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

[roundabout]

Une revanche est à prévoir du côté de Fayence où le peloton fera son retour en s'expliquant cette fois-ci sur un mur qui récompensera l'explosivité.

The JTL memorial stage is on!

 

[jens_attacks]

maybe he will even ride it. any update on his situation?
will he be blacklisted and will get to race in EPM with babyface?

 

[Parrulo]

In parlamento ciclista they are saying that this is very likely to be the profile of the fayence stage:

So this is arguably the queen stage.

With this course i doubt Contador, Froome and Nibali will show up to the race. Vino wants Nibali to race in france, but with no real mountains, no time trials and no long stages even him must be changing his mind right now.

Current startlist:
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Paris_nice_2014-Startlist

So who could be considered the Favourites:

Costa, Porte, Benat and Peraud? Highly doubt Betancurt will be fit by then considering we is like 6 or 7 kilos overweight right now, otherwise he would be the number one favourite on a route like this.

 

[staubsauger]

In parlamento ciclista they are saying that this is very likely to be the profile of the fayence stage:

So this is arguably the queen stage.

With this course i doubt Contador, Froome and Nibali will show up to the race. Vino wants Nibali to race in france, but with no real mountains, no time trials and no long stages even him must be changing his mind right now.

Current startlist:
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Paris_nice_2014-Startlist


So who could be considered the Favourites:

Costa, Porte, Benat and Peraud? Highly doubt Betancurt will be fit by then considering we is like 6 or 7 kilos overweight right now, otherwise he would be the number one favourite on a route like this.

If I was Lampre I would send Cunego here for sure!

If Voeckler is back in business already he's a candidate.

No Gilbert this year? Maybe time to rethink.

Jungles to have a free role? Might be a dark horse!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

In parlamento ciclista they are saying that this is very likely to be the profile of the fayence stage:

So this is arguably the queen stage.

With this course i doubt Contador, Froome and Nibali will show up to the race. Vino wants Nibali to race in france, but with no real mountains, no time trials and no long stages even him must be changing his mind right now.

Current startlist:
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Paris_nice_2014-Startlist

So who could be considered the Favourites:

Costa, Porte, Benat and Peraud? Highly doubt Betancurt will be fit by then considering we is like 6 or 7 kilos overweight right now, otherwise he would be the number one favourite on a route like this.

Why would Nibali be afraid to tackle such a route? I think he would be a very good bet to win it.

 

[Parrulo]

It's not a question of being afraid of the route. Tirreno has 3 stages over 200k with 2 of them around 230k, which is perfect for someone targeting MSR just a few days after PN/Tirreno and overall targeting the classics for the first part of the season.

 

[roundabout]

It's not a question of being afraid of the route. Tirreno has 3 stages over 200k with 2 of them around 230k, which is perfect for someone targeting MSR just a few days after PN/Tirreno and overall targeting the classics for the first part of the season.

not quite

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/TirrenoAdriatico/it/dettaglio_percorso.shtml

http://www.letour.fr/paris-nice/2014/us/overall-route.html

 

[Parrulo]

Weird i checked the course for TA on steephill but i must have checked the wrong year. And i didn't know the fayence stage would be that long . . . my bad then.

 

[Flamin]

I don't mind this classics kind of approach, although a stage like the one to Biot is a huge waste of course. Though it can't be much worse than the previous years in terms of obvious winners/race dynamics anyway, so why not...

 

[Afrank]

It's a very interesting route for PN I think. With no time trials or big MTF's they definitely are deviating from the norm of how stage races are structured. I don't find this necessarily a bad thing, but it means that the racing is going to depend very heavily (more so then usual) on how the riders decide to race it. If they decide to take an attacking approach and take advantage of the short steep climbs and other classic like parcours; then we could be in for a very good race.

I think it can be kinda cool when a race deviates from the norm now and then. And instead of giving us the classic TT and MTF route that a GC riders going to win on, gives us something that another type of rider can be successful in.

Hopefully the riders decide make use of the climbs they have and race the whole race like Sagan, Nibali, and Rodriguez raced the Porto Sant'Elpidio stage of TA last year.

 

[will10]

It's a very interesting route for PN I think. With no time trials or big MTF's they definitely are deviating from the norm of how stage races are structured. I don't find this necessarily a bad thing, but it means that the racing is going to depend very heavily (more so then usual) on how the riders decide to race it. If they decide to take an attacking approach and take advantage of the short steep climbs and other classic like parcours; then we could be in for a very good race.

I think it can be kinda cool when a race deviates from the norm now and then. And instead of giving us the classic TT and MTF route that a GC riders going to win on, gives us something that another type of rider can be successful in.

