2020 Tour de France route rumors

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

a MTF on Puy Mary ?

Parcours - Tour de France 2020 : Profils p.149 - Page 73 - Le laboratoire à parcours - Le Gruppetto - Forum de Cyclisme

Parcours - Tour de France 2020 : Profils p.149 -

legruppetto.fr

a Meribel MTF seems highly likely as well, as per the latest info on Velowire

Looks like a route for Alaphilippe, so far.

 

[sensations]

a Meribel MTF seems highly likely as well, as per the latest info on Velowire

Looks like a route for Alaphilippe, so far.

Question is whether they'll be able to resist the Col de a Loze. Knowing ASO probably not as long as they can figure out the space question.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Question is whether they'll be able to resist the Col de a Loze. Knowing ASO probably not as long as they can figure out the space question.

would make a lot of sense as the Souvenir Henri Desgrange. No higher cols are likely, anyway. With Tourmalet probably the second highest col, IF there is indeed a second stage in the Pyrenees.

Let's hope the Méribel stage will be longer than the Tour de l'Avenir one, though...

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah ASO loves to use l'Avenir and the Dauphine to try out possible Tour stages.

They'll probably love that climb, and I wouldn't be actually surprised if the stage is like 70km or something.

 

[Escarabajo]

Yeah ASO loves to use l'Avenir and the Dauphine to try out possible Tour stages.

They'll probably love that climb, and I wouldn't be actually surprised if the stage is like 70km or something.

And I used to complain about the 100 km stages. Not anymore. I'll be happy with one of those with 3 cols.

 

[Red Rick]

And I used to complain about the 100 km stages. Not anymore. I'll be happy with one of those with 3 cols.

We don't stop complaining about 100km stages.

We just complain more about 70km ones

 

[rghysens]

OK, latest rumours:
Sisteron will have both a stage finish and start (3/4)
Finish in Orcières-Merlette on stage 4!!
Finish on Mont Aigoual (probably not by the col de la Lusette)
Penultimate stage will end on la Planche des Belles Filles, some suspect it will be an itt.

So we would have then:
Stage 1: Nice - Nice (flat/hilly)
Stage 2: Nice - Nice (mountainous)
Stage 3: Nice - Sisteron (flat or hilly)
Stage 4: Sisteron - Orcières-Merlette (medium mountains + mtf)
Stage 5: Gap - Privas (flat/hilly)
Stage 6: ?? - Mont Aigoual (Montevergine-style MTF)
Stage 7: Millau - near Toulouse (flat/ maybe some hills)
Stage 8: Cazères - Loudenvielle (Menté + Port de Balès + Peyresourde)
Stage 9: 2nd Pyrenean stage, likely mtf to Hautacam or Luz Ardiden
rest day
Stage 10: Ile d'Olèron - Ile de Ré (flat, crosswinds)
Stage 11: Chatelaillon-Plage - Poitiers (flat, crosswinds)
Stage 12: Chauvigny - Sarran (flat - hilly)
Stage 13: Chatel-Guyon - Pas de Peyrol (medium mountains + mtf)
Stage 14: Clermont-Ferrand - Lyon (flat-hilly)

The Alps are still one big question mark.

Stage 19: ??? - Champagnole
Stage 20: ?? - PdBF
Stage 21: Champs Elysées

 

[OlavEH]

Shite. Aigoual without Lusette must be one of the biggest wastes ever!

And let's for God's sake hope that there is no PdBD next year.

 

[tobydawq]

Shite. Aigoual without Lusette must be one of the biggest wastes ever!

And let's for God's sake hope that there is no PdBD next year.

Not even if they find a super super steep 30 percent cobbled ramp after the super steep 25 percent gravel ramp they found this year at the end of the very steep 20 percent regular ramp?

 

[Bolder]

I for one hope PDBF doesn't show up again next year. It was a cool gimmick but in hindsight that's what it was, a gimmick.

Now, if you said there would be a 100km gravel stage in the Lozere, with gravel bikes, I'm all for that...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Im also bored by Planche. If they use it, I hope they would scrap that ramp in the end of the climb.

 

[Kyllingen86]

This might be no surprise but it seems to me ASO is trying to make a route more or less tailor made for Alaphillippe.

Three medium mountain MTF's and an MTT on Planche? Combined with a possibility of crosswinds on several stages and lots of lumpy stages. Depending on how the high mountain stages pans out Alaphillippe might actually possess a chance.

