2016 Worlds Course announced

[MatParker117]

The time trial events are based around Katara to Doha?s north. The elite men?s and women?s, and Under 23?s road races will cover 80km through the sand-swept countryside west and north of Doha before returning to the capital city to race on a 19km circuit.

?The parcours will include an 80km circuit in the windy countryside to include space for the strong elite teams to create echelons,? explained John Lelangue, Director of Sport Operations for the national cycling federation.

?The 19km circuit will run north of Doha through Katara, over nice cobbles, nothing like Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders, then continue on The Pearl. It?s on the seaside, always exposed to the wind and guaranteed to create a hard course for classics riders and sprinters.?


Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...ampionships-course-156495#HfjjFTUmG8CtvfBU.99

Hard to say who could win this as it depends a lot on the conditions. But I'm sure Mr Kittel will look great in Rainbows.

 

[Netserk]

Kristoff, Degenkolb, Boonen, Sagan, Demare etc.

I'm doubtful whether or not Cav and Greipel will be in contention. Kittel certainly won't.

EDIT: Forgot the temperature -.-' I guess ~35 degrees will mess with some of them. Should suit Boonen though

 

[Yingge]

20 months down the road yet - who knows who will even be there, let alone their form. A sprinters picnic, unless of course strong crosswinds split things open in a big way.

 

[nhowson]

I thought they were building a hilly course like Moscow 1980?

 

[Wallenquist]

I thought they were building a hilly course like Moscow 1980?

That was the first plan but failed.


Windy 80km circuit at the beginning of the race might be interesting. But it's hard to believe that it will be decisive. My bet is Kittel. It might be his once in a lifetime chance to win the Worlds and I'm sure he will do everything he can to win it.

Oh and let's not forget it will be in October so expect strong lineup in Tour de l'Eurometropole.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I thought they were building a hilly course like Moscow 1980?

Moscow at least has the fact that there is a hill there in Krylatskoye that they could use, just building the track to go up, down and around that hill several times. In Qatar they'd need to build the hill THEN build the circuit.

That was the first plan but failed.


Windy 80km circuit at the beginning of the race might be interesting. But it's hard to believe that it will be decisive. My bet is Kittel. It might be his once in a lifetime chance to win the Worlds and I'm sure he will do everything he can to win it.

Oh and let's not forget it will be in October so expect strong lineup in Tour de l'Eurometropole.

If the Worlds is of any reasonable length for a World Championships, the 80km circuit at the start is likely to be irrelevant, just as at Valkenburg when they were led on to the hilly circuit after 100km by Mark Cavendish.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Kristoff wil win obviously, if he's not too bothered by the heat. No way Kittel wins after ~250km of racing.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Hard to find a worse place to have a worlds event.

Kittel will take it easily.

 

[Netserk]

Hard to find a worse place to have a worlds event.

Kittel will take it easily.

Copenhagen... Qatar is much, much, much better.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nah, they are both dreadful, but Copenhagen will beat the deserted desert easily.

 

[pastronef]

Sunday October 9, 2016 TTT
Sunday October 16, 2016 road race

Lombardia 2016 on Sunday Oct 2nd?

Paris Tours on Sunday Oct 23rd? or overlapping the TTT on Oct 9th?

 

[the asian]

Nah, they are both dreadful, but Copenhagen will beat the deserted desert easily.

Mark my words.

You will be surprised come 2016.

Wind and Heat will wreak some havoc.

It will be a race for the hard classics men, not for the sprinters.

 

[sir fly]

The only certain thing is that it's one for the fast men.

 

[Dr. Juice]

If it's hot (almost sure) and windy...it will be for fast and resistent men. Guys who are able to be fast AFTER 250 + km , many of them raced at full speed.

Freire was that type of rider. Now it's Kristoff.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Copenhagen... Qatar is much, much, much better.

At least there are fans in Copenhagen, even if they were "treated" to an absolutely abysmal spectacle. In that sense it goes in the file with Zolder.

 

[Netserk]

At least there are fans in Copenhagen, even if they were "treated" to an absolutely abysmal spectacle. In that sense it goes in the file with Zolder.

Yeah, we were quite a lot there and the atmosphere was really good, but the racing/route was horrible. Qatar at least has the temperature and wind, Copenhagen had nothing (not even real distance giving the 'difficulty' of the route [Only that and Zolder took less than six hours of the editions in this century]).

 

[nhowson]

While it will be a hard race for resistant sprinters, there will still be barely any gaps. Really weak decision to host it in Qatar, and now my feelings are vindicated as Libertine says, when the course goes in the file with Zolder and Copenhagen. Kittel still won't win, because it's too long, too hot and the peloton will actually drive the pace. Plus the German leadout won't be as good as the Giant lead out.

Obviously this is if the race was held tomorrow, but it's 20 months away, even D?mare could be favourite by then.