Hopefully the riders decide make use of the climbs they have and race the whole race like Sagan, Nibali, and Rodriguez raced the Porto Sant'Elpidio stage of TA last year.

I would hope some riders would look to take every opportunity they can and we'll see some great racing. A lot will depend on who ends up riding - I imagine a few of the top GT guys will now look to Tirreno.

 

[veji11]

The positive thing with such a course, is that for riders like Chavanel, Gallopin, Gasparotto, Slagter, Westra; Meersma or Geraint Thomas, it is one of the only chances they will ever have of winning one of the prestigious history laden WT stage races !

I mean look at the calender, sure some of this riders can win a TDU or a Tour of Beijing or Poland, but these are second tier WT stage races, without the prestige that Paris-Nice, Tirreno, Dauphié or Tour de Suisse can have.

This could really push some of those riders to try to be aggressive. I am sure that a guy like Chavanel will go all in on this type of route. If the weather proves a bit tricky as well, then all bets are off.

Really the only problem with this route are the teams of 8.

 

[will10]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/shared-cobble-sectors-revealed-for-paris-roubaix-and-tour-de-france

Am I reading this right? The first sector they hit in the Tour stage is Carrefour de l’Arbre?

Stand by for Passage de Gois style carnage.

 

[Netserk]

It's not the same as the badass one IIRC

edit: It's this one in the opposite direction. NOT the five star sector, but the two star sector.

 

[roundabout]

I am confused. Has anything changed since October to warrant it being news?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

It's not the same as the badass one IIRC

edit: It's this one in the opposite direction. NOT the five star sector, but the two star sector.

well, you just can't take the real deal in TdF imo. Still this will likely be the highlight in the tour for me.

Come on Boonen, its time for annihilation.

 

[Netserk]

I guess the only news is the P-R route. Not anything to do with the Tour route AFAIK.

 

[skidmark]

It's not the same as the badass one IIRC

edit: It's this one in the opposite direction. NOT the five star sector, but the two star sector.

Hmm, did they neuter Mons-en-Pevele and Wallers in a similar way? They've got to be using at least part of the same sectors, if in opposite directions, since the story said 'sectors used in both', but I guess they might just cut it off after it stops being (relatively) easy.

Gotta admit, when I read those 3 sections were in there I got excited...

 

[Netserk]

As for Mons-en-Pévèle:

10 - Mons-en-Pévèle

Length - 3,000m

First used in 1978. Overall the 3,000m rises from 53m at the start to 63m at the end. It begins with a 300m drop of two per cent down to the Ruisseau La Petite Marque at 47m. This is followed by 800m that rise 3m. A 90 degree right hand turn to the rue du Blocus introduces a 800m straight that falls 2m and leads to a difficult, muddy, 90-degree left hand turn to the ruelle Flamande. The final 1,100m of the ruelle Flamande and Chemin de Randonnée Pédèstre rise 16m to Mérignies.

Mons-en-Pévèle, (50.492°N 3.118°E
), is the 10th section of pavé before the finish. Its 3,000m are rated the hardest level of difficulty, five stars. It is in the municipality of Mons-en-Pévèle. It is one of the key sectors, one of the toughest and within 50 km of the finish. It has been used every year since 1978, 2001 excepted. In 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2003, only the first 1,100m were used.

In 2008, Stijn Devolder's attack on this sector was a contribution to the victory of Tom Boonen, his Quick Step team-mate.

Cobbles rated *****. Good condition for the first 1,100m, then deteriorating, followed by 1,100m on which mud runs down from fields.

 

[togo95]

Route of the 5th stage of Tour de Pologne has been unofficially announced. Seems quite good, it is one of the hardest possible routes in the area.

edit: last three climbs are 2 times 8.5 km with 5% average and finish after 10 km with 5% avg.

 

[BigMac]

Route of the 5th stage of Tour de Pologne has been unofficially announced. Seems quite good, it is one of the hardest possible routes in the area.

edit: last three climbs are 2 times 8.5 km with 5% average and finish after 10 km with 5% avg.

That stage looks nice! Thanks for sharing.

What is that mapping site, anyone knows?

 

[roundabout]

7 stages

5 to Slovakia

4 I guess would be a pseudo mountain stage to Zakopane

6 Bukowina Tatrzanska criterium

7 Krakow - road stage?

 

[togo95]

That stage looks nice! Thanks for sharing.

What is that mapping site, anyone knows?

It is bikemap I think

 

[Eshnar]

Giro del Trentino
‏@girodeltrentino
STAGE 2! S.Giacomo climb to debut at #Trentino14: a thrilling stage finish in Brentonico!

Up until San Giacomo ofc.

 

[Parrulo]

Strade Bianche's route for this year.

Is it different than usual route?