't control the heck out of this race.(or so I hope) It's all about the field strength, there's probably much less control in this year's edition.

Edit: My lack of cycling history and terrain knowledge is really starting to bother me now...

It gave us plenty of fun in 2009 and 2010. In 2011 it was a bit of a letdown, but that was because the TT-biased parcours meant that the only people willing to take the risks were far enough down on the GC that the leaders could afford to just let them go.

You can't just put a couple of climbs 70km from the finish of the stage and pretend that it will be a GC-important stage. L'Aquila 2010 is the exception, not the rule. Especially bearing in mind that with an ITT the next day, riders aren't likely to want to have to spend 60-70km working in order to try to make any gains, because the following day's TT will make it all futile if they're completely shattered from a lengthy effort the previous day.

Finishing a stage on the Promenade des Anglais is fine. But could they not have chopped a few kilometres out earlier and thrown in a small puncheur climb near Nice, like Vallon Saint-Pancrace, Côte de la Ginestière, or hell, even Villefranche, late on to try to at least pretend that the stage is supposed to matter?

 

[Dedelou]

Sometimes I wonder if the ASO's course designers have ever actually seen a bicycle race.

Isn't Bernard Hinault the man in charge of course design at ASO?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Isn't Bernard Hinault the man in charge of course design at ASO?

Hinault could provide some input, but the main man is Jean-François Pescheux.
Printed newspaper man.

 

[Forunculo]

Isn't Bernard Hinault the man in charge of course design at ASO?

Wasn't Maradona a great player? So he has to be a great coach

 

[gregrowlerson]

A pretty poor route. Only stages 6&8 should have a major effect on GC. Is Tony Martin racing? Would be interesting to see how he could hold on during the MTF vs. doing well in the ITT? What is his history like in MTT?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

A pretty poor route. Only stages 6&8 should have a major effect on GC. Is Tony Martin racing? Would be interesting to see how he could hold on during the MTF vs. doing well in the ITT? What is his history like in MTT?

Tony Martin is taking on Froome/Contador/Nibali/Evans in T-A.

 

[Ferminal]

Normally it's pointless to have many climbs in preparation races, adding more climbs doesn't necessarily deliver exciting races. And if all stages are this tough, no one will dare to start unless they're aiming to get a GC result.

This year's PN is well designed. It gives the opportunity for classics specialist to try and win a stage in the windy opening stages. The prologue suits them as well. The second half of the race is perfect for climbers, punchers and baroudeurs. And its difficulty is perfect for the time of the season, and to prevent the combination of bad weather and tough descents.

Tirreno for example probably offers three interesting stages this year, namely a MTF, a hilly stage and the final 9,2km TT. About the TTT and three sprint stages however, we're lucky PN stages end just before the sprints, so we don't get to see a total borefest for 3 hours.
(Sprint stages of 230 kms are imho more about the mental confidence a rider can get about winning a >200 km stage, while in reality it's still nothing compared to MSR)

Chieti a sprint stage?

 

[Miburo]

Tony Martin is taking on Froome/Contador/Nibali/Evans in T-A.

Don't forget purito

 

[Pentacycle]

Chieti a sprint stage?

Chieti? Of course not. I meant the two stages that finish, and start in Indicatore, and the one that finishes along the coast in Porto Sant 'Elpidio. Those have the most potential of having a sprint, although the last may offer chances for a breakaway.

 

[Ferminal]

The last road stage has more climbing than L-B-L (equal in the final 100km).

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Chieti? Of course not. I meant the two stages that finish, and start in Indicatore, and the one that finishes along the coast in Porto Sant 'Elpidio. Those have the most potential of having a sprint, although the last may offer chances for a breakaway.

Porto Sant 'Elpidio stage below:

No way this will end in a bunch sprint. Select sprint perhaps but with riders who can climb quite a bit. Brutal stage.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Can't see TM competing against those guys in T-A. Strange decision of his to race there.

 

[Pentacycle]

No way this will end in a bunch sprint. Select sprint perhaps but with riders who can climb quite a bit. Brutal stage.

Ok, Cav will not make it, but EBH has a chance. Although probably an early break will make it.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Ok, Cav will not make it, but EBH has a chance. Although probably an early break will make it.

EBH wont ride, he is going on altitude training with the classic team

 

[Linkinito]

To react to the people who said the Nice stage was poo, I agree. The problem is doing a stage between Manosque and Nice isn't really easy, as you can only approach Nice from the west, and the shortest route (nearly all flat) is around 175km long. There's not many possibilities to make a hard stage until the very last kilometer, unless you make a 240+km stage.

It's not like you take a loop around Nice and do whatever you want on 200km. Joining two cities that are already far away is tricky, unfortunately.

For example, I'd love to include the Col de Félines (7 km @ 5.9%) immediately followed by the very harsh Col du Buis (4 km @ 10.3%!) but they are really far from Nice, like 100km away. Doing a decent finish in Nice is quite hard if you start from far away. So of course the stage is bad, but it's tough to make it really better.

 

[Miburo]

Ok, Cav will not make it, but EBH has a chance. Although probably an early break will make it.

It'll depends on GC if we'll get action. We might get some crazy stuff but no idea how steep these little hills are though

 

[cineteq]

It's time to rate the riders.

***** Lieuwe Westra, Thomas de Gendt
**** Robert Gesink, Tejay Van Garderen, Andrew Talansky
*** Nairo Quintana, Rui Costa, Roman Kreuziger
** Ivan Basso, Jerome Coppel, Richie Porte, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Thomas Voeckler
* Jakob Fuglsang, Denis Menchov, Andreas Kloden

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

***** Lieuwe Westra
**** Robert Gesink
*** TAWK
** Steven Kruijswijk
* Stef Clement

 

[theyoungest]

I'm curious about Talansky, it seems like a really good course for him. But he's had 2 race days so far, of which one time trial.

 

[Leonardus]

I can't see a clear top favorite in this field but I guess the main contenders will be Rui Costa, Van Garderen, Gesink and Westra. I'm not sure about the level guys like Porte, Talansky and de Gendt currently have but they should also be up there.

In comparison TA definitely has an overkill in top quality riders. Bit strange so many teams let their top riders start in TA, both races offer the same amount of WT points and it seems it will be much easier to pick up some of them in PN.

 

[cineteq]

Is this the thought of a TdF leader?

Fuglsang:
“There is no pressure to produce results. The situation is that it would be great to get a top ten spot in Paris-Nice, but if it does not happen, then that result will probably come later,”

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...rove-himself-in-Paris-Nice.aspx#ixzz2LvHQRyEl

 

[barmaher]

I think JC Peraud has a reasonable chance in this race.

He performed very well in the Col d'Eze time trial last year, only 30 seconds behind Westra. He has shown hiimself to be in good condition this year.

He is my idea of the winner among the less obvious names. Of the obvious ones, I guess Westra and TJVG are the bets. Hard to know about Talansky as theyoungest says. Similarly, we can only guess about de Gendt's shape.

 

[Parrulo]

i actually think that Gesink and quintana are the favourites for this, particularly quintana

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

***** Quintana
* Everybody Else