2013 Tour of California

[Jancouver]

The route has been announced:

Official video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JC1DPCGsbDM

I'm pretty stoked about the stage one as they will be riding on my local roads and I have done the almost identical stage many times.

Stage 1.

Stage 2.

Stage 3.

Unfortunately, the system wont allow me to include more pictures ...

 

[Race Radio]

This is a really good course. It will be hard with some good action from the climbers.

Well done.

 

[jens_attacks]

it's papy horner time!

 

[roundabout]

Yeh. They even made the ITT to better suit him.

 

[El Pistolero]

Looks like the usual "not too hard, not too easy" kind of stages with a time trial(now harder) and one Mountain stage.

So the best climber on paper will win the mountain stage, an American time trial specialist will win the time trial and Sagan will win all the other stages.

 

[Race Radio]

This years course is much harder then any of the previous years. The 1st stage is harder then it looks and it will split into many groups. The climb in the TT is real, not just a bump.

I hope the Euros send some riders ready to race.

 

[avanti]

........................So the best climber on paper will win the mountain stage, an American time trial specialist will win the time trial and Sagan will win all the other stages.

I doubt that Sagan will win the second stage. It is a hilly route and the final few miles is a heck of a climb and it could be hot. Some details and photos of the climb here: http://www.toughascent.com/blog/?p=193

Once the riders reach Palm Desert they may experience high headwinds.

 

[Jancouver]

Looks like the usual "not too hard, not too easy" kind of stages with a time trial(now harder) and one Mountain stage.

So the best climber on paper will win the mountain stage, an American time trial specialist will win the time trial and Sagan will win all the other stages.

One mountain stage? You should re-watch the video. Its pretty hilly most of those stages. Just the first stage has about 10K feet of climbing and it is pretty hard stage. There will be breaks and attacks and I cant imagine more than 10 guys finishing together.

Here is almost identical loop that I do from time to time http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89294694

The only difference is that I start and go up Highland Valley rd (like this morning) that is steeper road to Ramona and after Cole Grade climb we take Lake Wolford road back to Escondido.

 

[El Pistolero]

I doubt that Sagan will win the second stage. It is a hilly route and the final few miles is a heck of a climb and it could be hot. Some details and photos of the climb here: http://www.toughascent.com/blog/?p=193

Once the riders reach Palm Desert they may experience high headwinds.

That does look too hard for Sagan. He'll have to do with 4 stages then. But anyhow, they haven't really raced all that hard at California. Besides the Americans that is. It's still a prep race and that's most likely how it will be raced. Lot's of riders just coming back from a break. The cyclists winning will be Americans or cyclists with a high base level, like Sagan.

 

[Afrank]

Really like this course, nice and hilly. I see lots of potential for this to be a very good race. Hope Tejay or one of the other Americans can do well.

Also like the 1,000 foot climb at the end of the TT as well, that should be fun.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

So the talk will not only be bout the tarmac then

 

[Ferminal]

Looks like the usual "not too hard, not too easy" kind of stages with a time trial(now harder) and one Mountain stage.

So the best climber on paper will win the mountain stage, an American time trial specialist will win the time trial and Sagan will win all the other stages.

A couple of the hilly ones might be OK but still lots of Sagan days.

The TT is great though.

 

[ElChingon]

Looks like the usual "not too hard, not too easy" kind of stages with a time trial(now harder) and one Mountain stage.

So the best climber on paper will win the mountain stage, an American time trial specialist will win the time trial and Sagan will win all the other stages.

What can one expect from a one week tour during the Giro

Its ranked 2.HC but any race during one of the three GT's surely can't draw the class of riders to make it HC, they need to downgrade it to 2.1 till they can offer it as a pre-GT race for the wannabe's to show their stuff pre-GT.

 

[dolophonic]

Was hoping they would do the Baldy stage it was a real classic ..
There is so much potential in California for an amazing course.
Palomar was in the tour before and wasn't that memorable. I'm sure the crowds will be massive on Diablo. Didn't they do that climb last year? What happened on it?
Should be good .. Lets hope so .

