2015 Tour de France Route

[jens_attacks]

chill Libertine, you have Tourmalet. from Campan. again.

 

[roundabout]

3 hill stages - Huy, mur de Bretagne, Mende?

No Manse on the way to Gap?

26 climbs of cat 2 and above. Let's count

PSM, Aspin, Tourmalet, Aspet, Core, Lers, PdB, Saint-Michel, Mende, Allos, Pra-Loup, Bayard, Glandon, Chaussy, Croix-de-Fer, Mollard, Toussuire, Telegraphe, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez

That's 20

Cauterets - 2nd cat in theory, but not listed as mountain prime on the profile

Leques - is 6km and 320 meters of climbing enough?

Morte - which category was it in the Dauphine this year?

Montvernier - very likely

If these 4 or indeed included, than the Massif Central stages would only have 2 other bigger climbs apart from Mende

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Each moutain stage taken individually is ok. Putting Beille after 200ks of passes or as a lonely MTF doesn't mean the race will see any earlier action, because the way Beille is set up, there's going to be some flat before anyway.

The real issue is that there lack a big long hard draining mountain stage in each of the big massifs. A GT needs a couple of 200ks mountain stage. I think next year's Giro route is really solide for example (although I rue the excess MTFs of course) but the Cervinia stage for example with its length will offer something different. or stage 9 as a medium moutain/Hilly stage which will be as hard as a Giro di Lombardia. Those longish stages are lacking in this Tour de France.

I'm still not sure what's so "solid" about next year's Giro route, other than the ITT and the (disappointing) Mortirolo stage. Those two stages could easily decide the whole race (podium). The rest of the stage finales aren't that hard and will be easy enough to control for a very strong team, IMO.

I posted about Giro stages 9 and 19 in other threads before. I don't know how you can maintain that stage 9 is as hard as Lombardia, (which isn't my idea of an exciting parcours, regardless) if you compare the two profiles and their scales and compare the steep kms and their position on the route in each. Nothing will likely happen before the final (3rd category) climb, IMO. GC-wise, at least.

The Cervina stage is long, sure, but the first 150 kms or so are (false) flat and the three climbs are relatively easy. The hardest one is "merely" an average 1st category climb. It isn't properly linked to the first non-false flat section of the shortened Cervinia valley climb, either, which is basically a 2nd category climb at relatively high altitude, "spiced up" with a false flat section in front, a false flat section in the middle, as well as - yet another one - at the end.

The super long flat run-in won't add that much to the stage.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

No Manse on the way to Gap?

Says who?

..

 

[roundabout]

Says who?

..

Brief quote from Preudhomme re Gap stage talks about sprinters as possible contenders.

Impossible with Manse

 

[BigMac]

Brief quote from Preudhomme re Gap stage talks about sprinters as possible contenders.

Impossible with Manse

Preudhomme doesn't know about cycling.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm still not sure what's so "solid" about next year's Giro route, other than the ITT and the (disappointing) Mortirolo stage. Those two stages could easily decide the whole race (podium). The rest of the stage finales aren't that hard and will be easy enough to control for a very strong team, IMO.

I posted about Giro stages 9 and 19 in other threads before. I don't know how you can maintain that stage 9 is as hard as Lombardia, (which isn't my idea of an exciting parcours, regardless) if you compare the two profiles and their scales and compare the steep kms and their position on the route in each. Nothing will likely happen before the final (3rd category) climb, IMO. GC-wise, at least.

The Cervina stage is long, sure, but the first 150 kms or so are (false) flat and the three climbs are relatively easy. The hardest one is "merely" an average 1st category climb. It isn't properly linked to the first non-false flat section of the shortened Cervinia valley climb, either, which is basically a 2nd category climb at relatively high altitude, "spiced up" with a false flat section in front, a false flat section in the middle, as well as - yet another one - at the end.

The super long flat run-in won't add that much to the stage.

The Cervinia stage just has two things it needs.

Col Tze Core

and

Champremier

You can ignore Saint-Barthélemy - nothing against it, but Tze Core-Champremier-Saint-Pantaléon-Cervinia is approx. 80 billion times better than what we have.

 

[roundabout]

Preudhomme doesn't know about cycling.

Okay, shouldn't he at least remember stages from 2011 and 2013?

Somehow that quote made me think of Sentinelle as the last climb, but the "nice straight" makes me think of the arrival from NE and Manse.

