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

[Netserk]

Did it in 2004.

He owned Dauphine in 2004?

 

[staubsauger]

Friedensfahrt will be finally back from May 01 until May 06. It will start at Böhmisch Budweis, CZ and will end at Sucha, PL. There might be visits to Austria and Slovakia!

 

[roundabout]

Is it not the junior version?

The pro one is dead for good, I am afraid.

Edit: oh, a 2.2 version. Well, I'll believe it when it happens even despite a certain renaissance of cycling in the area

 

[janraaskalt]

Is it not the junior version?

The pro one is dead for good, I am afraid.

Edit: oh, a 2.2 version. Well, I'll believe it when it happens even despite a certain renaissance of cycling in the area

OPQS-owner Bakala behind the restart. Seems serious.

 

[staubsauger]

OPQS-owner Bakala behind the restart. Seems serious.

It's former pro rider Jozef Regez who bought the rights from Bakala.

http://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_85478.htm

 

[theyoungest]

Confirmed: no time trials at all in this year's Paris-Nice.

 

[jens_attacks]

wait wut? no col d'eze?!

 

[theyoungest]

 

[jens_attacks]

and they do col d'eze not classic route, they do it just like in 2009,2010 and 2011 what a joke

gerrans ftw!

 

[theyoungest]

Well, this climb occurs somewhere in a stage.

No idea if it's close to the finish though.

 

[janraaskalt]

It's former pro rider Jozef Regez who bought the rights from Bakala.

http://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_85478.htm

Thanks for the link. Strange that Bakala couldn't get it done. Hopefully Regec can.

 

[gooner]

Stage 5.

 

[Pentacycle]

Well, this climb occurs somewhere in a stage.

No idea if it's close to the finish though.

The hill lies close to Belleville, so this could be one of the deciding stages for the overall, with those percentages and the tight roads. Still, the results depends on where the finish lies. I hope it is on the far west side of town, making the distance between the top of the Côte until the line about 8 kms. It still means at least 5 km flat after the descent, so it should make for an exciting finale.

 

[Ferminal]

What if it doesn't lure Sagan back?

 

[will10]

What if it doesn't lure Sagan back?

He could win the GC on that parcours

 

[Dazed and Confused]

What if it doesn't lure Sagan back?

Chava will prefer if Sagan stayed in Italy.

Big chance for IAM.

 

[Parrulo]

Worst PN route i can remember

I would totally be up for a hilly PN route with no big climbs and time trials, if there were some actual hills in it. This is just terrible.

 

[theyoungest]

The hill lies close to Belleville, so this could be one of the deciding stages for the overall, with those percentages and the tight roads. Still, the results depends on where the finish lies. I hope it is on the far west side of town, making the distance between the top of the Côte until the line about 8 kms. It still means at least 5 km flat after the descent, so it should make for an exciting finale.

It says the top is at 187 k, the stage is 201.5 k, so that makes it 14.5 k from the finish... which is quite long.

 

[smoger]

ASO obviously wants to give a classics' taste to the race and makes it open for wider field.
I'm afraid they'll fail.

 

[veji11]

ASO obviously wants to give a classics' taste to the race and makes it open for wider field.
I'm afraid they'll fail.

The problem is that this route would be very interesting with teams fielding just 6 riders... than it would be a lot harder to organise anything in terms of chase etc... but with teams of 8, such a route might not be selective enough. Still it is something very different from other years, so why not.

 

[RedheadDane]

The problem is that this route would be very interesting with teams fielding just 6 riders... than it would be a lot harder to organise anything in terms of chase etc... but with teams of 8, such a route might not be selective enough. Still it is something very different from other years, so why not.

So, Someone just has to make sure that two riders on each time is forced to abandon early in stage 1/ won't even be able to start...

I did not just write that.

 

[smoger]

The problem is that this route would be very interesting with teams fielding just 6 riders... than it would be a lot harder to organise anything in terms of chase etc... but with teams of 8, such a route might not be selective enough. Still it is something very different from other years, so why not.

Why not, off course. I'd love to see a stage race made of 7-8 classics, it would be unforgettable. But the problem is that riders aren't used to that kind of opportunities and usually race according to standard stage race pattern Especially when there's a team willing and capable of controlling the race and protecting the leader, as you've mentioned.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The problem is that this route would be very interesting with teams fielding just 6 riders... than it would be a lot harder to organise anything in terms of chase etc... but with teams of 8, such a route might not be selective enough. Still it is something very different from other years, so why not.

6 riders, agree. Thats the target for such a stage race.
Would have liked to see 6 riders in Etoile de Bessèges as well.

 

[Marco Pantani]

Why not, off course. I'd love to see a stage race made of 7-8 classics, it would be unforgettable. But the problem is that riders aren't used to that kind of opportunities and usually race according to standard stage race pattern Especially when there's a team willing and capable of controlling the race and protecting the leader, as you've mentioned.

The classics are popular, because they are classics, i can't see such an idea working.

 

[veji11]

6 riders, agree. Thats the target for such a stage race.
Would have liked to see 6 riders in Etoile de Bessèges as well.

We have seen what a difference it makes in some races last year. from the top of my head the tour of Poland was a very nice race of movement thanks (partly) to that. And in France le tour de l'Ain is always a very lively race in part thanks to that.

To me it is clear that with the quality of the domestiques today ( a domestic is nowadays 90% as good as a leader, 15/20 years ago it was just 70% or something) + the very restrictive strategies adopted, the main way to weaken the bunch and the ability to organise un unstoppable chase, is to reduce number of riders.

Prudhomme, the Tour's director, said himself he would like to see a Tour with 8 riders per team.

Really to me such a route with teams of 6 would ensure movement, attacks, an exciting race. With teams of 8, teams like Argos for example can pull the bunch for Degenlkob on most of the stages.