2023 Tour de France route rumors

[Ricco']

Regarding Puy de Dome, I thought it was too narrow to hold a stage due to the rail, but could it host a ITT?

My limited knowledge of the map of the area makes me think it would be difficult with limited roads to turn the supporting vehicules back.

Maybe have motorcycles following the riders who would then come down by the rail.

 

[Red Rick]

Yes please, but I feel like they have to include it relatively late in the Tour. I suppose they'll never finish the third week with a massif central stage but maybe a stage 15? One can hope.


Yes please again. Although, just because I think it makes for even better racing I'd love to see Bonbette - Lombarde - Sant Anna.

If I get to make a wish too, I'd love to see them properly use the Col de la Loze. The Tour has always had the huge issue that none of the high passes in France are quite hard enough to force a selection no matter what. The Galibier might be the closest to it but the descent both to the west and to the east is so long that usually everything comes back together after the climb. Now finally the Col de la Loze could be the Tours answer to the mighty passes of the Italian Alps and so far they have only used it as a mtf, where you could have used any other somewhat difficult climb instead. Something like Madeleine - Loze - Pralognan la Vanoise, as the finish, would be absolutely amazing.

They literally never used Madeleine properly.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Regarding Puy de Dome, I thought it was too narrow to hold a stage due to the rail, but could it host a ITT?

My limited knowledge of the map of the area makes me think it would be difficult with limited roads to turn the supporting vehicules back.

Maybe have motorcycles following the riders who would then come down by the rail.

Doing things in waves, with motorbikes only once they break off from the Col de Ceyssat road, like they did at Plan de Corones in the Giro, might be doable at a push... if Angelo Zomegnan was in charge. And probably if it was not the Tour de France, because the crowds attracted by the Tour compared to other races would just make it likely to be unmanageable without attempting to close off the entire area with security which is probably not reasonable as it's a national park.

As such, if there was that much desire and determination to use it, an MTT could be achievable at, say, the Tour de l'Avenir, and if we're really fortunate something like the Dauphiné; however, I don't think the value of any race short of Le Tour would make it worth the logistical headaches that it would be to organise.

 

[fbjim]

I think it'll be like 2020 (well hopefully not a copy) where they do a single, "taster" Pyrenees stage to start, and loop back around to it by the end.

Which would be three Alps-Pyrenees routes in a row but hey.

 

[fbjim]

also Puy de Dome is iconic and everything but Puy Mary worked well as the Massif Central MTF in 2020 so it's probably not really worth the bother to try to get a race to work on those narrow roads

 

[sir fly]

I think the heights are guaranteed.
It's been a while since Bonette featured, yet I think we'll wait another year and Tuscan Grand Depart with Nice finish to see Maritime monsters.

 

[OlavEH]

They literally never used Madeleine properly.

Still waiting for a Chaussy - Saint Francois Longchamp combo. Or Madeleine - Valmorel. Along with Iseran - Galibier in the same stage and a BIG Mercatour stage, that would be my main wishes for Alps stages next year.

 

[ice&fire]

Pls Col dizoard + col de vars + cime de la bonette

Add Isola 2000. Just because it'll be the 30th anniversary of that brutal stage.

 

[perico]

I just want a good big stage in the high Maritime Alpes. Bonnette or Moutiere

Bonnette to Isola 2000 would be insanely epic.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Still waiting for a Chaussy - Saint Francois Longchamp combo. Or Madeleine - Valmorel. Along with Iseran - Galibier in the same stage and a BIG Mercatour stage, that would be my main wishes for Alps stages next year.

Croix-de-Fer via Glandon - Chaussy - Madeleine SW - Col de la Loze - finish at Courchevel-La Tania.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm gonna ask the impossible.

Queen stage without HC MTF.

 

[OlavEH]

Croix-de-Fer via Glandon - Chaussy - Madeleine SW - Col de la Loze - finish at Courchevel-La Tania

That would be epic, but I don't ever think we'll see a stage like that. At best the last part of that incl Chaussy. More likely Madeleine - Loze and that finish at La Tania.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I think it'll be like 2020 (well hopefully not a copy) where they do a single, "taster" Pyrenees stage to start, and loop back around to it by the end.

