2020 Tour de France route rumors

[sir fly]

What do you people think, how this design will reflect on the lesser jerseys' competition?

 

[Eyeballs Out]

What do you people think, how this design will reflect on the lesser jerseys' competition?

Well the Sagan jersey won't change much, polka dot probably depends more on what new contrived rules ASO decide this time and the white jersey will just be as pointless as it usually is

 

[Red Rick]

Were there any announcements on the bonus second gimmick on some important climbs?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

La Course back to a crit up and down the Champs Elysées, this is the cherry on top of ASO's treatment of the women in 2019.

 

[masking_agent]

I don't see how this can be an "anti Ineos" tour route as I"ve read on other sites. Ineos are still going to win. Kudos to the ASO for trying. Brailsford is going to have his hands full with his line up.

 

[Red Rick]

I don't see how this can be an "anti Ineos" tour route as I"ve read on other sites. Ineos are still going to win. Kudos to the ASO for trying. Brailsford is going to have his hands full with his line up.

Ineos
Finally loses advantage in ITT and TTT

ASO: look at this Tour with nothing but an MTT

 

[sir fly]

La Course back to a crit up and down the Champs Elysées, this is the cherry on top of ASO's treatment of the women in 2019.

They're saving them of physical strain and hard manual labour. Gentlemen's manners.
If the women want to be treated like miners and work full hours, they can always head to those machist Italians.

 

[Leinster]

32km are too much nowadays. Since 2010 they have not had an action on HC climb 30km+ before finish (stage to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne stage with Madelaine).

It’s not 32 flat kms, though, it’s 32 kms with an uncategorized col in the middle. I think there’ll be action on the Glieres, but it won’t just be a case of Ineos/Jumbo rolling the train to catch the escapees on the run-in.

 

[bajbar]

So, from my point of view, the most importants/decisive stages for GC (in order of stages):

*** Loudenvielle, Grand Colombier, Meribel, Glieres stage, PDBF ITT
** Orciers-Merlette, Ile de Re (if the wind blows), Puy Mary, Villard-de-Lans
* Nice stage 2, Mont Aigual, Laruns

The rest of the stages are most likely to end either in a mass sprint or a breakaway win without anything much happening behind (some aformentioned stages will most likely end with a breakaway win aswell, but there is a chance of action in the main group).

 

[Armchair cyclist]

What i like:

• everybody will be dropping dodo on the Turini descent so i expect a lot of crashes the stage before

You like the prospect of a lot of crashes?

 

[Pantani_lives]

It's a Tour with a lot of middle mountains, including some tough ones. I think stage 6 to Mont Aiguoal and stage 13 to Puy Mary are good chances to attack for aggressive riders, because there isn't much chance to organize a pursuit and control the race in the final 20 km.

The Pyrenees look underwhelming, they might just go to the breakaways. Tough middle mountains and not many high mountains should suit Alaphilippe. However there is one stage that should be too hard for him: the queen stage to Col de la Loze. Coming after the Madeleine that's a tough climb that should cause serious gaps. The other two Alpine stages aren't that hard, but of course that time trial after three weeks can cause big gaps, Stage 6, 13, 17 and 20 seem the most important to me, but there are several others - even stage 2 - that can bring riders into trouble or inspire others to attack.

All in all I look forward to this race, although I miss a big stage in the Pyrenees. They clearly want to avoid one or two strong teams controlling the race and give a chance to riders who are good in the middle moutains and take initiative. Apart from Alaphilippe I think the first two weeks should also suit Roglic and Simon Yates. However the tough third week will be decisive and can see riders tumbling down and others coming up.

8/10

 

[Red Rick]

Alaphilippe got 2 minutes from an ITT and from hilly stages where he got some leeway this year. He won't get that leeway again, and Alaphilippe broke in the end cause the cumulation of fatigue and mountain stages. Guess what, much more mountain stages and some much harder climbs next year. The ITT is also at the very end of the race.

Pinot has a shot if he brings 100% of Pinot to Paris.

 

[tobydawq]

Alaphilippe got 2 minutes from an ITT and from hilly stages where he got some leeway this year. He won't get that leeway again, and Alaphilippe broke in the end cause the cumulation of fatigue and mountain stages. Guess what, much more mountain stages and some much harder climbs next year. The ITT is also at the very end of the race.

Pinot has a shot if he brings 100% of Pinot to Paris.