 

[dolophonic]

What can one expect from a one week tour during the Giro

Its ranked 2.HC but any race during one of the three GT's surely can't draw the class of riders to make it HC, they need to downgrade it to 2.1 till they can offer it as a pre-GT race for the wannabe's to show their stuff pre-GT.

Agreed .. Never understood why it wasn't pre gt . Shame could have been used like the Dauphin or tour de Swiss.

 

[Afrank]

Was hoping they would do the Baldy stage it was a real classic ..
There is so much potential in California for an amazing course.
Palomar was in the tour before and wasn't that memorable. I'm sure the crowds will be massive on Diablo. Didn't they do that climb last year? What happened on it?
Should be good .. Lets hope so .

They did Diablo on stage 3, but it was right in the middle of the stage (about 65 miles from the finish), so didn't have much effect. It will be much better with them finishing on it this year.

 

[Jancouver]

Was hoping they would do the Baldy stage it was a real classic ..
There is so much potential in California for an amazing course.
Palomar was in the tour before and wasn't that memorable. I'm sure the crowds will be massive on Diablo. Didn't they do that climb last year? What happened on it?
Should be good .. Lets hope so .

As per Palomar. Last time they did it, it was climbed from the harder South Grade side but they didnt do the "78" portion. Yet again, it wasnt used as a MTF. If you want to do a "real Palomar" you have to climb it all the west side. That route is 11.6 mile climb with 4300 feet of gain. The fastest time on Strava is about 51 minutes by local guy you may have heard of ... Chris Horner.

http://app.strava.com/segments/273807

 

[dolophonic]

@jancouver.. yes he's pretty good!!!!

 

[ElChingon]

As per Palomar. Last time they did it, it was climbed from the harder South Grade side but they didnt do the "78" portion. Yet again, it wasnt used as a MTF. If you want to do a "real Palomar" you have to climb it all the west side. That route is 11.6 mile climb with 4300 feet of gain. The fastest time on Strava is about 51 minutes by local guy you may have heard of ... Chris Horner.

http://app.strava.com/segments/273807

They should start in Julian and go down to Borrego and up Montezuma first then Mt. Palomar and on into Escondido, then we'd have a real stage.

 

[dolophonic]

They should start in Julian and go down to Borrego and up Montezuma first then Mt. Palomar and on into Escondido, then we'd have a real stage.

The "They Should" list for this race is endless... i feel you.

 

[Scott SoCal]

I doubt that Sagan will win the second stage. It is a hilly route and the final few miles is a heck of a climb and it could be hot. Some details and photos of the climb here: http://www.toughascent.com/blog/?p=193

Once the riders reach Palm Desert they may experience high headwinds.

The Tram climb is no joke. I don't think there is much chance for Sagan (zero, actually). It'll be a punchy climber who can drill it for 3 or 4 minutes at 12% (the very end).

Wind is almost a certainty... right shoulder side/headwind. The only question is how hard will it be blowing.

And you are right about the heat. They will come off Mountain Center and descend into Palm Desert which can be a friggin' oven in mid-May.

 

[Christian]

Chris Horner did not make the RSLT team for AToCal... feel bad for him! I hope he can recover from his injury for one last (very last?) hoorah this season.

BUSCHE Matthew
DIDIER Laurent
IRIZAR Markel
JUNGELS Bob
KING Ben
SCHLECK Andy
VOIGT Jens
ZUBELDIA Haimar

http://www.wort.lu/de/view/andy-sch...ien-rundfahrt-zeigen-518895efe4b08d4e6de0c363

Andy Schleck is said to be "extremely motivated" - "I am sure we will get to see something from Andy. He is motivated tohis toes and he wants more than just to show himself", says Alain Gallopin.

 

[jens_attacks]

sad....tour of cali without papy horner is not tour of cali

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Let Levi ride ATOC 2013 page was the shiznit

 

[Bavarianrider]

What a shame that it is done during the Giro. So stupid.
Should be done in early September, would make so much more sense.