Colombia Oro y Paz (2.1), 06.02-10.02

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Broadcast Times Colombia Oro y Paz
http://www.senalcolombia.tv/deportes/colombia-oro-y-paz-sera-transmitida-por-senal-colombia
Local times & CET (I think)
Etapa 1: 6 Feb - 10:15 a 12:15 = 16:15 - 18:15 CET
Etapa 2: 7 Feb – 12:30 a 14:30 = 18:30 - 20:30 CET
Etapa 3: 8 Feb - 11:50 a 13:50 = 17:50 - 19:50 CET
Etapa 4: 9 Feb - 11:50 a 13:50 = 17:50 - 19:50 CET
Etapa 5: 10Feb - 11:30 a 13:30 = 17:30 - 19:30 CET
Etapa 6: 11Feb - 12:30 a 14:30 = 18:30 - 20:30 CET

now we just need a feed and
cross fingers for their helicopter downlinks
 
The route? They are taking the same highway up and down for 5 days... They are missing tourist spots like Lago Calima or Parque del Café... They have 3 pancake flat stages followed by 2 hilltop finishes and one MTF. That stage to Manizales could have had at least another cat2 at El Roble.
And what about a short ITT to balance things?
I guess the Public Works Ministry is sponsoring the race and they want to showcase the roads as they did in Vuelta a Colombia the last 2 or 3 years
Nobody is asking for Letras o La Línea, but San Luis was able to put El Mirador, El Amago and Comechingones in January...
 
Re: Re:

Escarabajo said:
Valv.Piti said:
What a crappy route
Not much that the organization can do about it in the first year and in February.

DNP-Old said:
Valv.Piti said:
What a crappy route
It's a good route. Could it have been better? Sure. But we're living in February, you can't send a peloton that's in full buildup mode up the mythical climbs that are either way too tough or way too high.

No reason to get defensive, its a bad route. As the poster above said, Im not asking for mythical climbs like La Linea, but a route where its actually possible to race outside the last 3-4 kilometres. We basically have 3 pancake flat stages followed up by 2 pancake stages with a shallow hilltop-finish. Thats not really acceptable. Its Colombia, this route looks like a Abu Dhabi carbon copy minus the TT which also would have been really welcome. Christ, the San Juan-route is more inspiring than this, I think...

So what its February? Again referring to the poster above, that shouldn't scare you from including actual climbs like San Luis - and then we are talking mid January, not February. Just because you are an early season race doesn't mean you need to make anti-racing routes like TDU-routes where you can pack all the highlights from the race into a 2-minute video. If you think its too hard, don't race it, damnit. The riders are training at much, much more difficult terrain, a few harder hills/mountains wouldn't hurt. At least just spice it a bit up.....
 
Re:

jaylew said:
From the CN article:
The organizers, however, have heeded the advice of the WorldTour pros and laid on a six-stage route that’s respectful of its early slot in the 2018 calendar.
Yet, all four WT teams present are led by Colombians... And probably Alaphilippe is the only foreigner with chances to score stages
Heck, even the PCT teams, a good amount are led by Colombians