• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

2023 Tour de France route rumors

Page 42 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
If the French had a time-trial monster there would be 222 km of TT.
"We are excited to announce a return to the traditions of the Tour with a lengthening of the true individual tests the French roads can offer as we seek the best champion who can conquer both the mountains and the flats."
This, imagine if they had Wout or Ganna, 2 long ITTs, one 60kms TTT and the return of classic, long tempogrinder climbs.
 
This, imagine if they had Wout or Ganna, 2 long ITTs, one 60kms TTT and the return of classic, long tempogrinder climbs.
I know a couple of guys that be overjoyed then......

Btw, what is the "classic, long tempogrinder climbs"? I think they are mostly using the same climbs they've always did in the Tour. Maybe the MTFs to the ski resorts in the Tarentaise valley is less frequently used, but else?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
It seems that there is some rule that every year, a GT needs to have a route with a stupid amount of TT km's and this year is the Tour. You can tell me about the best GC riders being all good time trialists but that's not a good argument because a GT winner should be very competent in TTs and with this route at least in theory the winner could be a terrible time-trialist that happens to be with great climbing legs.

And its not even the lack of TTs that annoy me, there is no proper queen stage, 8 flat stages is just too much and even the hilly stages often have the hills too far from the finish to have a big impact. A lot of the stages should also be longer than what they are.
 
Last edited:
Start is good, Pyrenees are meh (but expected after Basque start), nice to have Puy de Dome but otherwise everything between Pyrenees and Jura is a letdown.
I really do like the setting from stage 13-17, not a big fan of the Colombier stage but at least its right the first one and comes before Joux Plane, stage 15 looks promising, ITT after the rest day but before Loze is nice as well.
Vosgues final stage would've been better with an additional hard ascent of Grand Ballon but otherwise its still fine.
Lack of ITT kilometers in general is a massive joke, especially as 7 of the 22km are climbing so you have essentially 15km in total of flat ITT. Laughable.
 

Latest posts