Okay, on the Épernay stage, they might have been able to reel him in if they had realised what they were up against but certainly not in Saint-Étienne.

But he doesn't seem too keen on trying for GC again.

 

[Red Rick]

Okay, on the Épernay stage, they might have been able to reel him in if they had realised what they were up against but certainly not in Saint-Étienne.

But he doesn't seem too keen on trying for GC again.

Tourmalet was the only high mountain stage where he climbed good enough to win the Tour, and it was not ridden with the goal to drop him.

Maybe they'd wait till the Alps in the 3rd week, but they'd break him easily nevertheless.

 

[movingtarget]

Tourmalet was the only high mountain stage where he climbed good enough to win the Tour, and it was not ridden with the goal to drop him.

Maybe they'd wait till the Alps in the 3rd week, but they'd break him easily nevertheless.

Yet to be seen whether he makes a full transition to GC riding. It's doubtful re his success with one day racing but they are one day races that GC riders often do well in. He is still young but most people expected him to fold in the final week of the Tour. Valverde is one of the exceptions in recent times along with Nibali who can be strong in both and successful. His TT result in the Tour was the big surprise for me. Something that Bardet would kill for.

 

[Tonton]

...jut found out, an article in Le Parisien with a Prudhomme interview : the first 13K of Madeleine climb will go through a never used before at the TdF road via Montgellafrey that none other than The Badger suggested. According to the article, it's narrow, steep, Pyrenees-like.

 

[Red Rick]

Yet to be seen whether he makes a full transition to GC riding. It's doubtful re his success with one day racing but they are one day races that GC riders often do well in. He is still young but most people expected him to fold in the final week of the Tour. Valverde is one of the exceptions in recent times along with Nibali who can be strong in both and successful. His TT result in the Tour was the big surprise for me. Something that Bardet would kill for.

Difference is Valverde and Nibali were also a GC riders.

Alaphilippe isn't really the type to make some late transition to GTs.

 

[tobydawq]

Difference is Valverde and Nibali were also a GC riders.

Alaphilippe isn't really the type to make some late transition to GTs.

How can you be the judge of that?

He climbs well on his day, he has a brilliant TT. He lacks recovery but why should that be impossible for him to acquire?

 

[ice&fire]

Difference is Valverde and Nibali were also a GC riders.

Alaphilippe isn't really the type to make some late transition to GTs.

Jalabert says hello

 

[Red Rick]

Jalabert says hello

A different time.

A different chouchou

 

[Red Rick]

How can you be the judge of that?

He climbs well on his day, he has a brilliant TT. He lacks recovery but why should that be impossible for him to acquire?

Cause his main quality are the more anaerobic efforts, and because even when 'climbing well on his day' he still got dropped every day.

And he's not a typical TT'er turned GTer who will take minutes out of the climbers on any ITT nor is he the big aerobic engine that limits his losses when he's dropped.

 

[Tonton]

How can you be the judge of that?

He climbs well on his day, he has a brilliant TT. He lacks recovery but why should that be impossible for him to acquire?

If he has been compared to and nicknamed Balaphilippe or Jalaphilippe, then Alaphilippe should have some GC potential. To me, just a matter of training and objectives.

In '20, Alaphilippe's goal could be stages and green, which with the polka that he already got puts him in a very select group of riders.

 

[Koronin]

The thing with Alaphilippe is that in some ways he does remind us of a young Valverde. However, Valverde had a GT podium at 23 years old. He had also won stage races before he was 25. Alaphillippe will have to transform himself from a one day racers and stage hunter to a true GC rider which he really hasn't shown he can do in many races. There appear to be 2 things he lacks to be a GC rider. He doesn't have very good recovery abilities and he has yet to prove he can climb with the top GC riders consistently. He would need to work on those two things to become a GC rider and he would have to get up stage hunting.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I think that I have a serious problem.

October has become my favourite month of the year.

Parcours > Peloton

 

[gregrowlerson]

Difference is Valverde and Nibali were also a GC riders.

Alaphilippe isn't really the type to make some late transition to GTs.

I am still waiting for Kwiatkowski to make the transition.

As the fifth man in line, he steps up to retain the yellow jersey for Ineos after Bernal, Carapaz, Froome and Thomas crash out in week one.

Michal: Making the Colombier Grand again.

This is my ultimate cycling news forum dream.