2013 Road World Championships: Men's Road Race, Lucca-Firenze 272.2 km

[Zoetemelk-fan]

The hardest circuit i can come up with that has a somewhat believable lenght would be on the south slope of the Etna. There are two mountain roads right next to each other: so go up one; down the other rinse and repeat: That's a 30km circuit with 13km@7% (from 1060m up to 1930m of altitude). Would that be hard enough for the "true climbers"?

Short answer: yes.

Evidence: Duitama, Colombia 1995

 

[Descender]

usual course. they'd better include some hill straight on the finish, but apparently it doesn't match wc course policy

Man, I need to stop reading your posts or I'm going to get myself banned.

 

[Descender]

10 km with a 15 second gap?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKXcVmwfQc

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

...
This road I'm talking about is on a byway just halfway on the main street descent from Fiesole to downtown Firenze. It starts straight-ahead steep downhill and still straight-ahead uphill on perfect asphalt, but uphill it becomes rapidly steeper and ends in a narrow, hard cobbled zigzag 90-degress left-right S-road of, well 25% ascent and high old walls on both sides before a left corner, just beneath a castle-like building. That uphill ramp is short, just 100-200m, but extremely challenging. I really was challenged on gas/clutch pedals in my big wagon on the left corner, there was really no place for a large car like mine. So that would mean no following cars, just motorbikes for the closing circuit. I don't know if thats unrealistic.

I might be wrong about this, but such a 'loop in the loop' would not only be spicy, it would be pure magic.

Okay so I was wrong; I found this Google Street Wiew of Via Salviati. The avenue I had in mind reminds a lot of this one, but its not that one. Maybe it's the street running parallel to Salviati a bit further down the mountain, the Vicolo di San Marco Vecchio. Dunno since the Google Wagon hasn't been there...and that make me think: it has to be this one..theres simply no room for a Google Wagon there

 

[hfer07]

FINALLY!!!!

at last we the fans get to be excited about a WC parcours. This one is a killer!!the one for a truly strong & selective peloton--this is a no go for any ordinary rouller, but someone with the caliber to suffer in those laps-damn- the legs will be screaming of pain during that climb!!
god-2013 seems so far away....

 

[Ferminal]

Aww, I was hoping it was the other road, so they went up the big ramp to Fiesole (more for the sake of the Giro than the WC though). The road was too narrow I guess. The kick on the back end of the circuit is excellent, and very much an attacking opportunity in itself, as is the descent in between.

280km is great, makes it distinctly above the standard Monument length.

Do people have a preference for a pure circuit race or are they happy with the ~100km lead-in which is popular today?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Aww, I was hoping it was the other road, so they went up the big ramp to Fiesole (more for the sake of the Giro than the WC though). The road was too narrow I guess. The kick on the back end of the circuit is excellent, and very much an attacking opportunity in itself, as is the descent in between.

280km is great, makes it distinctly above the standard Monument length.

Do people have a preference for a pure circuit race or are they happy with the ~100km lead-in which is popular today?

I much prefer a pure circuit race. The long run-in is only there to "sell" the region and has no practical use, IMO.

280 kms of just the circuit would be even harder, but I'll gladly take this. It's still great to me.

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKXcVmwfQc

Seems like I was wrong, it is possible. But you have to be really, really strong and really lucky. So it's almost impossible

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

hardest (world championship) race ever. I think about 19 riders finished across 15 minutes!!!

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

hardest (world championship) race ever. I think about 19 riders finished across 15 minutes!!!

That's what I want

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

That's what I want

unless a wc comes back to colombia we won't ever see that again. and I doubt that will happen again

 

[Kwibus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKXcVmwfQc

Exactly. In a tough course where the selection has been made 1 rider can stay away from another group, because in the chasing group the riders will look at eachother and won't go all out.

p.s. Oh the days that Gesink was able to ride a heavy gear. This was quite explosive.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

hardest (world championship) race ever. I think about 19 riders finished across 15 minutes!!!

