2015 Tour de France Route

[l.Harm]

Only way this can turn out to be good if the Paris stage turns out to be a 100 km ITT. Epic troll.

 

[sir fly]

Only way this can turn out to be good if the Paris stage turns out to be a 100 km ITT. Epic troll.

Split the stage in the old school "a" and "b". But the "b" being an itt... let them ride drunk of champaign!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Only way this can turn out to be good if the Paris stage turns out to be a 100 km ITT. Epic troll.

In which case it would be the best route ever!!

Seriously though, the Pyrenees aren't too bad. I really like that they've bought back the finish two-thirds up the Tourmalet; that stage not seen since '04, so well overdue, and although far from a queen stage (in fact there doesn't even look to be a queen stage ) usually produces interesting GC racing.

Why have the final two Alpine stages be so short??

Why not throw in a descent finish into Morzine, or Le Grand Bornand, or after Madeleine...heaps of good descent finishers in the Alps.

I like that they have an Alps stage finish on a category 2 though; something a little different.

Yes, and let's not mention the TT's...

 

[Eshnar]

I really like that they've bought back the finish two-thirds up the Tourmalet

Me no entiende

 

[sir fly]

Overall, more disappointments than excitements in the route.
Can't be expected from the first week to provide something it has never provided. It's an appetizer not the main course.

 

[MikeTichondrius]

In which case it would be the best route ever!!

Seriously though, the Pyrenees aren't too bad. I really like that they've bought back the finish two-thirds up the Tourmalet; that stage not seen since '04, so well overdue, and although far from a queen stage (in fact there doesn't even look to be a queen stage ) usually produces interesting GC racing.

Why have the final two Alpine stages be so short??

Why not throw in a descent finish into Morzine, or Le Grand Bornand, or after Madeleine...heaps of good descent finishers in the Alps.

I like that they have an Alps stage finish on a category 2 though; something a little different.

Yes, and let's not mention the TT's...

Uh...They're not finishing at La Mongie (2/3 Tourmalet as you call it) unless I'm very much mistaken. They're doing Aspin-Tourmalet and then flat to the final, easy climb to Cauterets.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Me no entiende

Sorry, maybe I've read the Tourmalet part/stage wrong? Do they go all the way up and over the Tourmalet and onto a descent finish? That would be very good actually, so long as there isn't much flat before the end.

 

[Eshnar]

Sorry, maybe I've read the Tourmalet part/stage wrong? Do they go all the way up and over the Tourmalet and onto a descent finish? That would be very good actually, so long as there isn't much flat before the end.

the finish is in Cauterets... they descend, have some flat, then some false flat to the town.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Yeah, La Mongie; forgot that was the name of that finish.

Is there much flat between Tourmalet and the short uphill to Cauterets?


Already answered. Thanks guys.

 

[OlavEH]

In which case it would be the best route ever!!

Seriously though, the Pyrenees aren't too bad. I really like that they've bought back the finish two-thirds up the Tourmalet; that stage not seen since '04, so well overdue, and although far from a queen stage (in fact there doesn't even look to be a queen stage ) usually produces interesting GC racing.

Why have the final two Alpine stages be so short??

How good the Pyrenees are depends on what climbs they use before St. Martin and Beille. If the stages are mainly flat, or with few serious difficulties, I will be really disappointed.

 

[Escarabajo]

They are trying to help the French riders, so in the process they help the Colombians!!!!

LOL.

 

[Eshnar]

Yeah, La Mongie; forgot that was the name of that finish.

Is there much flat between Tourmalet and the short uphill to Cauterets?


Already answered. Thanks guys.

something more than 10 kms, plus 10 kms of final climb.

edit: didn't see your edit. whatever.

 

[gregrowlerson]

something more than 10 kms, plus 10 kms of final climb.

edit: didn't see your edit. whatever.

A shallow but lengthy final climb then, like Aprica. That would be a good stage me thinks.

Thanks for the info.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

It looks quite hard actually with all those MTFs. Some people are speculating ASO made it extra hard so people would think twice about riding Giro-Tour

Yeah, the four stages in the Alps are very hard, seeing as there's no rest day in between. And non of them are Vuelta type stages.

Those who think this is a soft route need their heads examined.

 

[fauniera]

Why have the final two Alpine stages be so short??

Seems to be the new trend. Was the same in 2014. A look at the last mountain stage of the last few years:

2014 - 145 km
2013 - 125 km
2012 - 144 km
2011 - 109 km

 

[MikeTichondrius]

A shallow but lengthy final climb then, like Aprica. That would be a good stage me thinks.

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I know I'll burn at the stake for saying this but Tourmalet-Cauterets did remind me of the classic Mortirolo-Aprica combo we also have in next year's Giro.

 

[Race Radio]

Supposedly this is the final route.

 

[Race Radio]

 

[Netserk]

It's a great route for Alberto. Would have been better if it included a mountainous ITT as well.

 

[Miburo]

As a contador fan this route is amazing for me.

No long ITT, many short hill finishes (huy, bretagne and mende) where Contador has proven to be very good on. The only ones who could challenge are piti and purito and they're not a threat.

Then you've the TTT, with Contador's team he might be even the favorite for it.

As a cycling fan the TTT after 8 days is disgusting, it's not that long luckely but still, 28 km too long. That's terrible, no real ITT is also terrible.

I wanna wait to see the profiles to really judge the mountain stages.

 

[Race Radio]

Looks like they will hit the Tourmelet prior to Cauterets and not much in the way of climbs before le pierre st martin

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

lol only 14km ITT? That's got to be a joke. I'm seriously not believing that until they announce it officialy. It's just too stupid. There's no sound reasoning for it either.

Do they want to make it easy for Alberto's double? In that case they should've made some more unipublic MTF's, rather than cut the ITT.

Do they want to get French riders like Pinot, Bardet or Rolland on the podium? But they can't be stupid enough to think that those guys are going to outclimb Contador, Froome, Quintana or Nibali. TT or not, they're not ending on the podium unless some better riders crash out again. If they want to favour climbers, why not design tough and good mountain stages rather than mutilate the parcours by taking away the TT km's?

I can't bring myself to believe that ASO would actually be mentally impaired to this extent.....

 

[veji11]

No real ITT would be a major shocker.. I can understand that in nowadays cycling where making differences is so hard when racing an in line stage, 100ks of ITT would be too much. But man 50ks seem to be the minimum don't they ?

 

[Red Rick]

This route would be a huge ****ing disgrace to the sport. There you have it people, La Vuelta a Francia, and a crappy one too

 

[DFA123]

This route would be a huge ****ing disgrace to the sport. There you have it people, La Vuelta a Francia, and a crappy one too

Have to agree, the route based on that map looks awful. I was holding out hope that they would have at least one really hard mountain stage - like do Port de Bales, Portillon and Mente early on the stage to Plateau de Beille - but it doesn't even look like there will be that.

It could be worse than the Vuelta. At least the time bonuses in the Vuelta add a tactical element to the GC battle in the mountains.