2015 Tour starts with 13km TT

[mr. tibbs]

Froome will be in Yellow all TDF you heard it here first. Tony wont turn up we all know Froome is the 2nd best ITT rider on form.

I think you are the most singularly devoted fan on this forum. Keep up the excellent work.

 

[Red Rick]

So true. Eurosport should show this during the Alpe stage:

What a dumb graph, it only shows the lenght of the climb, I't would be okay if it were the altitude difference.

 

[Bavarianrider]

i would agree to alpe d'huez return only if the rumours are true and it be a time trial.

time for pantani's record to fall

There will never be a MTT in the tour again. At least not on a big and famous climb. The 2004 Alpe TT still scares them way too much. Noone in the organization is interested in that scale of escalation. Such a TT simply draws too many people. It's not handable any more.

 

[Mountain Goat Cyclist]

I like a chrono of between 7km and 15km to unsettle GC a bit at the start of a GT. Mix it up. A little, but not too much.

Absolutely! Gives us a great idea of where everyone is at in terms of their form. And it gives plenty of TT riders the chance to wear a yellow jersey again after we've had sprinter's stages the last couple of years. Good to change it up.

 

[Energy Starr]

It is still 19 months away. The competition can get better. Don't rule out Phinney on this distance, although parcours is not too technical.

I fear Phinney's career is in jeopardy. No, I don't have inside knowledge and no, I don't wish it... but that was one heck of an injury, especially for a cyclist. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Walkman]

There will never be a MTT in the tour again. At least not on a big and famous climb. The 2004 Alpe TT still scares them way too much. Noone in the organization is interested in that scale of escalation. Such a TT simply draws too many people. It's not handable any more.

There were too many people for the organizers to handle? Do you have a number?

 

[Dr. Juice]

There will never be a MTT in the tour again. At least not on a big and famous climb. The 2004 Alpe TT still scares them way too much. Noone in the organization is interested in that scale of escalation. Such a TT simply draws too many people. It's not handable any more.

What about a TT Samoens - Morzine ? Joux Plane, one of the hardest climbs in France, change in gradient every 100 m , then a very technical descent into Morzine. That would be phenomenal.

 

[Red Rick]

Belgian commentators were talking yesterday about a finish on Mur de Bretagne, an up and down tt in Bretagne as two stages in the first week.

 

[roundabout]

During a brief visit to Sydney this week Christian Prudhomme hinted that the first week of next year's Tour de France will be an almost entirely flat affair with just two stages offering points toward the mountains classification.

That doesn't sound exactly reassuring

 

[Bavarianrider]

There were too many people for the organizers to handle? Do you have a number?

They say close to one million, which i think is too much but it was crazy nevertheless. I was there and i have to say it was pure carnage, totally crazy. Don't think the organizer want to go through that hell again. The good it looks on TV but organizing and controlling it is a nightmare that costs you a few years of your life i guess

 

[kingjr]

That doesn't sound exactly reassuring

I think it sounds awesome.

 

[ILovecycling]

They say close to one million, which i think is too much but it was crazy nevertheless. I was there and i have to say it was pure carnage, totally crazy. Don't think the organizer want to go through that hell again. The good it looks on TV but organizing and controlling it is a nightmare that costs you a few years of your life i guess

How many people were at Zoncolan in 2010 iirc? (I thought that was one of the biggest attendence in ccling)

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Apart from cobbles (won't be repeated so soon) and wind (obviously unreliable) are there any difficulties with which they can present the riders on the trek from Nord to Normandy to Brittany?

Because if not, it will be a dull enough first week.

Crashed. Lots and lots of crashes.

 

[rghysens]

That doesn't sound exactly reassuring

Well, there weren't any mountain points on offer during the 5th stage of this years Tour either. Or during stage 13 of last years Tour.

 

[rghysens]

Crashed. Lots and lots of crashes.

According to some rumours (and hotel reservations) the 3rd stage will go from Antwerp to the Ardennes. There are some hilly regions in Normandy and Brittany.

 

[Netserk]

http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie/2014/09/17/le-tour-de-france-revient-en-2015

So two stage starts and one finish in Maurienne, Savoie. Judged by the last line, I guess there will be a rest day there too?

 

[Red Rick]

To quote Ivan Basso (iirc):

"The Giro climb are twice as steep but the Tour climbs are raced twice as fast".

Cause going 20k/h is easier on a 7% slope than on a 15% one

 

[veji11]

Cause going 20k/h is easier on a 7% slope than on a 15% one

That was clever.. Of course, but what Basso meant is that even when the slope doesn't look that hard, a climb can be devastating if it goes full speed. There is no need for a Zoncolan to lose 2mns on a bad day, you could very well lose those at La Toussuire if you have a Sky-rocket type of cycling where it goes full speed from the bottome TTT style.

 

[veji11]

http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie/2014/09/17/le-tour-de-france-revient-en-2015

So two stage starts and one finish in Maurienne, Savoie. Judged by the last line, I guess there will be a rest day there too?

We could get a nice descent finish in St Jean de Maurienne after a nasty new addition, le col de Chaussy

EDIT : that profile doesn't take into account that the top bit was covered in 2010/2011 I think.

It could be a stage coming from Gap so one could see le col de Manse, Noyer, Ornon, Glandon and Chaussy to finish it off. a tricky nasty stage, offering something different to the usual MTF.

 

[McLovin]

Horquette de Madeleine?

 

[Kwibus]

When will the Tour Directors get serious about the importance of TT'ing and set TWO (2) LONG ITT-each of about 55k at minimum, instead of those "timid" tryouts?

2 long ones will probably kill the GC again, alllthough with a good Contador and Froome it could be cool, but its too likely to kill the GC nowadays.

I prefer 1 50+km TT before the mountains, together with a nice opening TT of 10to 20km, preferably 20. This will gove the TT specialist a huge time gain on the climbers before the mountians,mforcing them to attack from far out.

 

[Netserk]

It could be a stage coming from Gap so one could see le col de Manse, Noyer, Ornon, Glandon and Chaussy to finish it off. a tricky nasty stage, offering something different to the usual MTF.

With two stage starts and only one stage finish there (Maurienne, Savoie), I think it's a given that the stage with the finish in that arrondissement will also start in it, and that the next stage (possibly after a rest day) will start there and finish in another arrondissement.

 

[ILovecycling]

any news about bonette?
what other high altitude passos are rumoured?

 

[Netserk]

any news about bonette?
what other high altitude passos are rumoured?

I pray for Iseran

 

[Ryaguas]

2 long ones will probably kill the GC again, alllthough with a good Contador and Froome it could be cool, but its too likely to kill the GC nowadays.

I prefer 1 50+km TT before the mountains, together with a nice opening TT of 10to 20km, preferably 20. This will gove the TT specialist a huge time gain on the climbers before the mountians,mforcing them to attack from far out.

2 long ITTs would be great for Rigo, Kiwa, Ryder, Talansky, Froome and maybe Contador but will be too much for Quintana or Nibs... I dont think that Proudhomme would like to have only a 2 man battle when you can have 4 man battle.