2014 Speculation (and confirmation) thread - rider schedules and parcours

[The Hitch]

As last year, and the year before http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=19446

What riders are riding what races and what races are riding what climbs etc.

First, Vuelta a Pais Vasco

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=67281

Etapa 1: Ordizia - Ordizia
Etapa 2: Ordizia - Urdazabi-Urdax
Etapa 3: Igantzi - Vitoria-Gasteiz
Etapa 4: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Eibar (Arrate)
Etapa 5: Eibar - Markina-Xemein
Etapa 6: Markina-Xemein CRI

 

[Afrank]

Costa will be targeting Paris-nice, the Ardennes, and the tour as his major goals. He will start his season with Challenge Mallorca, then Algarve, Paris-Nice, Ardennes. Then preparation for the tour.

He could also race Tour de Suisse, Romandie and the Vuelta al País Vasco in preparation for the Ardennes and Tour.

Latter part of season leading to worlds will be similar to this year (no Vuelta).

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/world-champion-rui-costa-plans-his-2014-season

 

[BigMac]

Nice thread.

Costa's most likely shedule, according to him:

Algarve
Paris-Nice
Gent - Wevelgem
Amstel Gold Race
La Flèche Wallonne
Liège - Bastogne - Liège
Tour de Romandie
Tour de Suisse or Dauphiné
Tour de France

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Colombian calender

ENERO:
- 7: CIRCUITO FERIA DE MANIZALES
- 18: CIRCUITO ÁNGEL MIGUEL SANABRIA-TUTA

FEBRERO:
- 19 - 23: VUELTA DEL TOLIMA
- 26 FEBRERO - 2 MARZO: MUNDIAL PISTA-CALI-ELITE
- 28 FEBRERO - 2 MARZO: CLÁSICA DEL ARROZ-HUILA

MARZO:
- 14 - 16: VUELTA DE SUCRE
- 21 - 23: CLÁSICA DE ANAPOIMA
- 29 - 30: CLÁSICA CIUDAD DE LA PLATA

ABRIL:
- 2 – 6: VUELTA AL VALLE
- 8 – 12: CAMPEONATOS NACIONALES DE RUTA-ELITE Y SUB-23-POPAYÁN
- 13 – 20: SEMANA SANTA
- 23 - 27: CLÁSICA HEROES DE LA PATRIA
- 30 ABRIL-4 MAYO: VUELTA DE LA COSTA

MAYO:
- 7-11: VUELTA DE ANTIOQUIA
- 12-18: CAMPEONATO NACIONAL DE PISTA Y RUTA JUVENILY PREJUVENIL. BARRANQUILLA
- 29-31: CLÁSICA DEL CARIBE

JUNIO:
- 2-8: VUELTA DE LA JUVENTUD
- 20-22: CLÁSICA DEL CESAR
- 27-29: CLÁSICA DE POPAYAN

JULIO:
- 9-13: VUELTA SANTANDER
- 16-20: VUELTA CUNDINAMARCA
- 23-27: CLÁSICA DE GIRARDOT
- 23-27: MUNDIAL PISTA JUVENIL SEUL—KOREA

AGOSTO:
- 3-17: VUELTA A COLOMBIA
- 22-24: CLÁSICA SUR CENTRO CALDAS
- 22-24: COPA VIVE LA PISTA-MEDELLIN
- 28-31: CLÁSICA DE LA COSECHA

SEPTIEMBRE:
- 3-7: CAMPEONATO NACIONAL PISTA ELITE-BOGOTA
- 10-14: VUELTA DE BOYACÁ
- 17-21: CLÁSICA MARCO FIDEL SUAREZ
- 26-28: COPA VIVE LA PISTA-BUCARAMANGA
- 26 SEPTIEMBRE-5 OCTUBRE: CLÁSICO RCN

OCTUBRE:
- 8-12: VUELTA DEL PORVENIR Y TOUR FEMENINO
- 17-19: VUELTA SAN FELIX-CALDAS
- 24-26: COPA VIVE LA PISTA-CALI

NOVIEMBRE:
- 8-10: CLÁSICA DE LA GUADUA
-14-16: VUELTA JUVENIL ANTIOQUIA
- 21-23: COPA VIVE LA PISTA-DUITAMA

DICIEMBRE:
- 3-6: VUELTA DEL FUTURO - EJE CAFETERO
- 12-14: CAMPEONATO NACIONAL DE INTERCLUBES- CATE INFANTIL, PREJUVENIL Y JUVENIL-CALI

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias_cercanas-ficha.asp?id=67236

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Tentative programme for Nocentini

Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo, Amstel, Flanders, Liegi and Campionato Italiano and will later decide whether to ride the giro or the tour.

 

[Arredondo]

I know Chaves program will be San Luis, Langkawi, Catalunya, Pais Vasco, and he will compete at the Vuelta (instead of Giro and Tour)

 

[LaFlorecita]

I know Chaves program will be San Luis, Langkawi, Catalunya, Pais Vasco, and he will compete at the Vuelta (instead of Giro and Tour)

Very nice

 

[Arredondo]

Very nice

His program or the fact that i 'know it'?

 

[Gloin22]

His program or the fact that i 'know it'?

What is he peaking at ? Cataluyna ? Also will be he doing Ardennes after Pais Vasco ? Seems logical, but you have it missing in his program.

 

[LaFlorecita]

His program or the fact that i 'know it'?

The program

 

[MatParker117]

Froome's is apparently similar to last year but riding Catalunya instead of defending his Crit International title.

 

[Arredondo]

What is he peaking at ? Cataluyna ? Also will be he doing Ardennes after Pais Vasco ? Seems logical, but you have it missing in his program.

