2015 Tour de France Route

[sir fly]

when was the last time the tour had a MTT? thats the only way I want to see alpe d huez again

That would be a great move, but I doubt the ASO has the courage.
It's a new era, you know...

 

[the sceptic]

That would be a great move, but I doubt the ASO has the courage.
It's a new era, you know...

well they did give us cobbles last year so who knows..

pretty sick of alpe d huez in general though.

 

[sir fly]

well they did give us cobbles last year so who knows..

pretty sick of alpe d huez in general though.

Cobbles are O.K.... incomparable with the dark age.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Instead of a ttt, there's going to be a regular stage 5 according to the latest Velowire update.

This isn't news, like I said yesterday. Velowire is not always on top of things. Hard to believe, I know. ;-/


Livarot - Fougères (stage 7), the day before the Mûr-de-Bretagne stage, could be a "mini LBL." Probably just a breakaway / slightly reduced bunch sprint stage, I guess.

The first week is shaping up to be better than I'd anticipated. Stage 4 in particular. Cobbles near the finish. Could really spice up the GC battle, like it did this year. Dawg, Berto and Quintana won't be pleased, I'm guessing. Not to mention Frank Schleck.

Seems like ASO finally understand that cobbles bring in the ratings.

 

[rghysens]

Livarot - Fougères (stage 7), the day before the Mûr-de-Bretagne stage, could be a "mini LBL." Probably just a breakaway / slightly reduced bunch sprint stage, I guess.

The area around Fougères isn't particulary hilly, so probably just a flat stage.

The first week is shaping up to be better than I'd anticipated. Stage 4 in particular. Cobbles near the finish. Seems like ASO finally understand that cobbles bring in the ratings.

True. But it remains to be seen how much cobbled sectors they throw in the mix, and which ones. To have an impact on the race, at least 15km is needed, preferably without too much tarmac in between.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

The area around Fougères isn't particulary hilly, so probably just a flat stage.



True. But it remains to be seen how much cobbled sectors they throw in the mix, and which ones. To have an impact on the race, at least 15km is needed, preferably without too much tarmac in between.

I don't think this year's cobbled stage had 15 kms worth of pavé after the route changes. Also, the gaps were already significant when they had several sectors left to race.

Nor were the sectors that hard. This one may be softer still, but even if it's only half as hard, I think it will impact GC. The thought of cobbles alone is enough to cause panic in a Tour peloton.

But yes, let's hope that they don't make it too soft.

 

[Netserk]

Cobbles should be special and rare (in the Tour). Not in two back-to-back editions imo.

 

[Ruudz0r]

I don't think this year's cobbled stage had 15 kms worth of pavé after the route changes. Also, the gaps were already significant when they had several sectors left to race.

Nor were the sectors that hard. This one may be softer still, but even if it's only half as hard, I think it will impact GC. The thought of cobbles alone is enough to cause panic in a Tour peloton.

But yes, let's hope that they don't make it too soft.

The weather in the Cobble stage of this year also created extra chaos, crashes and gaps.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

The weather in the Cobble stage of this year also created extra chaos, crashes and gaps.

Yep. "Also" and "extra" being the operative words.

A dry cobbled stage will provide much of the same thing. See the previous TDF cobbled stage, also. It was as dry as it gets back then.

 

[sir fly]

This isn't news, like I said yesterday. Velowire is not always on top of things. Hard to believe, I know. ;-/


Livarot - Fougères (stage 7), the day before the Mûr-de-Bretagne stage, could be a "mini LBL." Probably just a breakaway / slightly reduced bunch sprint stage, I guess.

The first week is shaping up to be better than I'd anticipated. Stage 4 in particular. Cobbles near the finish. Could really spice up the GC battle, like it did this year. Dawg, Berto and Quintana won't be pleased, I'm guessing. Not to mention Frank Schleck.

Seems like ASO finally understand that cobbles bring in the ratings.

