Hardest MTF in Tour de France 2011

[auscyclefan94]

plateau de beille,there will be huge gaps,lots of guys blowing the engines.

Yes, that was my 2nd choice.

Plateau de Beille is unrelenting untilthe last km where little differences will be made.

The mountain stages are all difficult this year and all have the potential to cause big diffrences. One bad day and a riders tour could be gone. In saying that, if you are on a good day then you can make time back on others and ride yourself into the tour.

 

[El Pistolero]

Plateau de Beille stage will decide this year's Tour.

 

[Havetts]

Plateau de Beille stage will decide this year's Tour.

Because of the 'myth' or because of the stage?

 

[El Pistolero]

Because of the 'myth' or because of the stage?

Because it's the toughest climb this Tour.

 

[Havetts]

Because it's the toughest climb this Tour.

Its very tough, but personally I think it isnt THE toughest climb in this tour. In my opinion Col D'Agnel is tougher, but it isnt a MTF finish. Agnel goes to 2744 meters of altitude and the last part is extremely steep and the climb itself is extremely long.

 

[El Pistolero]

Its very tough, but personally I think it isnt THE toughest climb in this tour. In my opinion Col D'Agnel is tougher, but it isnt a MTF finish. Agnel goes to 2744 meters of altitude and the last part is extremely steep and the climb itself is extremely long.

Yeah, but they won't race on that climb like crazy ducklings, thus making it easier.
Plus everyone wants to win Plateau de Beille Andy knows the myth

 

[Peccio89]

I would go with Plateu de Beille as the hardest finish; however the stage that i'm more looking forward to is the one to Luz Ardiden, with the Tourmalet just before that; hopefully someone will start attacking there, however in a similar stage in 2003 Ullrich and Vino accelerated on the Tourmalet, but than at the start of Luz-Ardiden around 20 people were still there.

 

[just some guy]

I hope the go flat out on the shorter Alpe-d’Huez stage and we get to see the whole stage live.

 

[Kwibus]

Atleast 2 stages were GC riders can attack on the mountain before the last one. To the Galibier and to Luz Ardiden.... I don't expect they will on their way to Luz Ardiden as it's one of the first mountain stages, but any climber that lost a few minutes could try to go early.

I'm afraid that because this is the TdF everything will happen once again on the last climbs though. Such a shame.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Its very tough, but personally I think it isnt THE toughest climb in this tour. In my opinion Col D'Agnel is tougher, but it isnt a MTF finish. Agnel goes to 2744 meters of altitude and the last part is extremely steep and the climb itself is extremely long.

There are Col Agnel and Col d`Agnes, but no Col D'Agnel , but I see you think about Col Agnel...

 

[King Of The Wolds]

The Galibier finish, but all 4 are brutal. Any 1 of them could have some big GC implications.

One thing for sure, there's going to be a lot of sprinters' visits to the team cars if they want to get to the Champs Elysees.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

samu hasn't done anything on a descent in years, even when it would benefit him he didn't go. I find him overrated in this aspect.

To be fair, Sánchez did attack when the Vuelta GC was at stake on the descent into La Granja in 2009. Unfortunately for him, that descent was quite technical, and Valverde is a better technical descender than him, and caught up quite quickly. The two pulled out a notable gap on the chasers, but Valverde wouldn't help out and upon realising that he wouldn't drop El Imbatido Samu sat up.

 

[veganrob]

I chose Plateau De Belle because I believe it will be the most hotly contested. This will separate wheat from chaff and real contenders will be at the top.

 

[Descender]

There are Col Agnel and Col d`Agnes, but no Col D'Agnel , but I see you think about Col Agnel...

Perhaps he made that mistake because in Italian it's called Colle dell'Agnello.

On topic, the Galibier up this side is the easiest of them all.

 

[hmsgenoa]

As a stage definetly the one to the galibier.

The entree is the Col Agnel - 23.7km @ 6.5% and the last 8.7km of the climb average 10.4%. It reaches an altitude of 2,744m.

The main course is the Col d'Izorard - 14.1km @ 7.3% at an altitiude of 2,360m with the last 7km of the climb averaging at 9%.

The dessert is the Col du Galibier - 23km @5.1 at an altitude of 2,645m. The first 17km of the climb don't go above 6.5% but with the other two climbs earlier in the stage, that won't matter as the legs will be burning and oxygen debt will be coming apparent. The last km is at 9% and is the steepest part of the climb. The damage from the past climbs and the high altitude of the galibier will totally split the race apart.

Massive time gaps will be apparent here and this is where the tour will be won and lost.

Check out the stage profile on http://www.letour.fr, there are around 70k's of climbing before they reach the top of The Col D'Agnel! (Where do you get 23k from Briancon to the top of the Galibier? It's actually about 35k, and from the Lauteret it is about 8 or 9k to the top?). Not nit picking just trying to understand where you got your figures from?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Check out the stage profile on http://www.letour.fr, there are around 70k's of climbing before they reach the top of The Col D'Agnel! (Where do you get 23k from Briancon to the top of the Galibier? It's actually about 35k, and from the Lauteret it is about 8 or 9k to the top?). Not nit picking just trying to understand where you got your figures from?

The official tour de france guide which has all the profiles and is much more detailed than letour.fr.

The Galibier does not officially start at Briancon (stage 18). It starts at Le Monetier les Bains.

 

[Lanark]

Check out the stage profile on http://www.letour.fr, there are around 70k's of climbing before they reach the top of The Col D'Agnel! (Where do you get 23k from Briancon to the top of the Galibier? It's actually about 35k, and from the Lauteret it is about 8 or 9k to the top?). Not nit picking just trying to understand where you got your figures from?

Click on the Cols et Cotes tab, and it gives you the official details of the climbs. Some may have some false flat before the 'real' climb start.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Plateu de Beille is more selective then any MTF in the Giro this year.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Plateu de Beille is more selective then any MTF in the Giro this year.

so this

is harder than this

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Lol @ Bavarianrider.
His ignorance never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Bavarianrider]

so this

is harder than this

Let's make a avatar bet. I say that time gaps will be a bigger on the Plateau de Beille then they were on teh Zoncolan!

 

[Bavarianrider]

Lol @ Bavarianrider.
His ignorance never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Lanark]

Let's make a avatar bet. I say that time gaps will be a bigger on the Plateau de Beille then they were on teh Zoncolan!

That doesn't mean it's more selective, the Giro and Tour are completely different races, you can't just compare two climbs from two different races, and then conclude which climb is more selective based on time differences.

This would inevitably lead to contradictions. Is La Toussuire an incredibly easy climb, because nobody in the Dauphiné can make a difference on it, or is it hard, because in the Tour the differences are big?

 

[Bavarianrider]

That doesn't mean it's more selective, the Giro and Tour are completely different races, you can't just compare two climbs from two different races, and then conclude which climb is more selective based on time differences.

This would inevitably lead to contradictions. Is La Toussuire an incredibly easy climb, because nobody in the Dauphiné can make a difference on it, or is it hard, because in the Tour the differences are big?

Of course it does.
Plateu de Beille in the Tour will be more selctive then any Giro mountain finish. That's what i say.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Better example

Take Macugnana in the Giro.
It's easier than Montevergine.
On Montevergine, 1st week of the Giro, hardly any differences in the top 30.
Then comes Macugnana, an easier climb in the 3rd week, and.... a lot of differences, even in the top 5

Still doesn't mean Macugnana is more selective than Montevergine, in fact, that would be total bull****. Put Macugnana in the 1st week and you get a mass sprint probably.
Put Montevergine in the 3rd week and you get a massacre.

However BR doesn't get this concept probably.