2020 Tour de France route rumors

[Red Rick]

That doesn't look too steep until you realise the lateral axis is super stretched cause the stage is so short.

Those look some insane gradient in the penultimate descent and final climb.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Fair enough. My last worthy climb ridden was Rockfish Gap in Va, too fat for Wintergreen right now on 39X25: I would die.

There are plenty of paved cols that, I agree, should be used. Big time around St. Jean Pied de Port, for example...hence my "meh" response to Pic du Midi. Trucks get there once in a while, no one else. Loze was smart and multi-purpose.

EDIT: You don't need 3km at 25% to "WOW" and make a design great, nasty small roads exist, yes, but 7% is tough enough if you ride it hard. Stats are just that: stats.

I agree.
If we ever see Arnosteguy and/or Beillurti it's probably gonna be in the Vuelta, the finish could come after those climbs on Spanish soil.

 

[Tonton]

That doesn't look too steep until you realise the lateral axis is super stretched cause the stage is so short.

Those look some insane gradient in the penultimate descent and final climb.

Montee a Plan Bois

Col des Frettes

Yep, one kilometer at m/l 22% towards the end

 

[gavia88]

would be nice, but then no finish on les arces, but completely to the valley again to climb the petit saint bernard till la rosiere, like last years tour, super steep, followed by a more gentil climb. Start can stay in Moutiers in that case (the day before a grand cucheron, la madeleine, loze and the first part of the loze again only till meribel).

 

[guncha]

Hard to rate it seeing as most of the transitional stage routes and profiles aren't known.

Reconstructed stage profiles can be found here:

La Flamme Rouge - Information

 

[SafeBet]

To lump a few items discussed following ASO's attempt to feature new climbs in '20, paving dirt roads to create new climbs, I had a little time to kill this morning...so here we go.

This could be the brutal final 80 kilometers of a Tour stage...

Final and initial 80 km most likely.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Reconstructed stage profiles can be found here:

La Flamme Rouge - Information

I know. Too much guess work for my liking. Seems to me that he just jacked valjo98's work without crediting him/her, too.

We all have the same info. For most stages it's only the tiny profiles released by ASO which aren't always dead-on accurate, and even if so not clear enough for anything other than the high mountain stages and most medium mountain ones.

 

[Red Rick]

LMAO is Gap really an uphill sprint?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

LMAO is Gap really an uphill sprint?

No stage finish in Gap next year. The Gap - Privas stage finale could have been much harder, if that's what you mean.

 

[Red Rick]

No stage finish in Gap next year. The Gap - Privas stage finale could have been much harder, if that's what you mean.

That's the stage I meant.

Meanwhile I still can't read.

 

[geisterhome]

Been just watching the Tour 1999 and 2000 on Youtube, gotta say we are lucky with those modern routes. Watching the race from 1999, it feels like it was 50 years ago rather than 20. There we had a prolog, then like 6,7 absolutely flat stages, no doubt about it mass sprints. First long ITT. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Pyrenees. Like 3 (kind of) hilly stages, but the kind where no contender could try anything due to the flat finals, so again no doubt about how those would finish. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Alps, the 2nd with the last climb around 50km away from the finish. After that the 2nd long ITT. Finish in Paris. The only stage which was maybe a bit unpredictable was the 2nd Stages in the Alps, the rest was already predetermined. Baffles me that nobody could come up with a more exciting route back then, it's not THAT long ago right?

 

[Red Rick]

Been just watching the Tour 1999 and 2000 on Youtube, gotta say we are lucky with those modern routes. Watching the race from 1999, it feels like it was 50 years ago rather than 20. There we had a prolog, then like 6,7 absolutely flat stages, no doubt about it mass sprints. First long ITT. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Pyrenees. Like 3 (kind of) hilly stages, but the kind where no contender could try anything due to the flat finals, so again no doubt about how those would finish. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Alps, the 2nd with the last climb around 50km away from the finish. After that the 2nd long ITT. Finish in Paris. The only stage which was maybe a bit unpredictable was the 2nd Stages in the Alps, the rest was already predetermined. Baffles me that nobody could come up with a more exciting route back then, it's not THAT long ago right?

Social media wasn't as big back then and I don't think broadcasts were entire days were they?

 

[geisterhome]

Social media wasn't as big back then and I don't think broadcasts were entire days were they?

I remember watching broadcasts from before lunch to past 5 pm in 1999. Mountain stages were broadcasted from the start to finish back as well.

 

[sir fly]

I remember watching broadcasts from before lunch to past 5 pm in 1999. Mountain stages were broadcasted from the start to finish back as well.

I haven't had an opportunity to follow complete stages until the current decade.

 

[tobydawq]

I haven't had an opportunity to follow complete stages until the current decade.

But selected mountain stages have been transmitted in full length at least since late in the Armstrong era.

 

[geisterhome]

But selected mountain stages have been transmitted in full length at least since late in the Armstrong era.

