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Criterium du Dauphine (2.UWT), 3-10 June

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Did I ever mention how much I DESPISE putting an exact Tour recon in the Dauphiné, and how ASO have killed it as an independent race, so that now it's just an extended Tour visua with UCI points? Thank God people are starting to give the Tour de Suisse some revenge.

So now, basically, the surprise factor of the new climbs is taken out because everybody gets a good look at them in racing conditions a month beforehand, whereas if they do it to test their Tour viability (like Super Collet, Superdévoluy or Col du Béal) I'm not fussed, but when it's literally a Tour recce, then I hate it. Like, the best thing about the introduction of new climbs is that riders haven't done them in racing conditions before, so people aren't as sure about when to expend efforts, when to dose them, and can come to different conclusions as to where is best to make the moves, whereas climbs they know like the back of their hand, everybody knows how to approach them for best benefit so everybody's watching everybody else.
 
Mar 12, 2018
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Re:

Libertine Seguros said:
Did I ever mention how much I DESPISE putting an exact Tour recon in the Dauphiné, and how ASO have killed it as an independent race, so that now it's just an extended Tour visua with UCI points? Thank God people are starting to give the Tour de Suisse some revenge.

So now, basically, the surprise factor of the new climbs is taken out because everybody gets a good look at them in racing conditions a month beforehand, whereas if they do it to test their Tour viability (like Super Collet, Superdévoluy or Col du Béal) I'm not fussed, but when it's literally a Tour recce, then I hate it. Like, the best thing about the introduction of new climbs is that riders haven't done them in racing conditions before, so people aren't as sure about when to expend efforts, when to dose them, and can come to different conclusions as to where is best to make the moves, whereas climbs they know like the back of their hand, everybody knows how to approach them for best benefit so everybody's watching everybody else.

While I agree with the sentiment, in the era of marginal gains I have seen most teams scouting all the mountains and climbs months ahead, Sky definitely seems to do so for the Tour.

For most races I think it would play part, but with the importance of the Tour, most teams will know a lot about every single of those climbs, especially if they are new and never seen before.
 
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Of course everybody does their recon, but not in race conditions. Other people and teams might have come to different conclusions when there's no race footage or experience to draw on.

Plus, there isn't the same excitement factor for the fans to see a new climb in the Tour when you've seen it one month earlier in the Dauphiné anyway.
 
Feb 3, 2015
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Is there any threat for Kwia besides Thomas? They're lucky the mighty time-trialer Fabio Cancellaru doesn't take part. He would have smashed it.
 

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