Concerning the Pyreneers: I remember a rumour of a stage finish to Couraduque?

Are there no rumors of ITT's except for the one on Planche?

 

[Red Rick]

Did people just ignore the Alps this year?

If the route sucks that much they'll just frigging bury Alaphilippe as early as the Turini.

Not to mention I'm gonna drown kittens if the Tour truly makes a route like that and people tell me how the Tour is the biggest race in the world.

 

[tobydawq]

Im also bored by Planche. If they use it, I hope they would scrap that ramp in the end of the climb.

Or do what I suggested.

 

[Mayomaniac]

It would be hillarious if Bala becomes a contender on such a route and outperforms Ala.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

If ASO really wants Alaphilippe to contend for victory, then the alps should be a a short time trial with hills and technical descent.

Then some big mountains with very tricky downhills before the finish line.

It would not be a traditional Tour de France, but it would for sure be a great show! A course without long TTs and/or big mountain finishes would give a lot of riders the chance to contend for overall victory and it should turn into a lot of crazy racing.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

^ Agreed. It may not be TDF-worthy, but if the racing is likely better, who cares?

Are there no rumors of ITT's except for the one on Planche?

Nope - no rumors at all. It's very like the only ITT, seeing as ASO was actually pushing for it to be an ITT with the local government.

Did people just ignore the Alps this year?

If the route sucks that much they'll just frigging bury Alaphilippe as early as the Turini.

Alaphilippe wasted loads of energy in a couple stages, didn't sleep well due to the yellow target on his back, etc. I think he could be fine if Turini and Balès are the hardest climbs in the race.

And let's for God's sake hope that there is no PdBD next year.

Don't they have some kind of deal in place until 2023? Someone on Le Gruppetto mentioned something to that effect. Could be the department Haute-Saône , though, but I suppose the locals prefer a finish on that climb every. single. time.

I have no issue with an ITT that finishes on PdBF. In fact, I would welcome it. Problem is that they could make it very short. 19-21 kms if they start in Belfort. A long TT with more climbs than just the MTF could be epic by TDF standards.

 

[OlavEH]

Don't they have some kind of deal in place until 2023? Someone on Le Gruppetto mentioned something to that effect. Could be the department Haute-Saône , though, but I suppose the locals prefer a finish on that climb every. single. time.

I have no issue with an ITT that finishes on PdBF. In fact, I would welcome it. Problem is that they could make it very short. 19-21 kms if they start in Belfort. A long TT with more climbs than just the MTF could be epic by TDF standards.

5 years in row with finishes at Belle Filles? Jeez, hope that isn't true!

The Alps really have a potential for better stages. There are far more options here than in the Pyrenees, but they are rarely used.

 

[Red Rick]

Lol

Can't wait for the next 5 years of people complaining about me complaining about godawful Tour routes

 

[Red Rick]

^ Agreed. It may not be TDF-worthy, but if the racing is likely better, who cares?

Lot of people used to complain about a lot of Vuelta's being nothing but Murito's when it also had much more ITTage than the Tour.

 

[tobydawq]

Lot of people used to complain about a lot of Vuelta's being nothing but Murito's when it also had much more ITTage than the Tour.

That didn't provide good racing other than three minutes per day so there was a good reason for that.

 

[Red Rick]

That didn't provide good racing other than three minutes per day so there was a good reason for that.

Tell me which Vuelta only had 3 minutes per day of action

 

[tobydawq]

Tell me which Vuelta only had 3 minutes per day of action

I don't remember them because they only kept my attention for overall 63 minutes.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Red Rick and toby in rumour/design/actual route-thread. Never growing old of it. Not usually a pragmatic guy, but I reckon Im somewhere in between (that sounds a bit... nasty)

 

[houtdffan]

This might be no surprise but it seems to me ASO is trying to make a route more or less tailor made for Alaphillippe.

Three medium mountain MTF's and an MTT on Planche? Combined with a possibility of crosswinds on several stages and lots of lumpy stages. Depending on how the high mountain stages pans out Alaphillippe might actually possess a chance.

Concerning the Pyreneers: I remember a rumour of a stage finish to Couraduque?

Are there no rumors of ITT's except for the one on Planche?

given how Alap TTed this year, no TTs hurts him