I expect more from the Ardennes stage (the one that will return the caravan to France) than from the announced cobbles. In 2015. the cobbles will be decoration rather than a factor, imo.
Plenty of promising stages before the high mountains. Belgium and Bretagne rarely disappoint.

 

[Netserk]

I expect more from the Ardennes stage (the one that will return the caravan to France) than from the announced cobbles. In 2015. the cobbles will be decoration rather than a factor, imo.
Plenty of promising stages before the high mountains. Belgium and Bretagne rarely disappoint.

That is the cobbles stage.

 

[BigMac]

So, I can't be bother to look through all the pages... are we expecting a good route?

 

[LaFlorecita]

The weather in the Cobble stage of this year also created extra chaos, crashes and gaps.

Yep, definitely.

Praying for a dry cobbled stage next year

 

[BigMac]

Yep, definitely.

Praying for a dry cobbled stage next year

Me too. For something different than last year I want dust and dirt and lots of heat. Add bigger crowds to that.

 

[sir fly]

That is the cobbles stage.

Is it?!
Then I expect a lot from it in its entirety. A classic inside a GT.

 

[McLovin]

Preudhomme said a few weeks ago that the first week is flat, so I don't know about Ardennes.

 

[DFA123]

Preudhomme said a few weeks ago that the first week is flat, so I don't know about Ardennes.

Ardennes is still fairly flat though in the context of a Grand Tour. It would probably be soft pedalled in the first week though - a bit like the first 250km of LBL

 

[ILovecycling]

Cobbles should be special and rare (in the Tour). Not in two back-to-back editions imo.

agree there.
otoh depends how much cobbles there will be next year...

 

[Lupetto]

Preudhomme said a few weeks ago that the first week is flat, so I don't know about Ardennes.

He said, that there are only two stages with mountain points available.

 

[McLovin]

He said, that there are only two stages with mountain points available.

Even worse. Maybe Huy and Mur de Bretagne.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Cobbles should be special and rare (in the Tour). Not in two back-to-back editions imo.

agreed.

10 characters

 

[sir fly]

Preudhomme said a few weeks ago that the first week is flat, so I don't know about Ardennes.

Reasonably long route from Seraing to Cambrai leads through the Ardennes.
The cobbles related to the stage could be at Namur citadel.
I think the difficulty of the stage will be hills and narrow twisty roads in the bordering woodlands rather than the cobbles.
Or they can go crazy, go north to the Flemish Ardennes and waste them since they're too far from the finish.

 

[Netserk]

I think it's more likely to be:

Tarbes -> Soulor -> Aubisque -> Marie-Blanque -> Pierre Saint-Martin
Pau -> Aspin -> Tourmalet -> Cauterets
Lannemezan -> Menté/Ares -> Aspet -> Core -> Latrape -> Agnès -> Lers -> Plateau de Beille

Okay now for the Alpes:

Digne-les-Bains -> Champs -> Cayolle -> Pra-Loup (my wish is that they instead go north out of Digne and climb Allos before Champs)
Gap -> Manse -> Ornon -> Glandon -> Chaussy -> Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne -> Croix de Fer -> Mollard -> Toussuire (stage would be less than 90km... Maybe a MTT directly to Toussuire instead)
Modane(or somewhere in that valley) -> Télégraphe -> Galibier -> Alpe d'Huez

So something like four short mountain stages (<150km)...

 

[roundabout]

That's 25 climbs of cat 2 and above by my count. There should probably be at least a couple more on stages in the Massif Central.

I think about 25 has been the limit the last few years.

 

[Netserk]

That's 25 climbs of cat 2 and above by my count. There should probably be at least a couple more on stages in the Massif Central.

I think about 25 has been the limit the last few years.

28 in 2013. The trend is to include more climbs. Besides if the rumours are true regarding towns, then it's difficult to imagine stages with a fewer number of climbs (Other than the PdB stage and the PSM stage).

EDIT: Alpe d'Huez confirmed.