 

[GuyIncognito]

With a route like that, they should just rename it the Vuelta a Francia

 

[Netserk]

Brief quote from Preudhomme re Gap stage talks about sprinters as possible contenders.

Impossible with Manse

That was about the stage before to Valence. He mentioned Manse and Contador's attack in 2011 when he talked about Gap.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Brief quote from Preudhomme re Gap stage talks about sprinters as possible contenders.

Impossible with Manse

That was about the stage before to Valence. He mentioned Manse and Contador's attack in 2011 when he talked about Gap.

Just checked to be "sure." Manse is in according to media reports:

16e étape, le lundi 20 juillet 2015 : Bourg-de-Péage (Drôme) – Gap (201 km). Les coureurs arriveront par la route de Veynes puis se se dirigeront vers le col de Manse pour redescendre vers Pont-Sarrazin et arriver par l’avenue d’Embrun.

 

[roundabout]

That was about the stage before to Valence. He mentioned Manse and Contador's attack in 2011 when he talked about Gap.

Ah, ok. Should have read more than one quote

However sprinters who will be able to remain within shooting distance in the climbs of the day could also have their word to say. Especially because for the finish in Gap, one of the nicest straights awaits.

http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-16.html

 

[Netserk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo8vhpGsgpw

At 31:48 he starts talking about Manse and Contador.

 

[McLovin]

At least 2009 had the Le-Grand-Bornand stage.

What's wrong with the Bernards??

 

[Netserk]

What's wrong with the Bernards??

Wrong order. Should've been used like in 1963.

 

[McLovin]

Wrong order. Should've been used like in 1963.

Coming after Verbier it was alright. Maybe better with Tignes or Arc but it was still a decent mountain stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What's wrong with the Bernards??

PSB is really boring in a stage like that, as GSB, by far the better climb, sets up a strong break, then PSB is just a 5% grind all the way and the only entertainment except in the break comes from attrition.

Now, if they'd done Colle San Carlo before it, that could have been really interesting. Those gradients killing all the domestiques then climbing PSB after that mano a mano could have been interesting. However I do fear the strength of the 2009 Astana team and the awful race situation set up by the TTT and the appalling Pyrenean stages would have nullified it anyway.

 

[OlavEH]

The Cervinia stage just has two things it needs.

Col Tze Core

and

Champremier

You can ignore Saint-Barthélemy - nothing against it, but Tze Core-Champremier-Saint-Pantaléon-Cervinia is approx. 80 billion times better than what we have.

Where is Champremier? Trying to find it at the map, but can't really locate it.

 

[Miburo]

The route isnt good, yea of course but riders still make the race. Bad route doesn't necessarily mean bad tour.

Look at this year, good route but boring tour. Of course a good route would be a good start but yea

 

[jens_attacks]

c'mon, lance freakin armstrong attacked on petit bernard after he was dropped though. and the schlecks pretty much waited for him...good lord. it was a good stage that one after all, super views

imo europcar prepares something big for july, watch it. i think rolland will go for it

 

[jens_attacks]

The route isnt good, yea of course but riders still make the race. Bad route doesn't necessarily mean bad tour.

Look at this year, good route but boring tour. Of course a good route would be a good start but yea

of course. but with a good routeyou have chances for an epic race. with a very weak route not so much
2009 giro-very good race, the route was forgotten even if it was bad
2012 giro-most boring grand tour ever? and it had a nice route

 

[OlavEH]

of course. but with a good routeyou have chances for an epic race. with a very weak route not so much
2009 giro-very good race, the route was forgotten even if it was bad
2012 giro-most boring grand tour ever? and it had a nice route

Really? The 2012 Giro? That was one of the better GTs the last years.

The 2012 and 2008 Tour and the 2008 Giro are the most boring GTs in the last 6-7 years.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Where is Champremier? Trying to find it at the map, but can't really locate it.

Champremier is the pass slightly below the mountain village of Druges. The climb can be from Fénis (harder) or Saint-Marcel (easier).

Profile

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Really? The 2012 Giro? That was one of the better GTs the last years.

The 2012 and 2008 Tour and the 2008 Giro are the most boring GTs in the last 6-7 years.

The 2012 Giro was NOT one of the better GTs of the last years. Everybody stood around looking at each other and waiting for Purito to outsprint them in the last 800 metres, and raced so defensively that they nearly gave the race to Thomas de Gendt because he didn't crack like an egg when they were racing like cowards for two and a half weeks, then had the temerity to actually try to win the race on the penultimate day.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nah, Giro '12 was really low quality racing.