I'm 100% certain that this started latest in 1999 (first year I followed the Tour closely). In fact, I stayed away from school one day to follow a stage, and got huge *** for it later lol. That's why I remember it pretty well.

 

[tobydawq]

I'm 100% certain that this started latest in 1999 (first year I followed the Tour closely). In fact, I stayed away from school one day to follow a stage, and got huge *** for it later lol. That's why I remember it pretty well.

School in July?

I'm just too young to specifically remember whether stages were in full back then, but I do know that Michael Rasmussen's raids were covered in full.

 

[rghysens]

I'm 100% certain that this started latest in 1999 (first year I followed the Tour closely). In fact, I stayed away from school one day to follow a stage, and got huge *** for it later lol. That's why I remember it pretty well.

I remember some completely broadcasted stages from the Indurain era. Back then it were only a few mountain stages, though.

 

[sir fly]

But selected mountain stages have been transmitted in full length at least since late in the Armstrong era.

Yes, that's what I've thought, but wasn't sure (and I'm still not).
I remember some selected lengthy coverages, but not all the way from the neutralized zone.
What I clearly remember is a gradual increase in the number of fully broadcast stages during this decade, culminating in 2017(?). with the whole race broadcast live.
I may be wrong, of course.

 

[roundabout]

Been just watching the Tour 1999 and 2000 on Youtube, gotta say we are lucky with those modern routes. Watching the race from 1999, it feels like it was 50 years ago rather than 20. There we had a prolog, then like 6,7 absolutely flat stages, no doubt about it mass sprints. First long ITT. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Pyrenees. Like 3 (kind of) hilly stages, but the kind where no contender could try anything due to the flat finals, so again no doubt about how those would finish. Then 2 high mountain stages in the Alps, the 2nd with the last climb around 50km away from the finish. After that the 2nd long ITT. Finish in Paris. The only stage which was maybe a bit unpredictable was the 2nd Stages in the Alps, the rest was already predetermined. Baffles me that nobody could come up with a more exciting route back then, it's not THAT long ago right?

Actually there was only 1 boring stage out of the 4 mountain stages.

The other 3 had GC action starting on the 2nd to last climb of the day.

And Armstrong certainly wasn't chaperoned nearly to the line like what's becoming a norm in these 'modern' times.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Actually there was only 1 boring stage out of the 4 mountain stages.

The other 3 had GC action starting on the 2nd to last climb of the day.

And Armstrong certainly wasn't chaperoned nearly to the line like what's becoming a norm in these 'modern' times.

The reasons why we saw more action on those mountain stages were:

A) they were harder stages
B) there were less high mountain stages

The problem with today's Tour routes is that almost all of the mountain stages are not quite true medium mountain stages, nor true high mountain stages; leading to the attempt to gain seconds rather than minutes. I would prefer a few proper queen stages, supported by hilly stages that might bring about Fuente De or Formigal possibilities.

 

[geisterhome]

School in July?

Yea, summerholidays sometimes start in very late July (29.,30...) around here.

Actually there was only 1 boring stage out of the 4 mountain stages.

The other 3 had GC action starting on the 2nd to last climb of the day.

And Armstrong certainly wasn't chaperoned nearly to the line like what's becoming a norm in these 'modern' times.

Yea, not saying they were boring. With so few stages for the climbers smth had to happen. All stages apart from those 3(4) were pretty predictable and boring though.

Also Armstong didnt have such strong team back then to control the race as he did later. He wasn't as dominant either just yet. I think it could have been an epic and open battle for victory if a Pantani or Ullrich in good shape would have been there.

 

[houtdffan]

Yea, summerholidays sometimes start in very late July (29.,30...) around here.



Yea, not saying they were boring. With so few stages for the climbers smth had to happen. All stages apart from those 3(4) were pretty predictable and boring though.

Also Armstong didnt have such strong team back then to control the race as he did later. He wasn't as dominant either just yet. I think it could have been an epic and open battle for victory if a Pantani or Ullrich in good shape would have been there.

Don't think Pantani had a chance in 1999 with that route. Far too many TT km and not enough climbing. Sestrieres and the Pyrenees MTF were not all that steep. Probably a better course for Ullrich

 

[Leinster]

I definitely remember watching almost full or almost full stages of the 92 and 93 Tours drinking a coke in the campsite bar in the south of France on summer holidays with family.

It may have been less than full and I was just overwhelmed with excitement to even be watching live instead of the 1/2 hour Channel 4 highlights.

 

[davebqvst]

But selected mountain stages have been transmitted in full length at least since late in the Armstrong era.

I remember as a kid looking forward to those summer weekends (late 90s/early 2000s) where the Tour would hit the mountains and the broadcast on German television would start at 10 or 11 in the morning. Not sure if they covered the entire stage in full but significant lengths of it.
Usually they'd have a lot of talk and analysis before the stage, I distinctly remember Rudi Altig explaining why Ullrich's lower cadence, pushing huge gears, would be advanatgeous on longer mountains and that Armstrong would stand no chance with his tiny gears. This might have been before the start of the Alpe d'Huez stage in 2001, lol.