Oh really? I saw the race on the telly by then, but honestly, I really didn't remember that. One thing I remember though was that everyone expected Indurain to take a double-win in Columbia, but it came down to tactics with the other big guns. And of course, Olano struggling on a flat tire on the dying kilometres, that WC was memorable.

unless a wc comes back to colombia we won't ever see that again. and I doubt that will happen again

Having a 2nd glance of the 2013 Firenze vs. 1995 Duitama, you might be right there. Firenze is just above sea level, while Duitama was in about 2600-3000 meters above sea level, as far as I remember.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Now that I've seen today's U23 race I'm quite sure this will end up being a disappointment, everyone will wait for the last lap just like everyone will be waiting for the cauberg

 

[Descender]

unless a wc comes back to colombia we won't ever see that again. and I doubt that will happen again

I'm not sure the Duitama course was harder than the Firenze one.

The Duitama climb was 4.2kms long at 6.8% gradient. The Fiesole is about 4.6kms long at 6% or so. Plus, there are a couple of isolated hard ramps after that in Firenze which the Duitama course lacked.

Too bad about this new trend of having the first 100kms out of the loop...

The altitude played a role as well of course, and the weather... but hey, let's hope for the best next year.

 

[BillytheKid]

This is a great course. The length is fantastic...at the distance the circuit climbs will be very very hard.

 

[DominicDecoco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

hardest (world championship) race ever. I think about 19 riders finished across 15 minutes!!!

Was it the difficult course or the injuries from gun shots by kidnappers that made the gaps?...

 

[roundabout]

A "circuit only" race in Firenze would have about 5000 meters of climbing. That would be too many.

And I think that not everyone made the trip to Duitama in 1995 so it was a rather small field.

 

[kanari]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

hardest (world championship) race ever. I think about 19 riders finished across 15 minutes!!!

When Hinault won in Sallanches in 1980 there were only 11 finishers. I remember when the Dauphine used the same circuit a few times at the end of a stage in 2010 (the stage EBH won) the Eurosport commentator said that the 1980 WC was the hardest ever. A lot of it was because of the awful weather though, not only the 20 times up the Cote de Domancy.

 

[Bestbike2003]

10 laps for the worlds? Soren Krebs BMC worlds tour ?.

I have ridden that loop of fiesole and this will shred the group and be the deciding break in the race IMO

Just saw this on the web BMC's Soren Krebs leading a road bike tour.

http://www.biketoursdirect.com/Italy/2013-tuscany-world-championships

 

[Dedelou]

When Hinault won in Sallanches in 1980 there were only 11 finishers. I remember when the Dauphine used the same circuit a few times at the end of a stage in 2010 (the stage EBH won) the Eurosport commentator said that the 1980 WC was the hardest ever. A lot of it was because of the awful weather though, not only the 20 times up the Cote de Domancy.

The records book shows 15 finishers on that day. In any case it was a tough race. Makes me wonder which WC has earned the title of the toughest. I imagine it has to be a combination of the course, the competition and the weather. I am looking forward to next year, though

 

[42x16ss]

No because he can't sprint.

I don't remember Evans needing to sprint at Mendrisio and this course is even harder

If this is raced as hard as most WC's it will be an absolute smash fest. There will be around 3500m of climbing over the whole race, that is going to be plenty.

 

[pdluz7]

I imagine it has to be a combination of the course, the competition and the weather. I am looking forward to next year, though

I hope. So the world championships become more interesting like in 1989. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk_PBh8YOo

 

[gustienordic]

I don't remember Evans needing to sprint at Mendrisio and this course is even harder

If this is raced as hard as most WC's it will be an absolute smash fest. There will be around 3500m of climbing over the whole race, that is going to be plenty.

It looks good for the Italians... Nibbles or Moser could do well on that course.

 

[GPdesAmeriques]

The official mascot for Tuscany 2013 is - Pinocchio!

http://www.toscana2013.it/?page=12