Future Tour De France Route

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

I was reading an article in Cyclosport the other day where it says the tour organisers had looked into a tour route which doesn't go to the Alps or Pyrenees. At the time I thought it was a stupid idea but having thought about more I think it could be pretty interesting. You could have stages in the Voges, Jura's (as seen today), Massive Central, Ardennes, hills of Brittany etc. Throw in some more cobbled stages, stages packed with small climbs like Liege Bastogne Liege and some more interesting finishes (atop smaller hills like the end of Fleche Wallone). You could have some interesting mountain top finishes on Mont Ventoux and Puy De Dome. You could even have stages on Corsica.

What do you think? Could they seriously do this and if so, do you think it would make for some interesting racing? Can you think of any decent climbs in the mountian ranges outside of the alps and pyrenees?

 

[roundabout]

Has Armin Meier taken over the ASO?

Climb this one then

http://www.salite.ch/F/grand_colombier.gif

with this one before

http://www.salite.ch/F/biche.gif

 

[The Hitch]

is ventoux not in the alps?

 

[Reverend_T_Preedy]

is ventoux not in the alps?

To be honest, I was stretching the definition of what is and isn't in the Alps. To quote from Wikepedia, 'Mont Ventoux, although geologically part of the Alps, is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby'

 

[McLovin]

Has Armin Meier taken over the ASO?

Climb this one then

http://www.salite.ch/F/grand_colombier.gif

with this one before

http://www.salite.ch/F/biche.gif

wow...interesting climbs...and never been in the tour. that's a big shame. and i'm sure there are more.

 

[Anonymous]

Corsica (1)

Corsica (2)

 

[Anonymous]

Southern France arount Montpellier and st ettiene

 

[Anonymous]

Southwest from Strasbourg into france

 

[Ryaguas]

wow those are a really nice climbs... should be great if the management bring the tour to those mountains...!

 

[luckyboy]

Yeah, they look pretty good.

On the Corsica thing...2013?

Also, I read somewhere a while ago that Passage du Gois was coming back in 2011.

 

[Anonymous]

On the Corsica thing...2013?

which is dissapointing. if they are starting there it means a prologue and a crappy flat stage. There is no way they will hit them with climbs on day 1, which is a shame cos there are real opportunities in corsica.

 

[forumlurker]

corsica is awesome, but i wonder if it can support the thousands of people that come with the tour

 

[luckyboy]

which is dissapointing. if they are starting there it means a prologue and a crappy flat stage. There is no way they will hit them with climbs on day 1, which is a shame cos there are real opportunities in corsica.

Heh, they should do that one year. 3 mountain ranges

 

[El Imbatido]

Yeah, they look pretty good.

On the Corsica thing...2013?

Also, I read somewhere a while ago that Passage du Gois was coming back in 2011.

I think me and you must have read the same thing Lucky. IIRC the Passage du Gois was only gonna be in the neutral zone or right at the start of the stage.......so basically so it has no bearing on the actual race......how uninspiring by the ASO

 

[auscyclefan94]

Start the tour at mende and have a hilltop prologue up the Croix neuvre! Would be good as Cancellara would not win as usual.

 

[Thee_chisa]

I think me and you must have read the same thing Lucky. IIRC the Passage du Gois was only gonna be in the neutral zone or right at the start of the stage.......so basically so it has no bearing on the actual race......how uninspiring by the ASO

yeah, grand depart in the vendee next year

 

[craig1985]

I think the days of Puy de Dôme being used for a major cycling race (or any cycling race) are long gone.

Could we also fit in climbs like Sestriere and Isola 2000 whilst avoiding the (French) Alps?

 

[Ferminal]

Start the tour at mende and have a hilltop prologue up the Croix neuvre! Would be good as Cancellara would not win as usual.

That's a cool idea actually, 3.5km MTF prologue.