 

[Krebs cycle]

Mark my words.

You will be surprised come 2016.

Wind and Heat will wreak some havoc.

It will be a race for the hard classics men, not for the sprinters.

^^^This.

I live here in Qatar. The heat will weaken everyone, some more than others, but the crosswinds could be decisive. I live in The Pearl which has some narrow roads with sharp changes of direction and is exposed to the wind. If they pass through this area on the final closing circuit, then as long as the parcours take in some of these narrow sections, there will be plenty of opportunity for a smaller group of strong men to get away and it be very difficult for the peleton to re-organise and catch them in time. So what we'll see is exactly the same sort of tactics that are used in the cobbled classics ie: ramping up the pace and a lot of positioning argy bargy leading into either narrow sections with crosswinds or the sections with cobbles (Katara has cobbles and maybe some other spots will also). My pick also is for the classics strong men. A pure sprinter like Kittel will not win this race.

I don't believe you need hills to make a race exciting, but the worst thing about holding the WCs here is the lack of cycling culture, probable lack of spectators, and lack of atmosphere, especially out in the post-apocalyptic desert sections. That being said though, I'm all for the globalisation of cycling as a sport and I sincerely hope that in future there are more big events in emerging, but non-traditional cycling regions such as Asia and South America.

 

[Krebs cycle]

......however, there is one final, very rare, element that could turn this race into something bizarre and totally unpredictable...... a sandstorm. Sh!t will get brutal if the gods decide to vent their anger at cycling for a day.

 

[Netserk]

^^^This.

I live here in Qatar. The heat will weaken everyone, some more than others, but the crosswinds could be decisive. I live in The Pearl which has some narrow roads with sharp changes of direction and is exposed to the wind. If they pass through this area on the final closing circuit, then as long as the parcours take in some of these narrow sections, there will be plenty of opportunity for a smaller group of strong men to get away and it be very difficult for the peleton to re-organise and catch them in time. So what we'll see is exactly the same sort of tactics that are used in the cobbled classics ie: ramping up the pace and a lot of positioning argy bargy leading into either narrow sections with crosswinds or the sections with cobbles (Katara has cobbles and maybe some other spots will also). My pick also is for the classics strong men. A pure sprinter like Kittel will not win this race.

I don't believe you need hills to make a race exciting, but the worst thing about holding the WCs here is the lack of cycling culture, probable lack of spectators, and lack of atmosphere, especially out in the post-apocalyptic desert sections. That being said though, I'm all for the globalisation of cycling as a sport and I sincerely hope that in future there are more big events in emerging, but non-traditional cycling regions such as Asia and South America.

Judged by the map of the circuit, how exposed is it?

 

[Krebs cycle]

Judged by the map of the circuit, how exposed is it?

Winds tend to come from the north/north west so that entire section to the north where the hard right occurs going onto the island will be mostly exposed. The arching section towards the top right is the most exposed and has a single lane entry coming off a roundabout. So there will likely be crosshead from the left leading into that narrow entry followed by an immediate headwind then crosshead from the right all the way back to the hard left which will then be a fast tailwind to the finish. So that little section (ie: the change of direction furthest to the right on the picture), will be decisive because a proper chase will be hard to organise until they get back onto the larger main road.

Also there are roundabouts all through those arched sections which could disrupt peleton organisation, and there is a cobbled section around the southern part.

 

[Netserk]

Winds tend to come from the north/north west so that entire section to the north where the hard right occurs going onto the island will be mostly exposed. The arching section towards the top right is the most exposed and has a single lane entry coming off a roundabout. So there will likely be crosshead from the left leading into that narrow entry followed by an immediate headwind then crosshead from the right all the way back to the hard left which will then be a fast tailwind to the finish. So that little section (ie: the change of direction furthest to the right on the picture), will be decisive because a proper chase will be hard to organise until they get back onto the larger main road.

Also there are roundabouts all through those arched sections which could disrupt peleton organisation, and there is a cobbled section around the southern part.

Sounds good, thanks for the info.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Kristoff, Degenkolb, Boonen, Sagan, Demare etc.

I'm doubtful whether or not Cav and Greipel will be in contention. Kittel certainly won't.

EDIT: Forgot the temperature -.-' I guess ~35 degrees will mess with some of them. Should suit Boonen though

Boonen will be too old. So I'll bet on his younger clone. (Kristoff)

 

[coimbrawu]

......however, there is one final, very rare, element that could turn this race into something bizarre and totally unpredictable...... a sandstorm. Sh!t will get brutal if the gods decide to vent their anger at cycling for a day.

worse than this?
https://vine.co/v/OU6JwEBer2a

 

[lemon cheese cake]

worse than this?
https://vine.co/v/OU6JwEBer2a

Yikes. There would be a lot of red legs after all that stinging sand.