Which would be three Alps-Pyrenees routes in a row but hey.

Bretagne is rumored, so they could also immediately head north along the Atlantic coast, once they cross the border on day 3.

Bordeaux on day 4 is likely, I think.

 

[OlavEH]

Bretagne is rumored, so they could also immediately head north along the Atlantic coast, once they cross the border on day 3.

Bordeaux on day 4 is likely, I think.

Shite, that is not good news. Was hoping that they would stay in the southern half of the country the entire Tour. Doing Pyrenees at the end of the first week. Massif Central and perhaps Ventoux the second week and Alps the last week.

 

[sir fly]

Shite, that is not good news. Was hoping that they would stay in the southern half of the country the entire Tour. Doing Pyrenees at the end of the first week. Massif Central and perhaps Ventoux the second week and Alps the last week.

Gonna be interesting to see which way they'll take.
I doubt Ventoux will be selected soon again. Last year was an overdose and the after-Dauphine challenge makes it fairly visible.

 

[Avoriaz]

Some really good suggestions here but I hope this crap doesn’t happen. They‘ll be right there at the start! Why swing back around when they could do something new and have the Pyrenees climbs very early in the race. Of course knowing the ASO all bets are off.

So long as they do it better than in 1992 where the Pyrenees were more or less simply ignored save for a few hills on the way to Pau.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Didn't they want to look how the gravel stage at this years Women's edition works out to potentially include something similar?

I just hope they don't water down the great Itzulia material just to make it "TdF compliant".
I reckon we'll see Andorra again, maybe (to the forums excitement) Arcalis?

As for the Alps, I wouldn't mind Loze already again, just please not as a boring /\/ stage again. More climbs and a descent finish would be cool.

 

[75Driver]

They literally never used Madeleine properly.

Care to elaborate? I’ve always thought a stage with the Madeleine in it was usually pretty good.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Shite, that is not good news. Was hoping that they would stay in the southern half of the country the entire Tour. Doing Pyrenees at the end of the first week. Massif Central and perhaps Ventoux the second week and Alps the last week.

I spoke too soon. No Brittany after all:

"Une chose semble acquise : le Tour 2023 ne fera pas un crochet par les routes bretonnes."

Que sait-on des prochaines éditions ?

Cap sur Bilbao ! Après Copenhague au Danemark et (sans doute) avant Florence en Italie, la 110e édition du Tour de France s‘élancera de la capitale du Pays basque l’an prochain.

www.letelegramme.fr

 

[OlavEH]

I spoke too soon. No Brittany after all:

"Une chose semble acquise : le Tour 2023 ne fera pas un crochet par les routes bretonnes."

Good. Then I hope they do a couple of flat stages and a ITT after Grand Depart and then head into the Pyrenees at the end of the first week.

 

[gregrowlerson]

They literally never used Madeleine properly.

2010 stage was alright.

Maybe they could skip the Pyrenees altogether this time? Since it's so repetitive, a total break would be fine, with greater focus on the smaller mountain ranges, and then hard Alps block in week 3 (or around third weekend).

 

[OlavEH]

Maybe they could skip the Pyrenees altogether this time? Since it's so repetitive, a total break would be fine, with greater focus on the smaller mountain ranges, and then hard Alps block in week 3 (or around third weekend).

Don't disagree, but probably won't happen. Or they could barely touch by the Pyrenees by doing a big mountain stage to Andorra and something on stage 9, but nothing else. Have a medium mountain stage in the northern outskirts of the Pyrenees on stage 8 before that big mountain stage before the last rest day.

 

[Netserk]

They literally never used Madeleine properly.

 

[titan31]

Good. Then I hope they do a couple of flat stages and a ITT after Grand Depart and then head into the Pyrenees at the end of the first week.

That would be my hope too. After the first 3 stages, transfer midway up the west coast and go back down to Pyrenees, or transfer along the southern coast and go back across to the Pyrenees. 2nd week ends in the Massif Central then and down to Alps for week 3.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Jeez, I had forgotten how far the top of the Madeleine was from the finish. What an effort by (mainly) Ullrich and Pantani to keep a gap of 2 minutes almost stable over 40km.