The Ardennes classics are not a subject at the moment, he will not ride them according to the team. He isn't peaking in the first half of the year because he crashed really hard this year, and it isn't sure though that he can get back to his best form. He says he wants to come into his best shape (or something that looks like his best shape) for the Vuelta.

 

[Christian]

Jungels says he will go the direction of smaller stage races, rather than one day classics. There is also some speculation on whether he will rider the Tour de France or not. Jens Voigt has stated that Jungels will likely get some victories until then, so that the team can't pass him up. Personally I hope he will do the Vuelta instead, and then do the Tour in 2014. But, considering the Tour features cobbles this year, he might be a valuable asset to the team. Although on the other hand he has only ridden P-R once (WT edition), and the team has many other who are much more experienced in that department

 

[theyoungest]

Jungels says he will go the direction of smaller stage races, rather than one day classics. There is also some speculation on whether he will rider the Tour de France or not. Jens Voigt has stated that Jungels will likely get some victories until then, so that the team can't pass him up. Personally I hope he will do the Vuelta instead, and then do the Tour in 2014. But, considering the Tour features cobbles this year, he might be a valuable asset to the team. Although on the other hand he has only ridden P-R once (WT edition), and the team has many other who are much more experienced in that department

Interesting. His debut season has been fairly underwhelming, for such a massive talent in the espoirs. He seems to be a jack of all trades, maybe choosing a trade isn't a bad idea indeed.

 

[Pentacycle]

Interesting. His debut season has been fairly underwhelming, for such a massive talent in the espoirs. He seems to be a jack of all trades, maybe choosing a trade isn't a bad idea indeed.

For a non-sprinter he's done pretty well, and iirc he rode strong races in Eneco, Beijing, Clasica and of course the races on home soil.(Tour of Lux and the NC) In the early season he also won an Italian race solo, not bad if you just turned pro. I think his big engine allowed him to also dominate classics like PR in the U23, while hes not really suited for cobbles. That's probably why people expected him to feature in classics, but he's a rider for hilly races and TT's, perhaps he could become a Chavanel-type rider. Pure allrounder.

 

[screaming fist]

Don't forget he only turned 21 this September. For a guy so young his first WT season was really good.

 

[Gloin22]

Interesting. His debut season has been fairly underwhelming, for such a massive talent in the espoirs. He seems to be a jack of all trades, maybe choosing a trade isn't a bad idea indeed.

While I agree with the second part, for a first year at WT level he has done very well in my view, there is always a transition process involved.

And we know Sagan is one 1/1000000 talent.

 

[Christian]

I also think he did pretty well. Got 2 wins (not counting national RR & TT). At the Tour of Luxembourg he was the strongest together with Paul Martens, but was relegated to 5th place overall because of a controversy on the last stage.
In Circuit de la Sarthe he came in 2nd in the ITT, but was within the same second as Durbridge, a monster coming from the track. In Classica San Sebastian he had just joined the lead group when Gallopin attacked, then came in with the 2nd larger group.

He came in the top-10 of ITT's of Tour Med, Critérium International and AToC. It seems like the small stage race strategy is the right choice.

What he needs to work on is the climbing, but even there he showed some promise: 18th on Col de l'Ospedale (Crit. Int.) and 18th on Mount Diablo. For a first year professional who is not a climber that is not bad I would say. I don't remember his placing in the Tour Med MTF, it must not have been noteworthy, but at the same time it was his first race of the season.

Overall:
2 wins + 2 national titles (no real competition there)
1 near miss (Sarthe ITT)
1 GC podium in a 2.HC race (later relegated by the jury)
Top 10 in ITT's
Top 20 in MTF's

 

[theyoungest]

While I agree with the second part, for a first year at WT level he has done very well in my view, there is always a transition process involved.

And we know Sagan is one 1/1000000 talent.

I'm not comparing him to Sagan, that's unfair.

For a non-sprinter he's done pretty well, and iirc he rode strong races in Eneco, Beijing, Clasica and of course the races on home soil.(Tour of Lux and the NC) In the early season he also won an Italian race solo, not bad if you just turned pro. I think his big engine allowed him to also dominate classics like PR in the U23, while hes not really suited for cobbles. That's probably why people expected him to feature in classics, but he's a rider for hilly races and TT's, perhaps he could become a Chavanel-type rider. Pure allrounder.

That Italian race he won was from a breakaway with a massive gap IIRC. He could have won that way as an espoir.

I'm not saying his season was bad by any means, but given the massive promise and hype it wasn't all that spectacular, compared to someone like Rohan Dennis for instance.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm not comparing him to Sagan, that's unfair.


That Italian race he won was from a breakaway with a massive gap IIRC. He could have won that way as an espoir.

I'm not saying his season was bad by any means, but given the massive promise and hype it wasn't all that spectacular, compared to someone like Rohan Dennis for instance.

Think you are being too hard on the boy. Hes on track imo. Don't forget the team has been dysfunctional and about to die etc.

 

[Christian]

That Italian race he won was from a breakaway with a massive gap IIRC. He could have won that way as an espoir.

I don't remember how much the maximum lead was, but in the end he was the only survivor from the break, which to me suggests the bunch was counting on catching them. It's all speculation though...

 

[greenedge]

Froome's is apparently similar to last year but riding Catalunya instead of defending his Crit International title.

Is swapping T-A with Paris-Nice mentioned, as I thought Porte would do T-A for his Giro prep?

 

[coimbrawu]

RVV course changed!
http://www.nieuwsblad.be/SportWereld/cnt/DMF20131119_00846902
Koppenberg the final monster? that will be cool!

 

[Parrulo]

I really hope they change the ronde's course, this one has proved both times it was used to be a major flop.

Hopefully no more circuits as well.

 

[Parrulo]

The new course.

The last 60 or so k's seem to be relentless on the bergs.