Deutschland Tour 2023 (August 23rd - August 27th)

[Earns1985]

Of course, also this race needs his own thread. Especially because the startpoint and the first km of stage 2 are just a few meteres away from my apartment.

Prologue:

2,3 km - flat

Stage1 :

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

Stage 4:

Startlist:

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/deutschland-tour/2023/startlist

Summary:

GC will be made at the Prologue, stage 1 and stage 2. Stage 3 and 4 should be sprint stages. I would have liked to see a few higher mountains or at least a few more harder hills in the end. This year it will be the puncheuers/sprinters who have a chance of winning this...

 

[Devil's Elbow]

This route is pretty much just as bad as the Renewi Tour one. Anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to end the race with two sprint stages should immediately be disqualified from ever designing a route again.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Here’s the two final climbs of the Winterberg stage (don’t have any profiles for the Merzig stage but it’s the same final circuit as 2018). There is so much good terrain in that area, it’s an absolutely pathetic design.

 

[Filippo_3467]

This route is pretty much just as bad as the Renewi Tour one. Anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to end the race with two sprint stages should immediately be disqualified from ever designing a route again.

Small race. Needs the money and can't finish every year in a city with some climbing. Could have made the last day a TT and the day in the medium mountains more climby. But yeah should be fun racing like in the last few years.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Small race. Needs the money and can't finish every year in a city with some climbing. Could have made the last day a TT and the day in the medium mountains more climby. But yeah should be fun racing like in the last few years.

Essen is close enough to the northwestern Sauerland hills to make a properly hard stage.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Largely disappointed in the route, especially after the awesome route we had last year. In theory Ethan Hayter would be the favorite, but hasn’t shown form all year so it’s really wide open as to who can win the GC.

 

[yaco]

No reason why A,Yates can not win again.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

No reason why A,Yates can not win again.

First reason: He‘s not in the race.

 

[yaco]

First reason: He‘s not in the race.

A last minute withdrawal from the race - According to PCS 21/08/2023.

 

[search]

Here’s the two final climbs of the Winterberg stage (don’t have any profiles for the Merzig stage but it’s the same final circuit as 2018). There is so much good terrain in that area, it’s an absolutely pathetic design.

are you old enough to remember if it's the same "MTF" as in 2008, won by Ciolek?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

are you old enough to remember if it's the same "MTF" as in 2008, won by Ciolek?

I would have been 8 at the time, so no. From the stage map and profile it looks like they took the southern road into Winterberg (from Züschen) in that stage whereas now they approach from the east (from Elkeringhausen). This climb is a bit harder, although Ciolek would likely have had a shot on this 'MTF' too, especially because there's 2k of false flat from the KOM to the finish.

 

[Netserk]

Damn, didn't realise we had a regular younger than Gigs.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Damn, didn't realise we had a regular younger than Gigs.

You are aware we have another regular with the number 99 in their username?

 

[Netserk]

You are aware we have another regular with the number 99 in their username?

I filter out most of what I see from that account.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I know that predicting prologues is a lot harder when this is pretty much the only one all season, but even if we had more recent ones to go off of I wouldn't have predicted the ghost of Sam Bennett to be in the hotseat.

 

[search]

Van Poppel with a fairly "big" lead now. He also won the last two short prologues he did - but that was in 2017 (Herald Sun) and 2014 (Luxembourg).

 

[Red Rick]

What I love about these short prologues is seeing someone finish 7s down and then thinking "oh that must be a good position" before seeing it's literally halfway down the pack.

 

[Red Rick]

Meiser tried to do a 2km flat prologue standing on the pedals catching as much wind as possible

 

[search]

Meiser tried to do a 2km flat prologue standing on the pedals catching as much wind as possible

but good enough to beat Ivan Sosa!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

but good enough to beat Ivan Sosa!

I had completely forgotten about Sosa's existence until this post. Imagine my shock when I was reminded he's still only 25. Seems like he's been a fallen talent forever.

 

[nightowl]

Who is the English commentator on GCN and why is he incapable of understating how fractions of a second work

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Who is the English commentator on GCN and why is he incapable of understating how fractions of a second work

Jez Cox. One of the worst commentators in the business.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Surprising time by Zijlaard!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Zijlaard, good leadout and evidently a better prologue rider. Would be a great addition to quite a few WT teams.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Alexander Kristoff feeling the age?