Le Tour de France 2011 - the big one is coming

[roundabout]

Ooh, stage profiles are up.

Wonder how many stages Gilbert will win?

I'm picking stages 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13 and 16.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Ooh, stage profiles are up.

Wonder how many stages Gilbert will win?

I'm picking stages 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13 and 16.

The first 9 days are certainly made for him.

 

[Moondance]

There will be bigger gaps in Super Besse then there were on Monte Vergine.
You can take this to the bank!
If not you can decide on my avatar right after the Super Besse stage.

I do not necessarily dispute this.

However you cannot argue that because the main riders did not make a concerted effort to attack on the Montevergine that it was meaningless MTF. The organisers can only do so much. If the riders choose not to show up that day that's up them.

However, the Giro direction has made an infinitely great effort to ensure course difficulty and great climbing spectacle for the fans. The Giro direction serves up the fans a delicious porterhouse steak of climbing and spectacle. The Tour offers the fans chicken and claims it's steak.

 

[roundabout]

In the context of the overall difficulty of the Giro Montevergine was a largely meaningless MTF.

There.

Scratch that. Was always going to be a largely meaningless MTF.

Much better.

 

[Bavarianrider]

If the Grenobe TT would be a Mountain Time trial to Chamrosse, and if there would be a 50km TT before the mountains, this would actually be the best route in quiet a while.

 

[Bavarianrider]

I do not necessarily dispute this.

However you cannot argue that because the main riders did not make a concerted effort to attack on the Montevergine that it was meaningless MTF. The organisers can only do so much. If the riders choose not to show up that day that's up them.

However, the Giro direction has made an infinitely great effort to ensure course difficulty and great climbing spectacle for the fans. The Giro direction serves up the fans a delicious porterhouse steak of climbing and spectacle. The Tour offers the fans chicken and claims it's steak.

But to be fair, from a climbers perspective, there's relly no way you can not be satisfied with this years Tour route. It might not match the Giro but it's certainly a intersting parcour for climbers.

 

[Midnightfright]

I'm desperately hoping someone pips him.

It's hard to consider someone who engages in such large and precise peaking a worthy winner of anything.

I can certainly see your line of thinking but regardless of personal feeling or preference the only way I can see past him is if he starts to play silly games trying to get frank onto the podium. Surely having the ultimate family photo won't distract him from winning the tour de France but I can see him having 4 minutes going into the tt. This is contador excluded Ofcourse.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Tour is ok this year. 4 or 5 good stages imo.
Stages I look forward to, and I think are hard enough to be decisive.

Stage 12
Stage Profile
Luz-Ardiden Climb

Stage 14
Stage Profile
Plateau de Beille Climb

Stage 17
Stage Profile
Colla Pra Martino Climb

Stage 18
Stage Profile
Col Du Galibier

Stage 19
Stage Profile
Alpe d'Huez Climb

-------ok stages:

Stage 8
Stage Profile

Stage 16
Stage Profile

Stages 1, 4, 6 look to have some potential for a guy like gilbert. couple others might see an attack, but meh.
+ Stages 2 (TTT) and 20 (ITT).
The rest looks meh.

an ok course. Nothing on the giro. I think a better course then last year also.

 

[Moondance]

But to be fair, from a climbers perspective, there's relly no way you can not be satisfied with this years Tour route. It might not match the Giro but it's certainly a intersting parcour for climbers.

Well, the course does favour the 'climbers' among GC men (think Schlecks) over the 'time trialists' among the GC men (think Wiggins or your great love). That fact alone, however, does not make it a spectacular climbing Tour, as the Giro has been since time immemorial.

The only people who are really pleased about the parcours this year are the folks in Camp Cavendish, who could conceivably emerge with 7 stage wins or so this year.

 

[roundabout]

Wait, you put the second most awesome mountain stage of 2011 under ok category together with stages to Super-Besse and Gap?



And it's weak until the last km?

 

[Lanark]

I can't make up my mind about this route. They've got 4 mountain top finishes, finally! And all on actual HC mountains! Compare that to 2006 for example, where you had the Alpe, but also La Toussuire (19km at 6%) and Pla de Beret (21km at 4%). So when it comes to the mountain top finishes, both in quantity and quality, this year is great.

Well, that's pretty much where the good stuff ends, because outside of those MTF's, the mountains are terrible. No stage comparable to the one to Morzine (2006), Le Grand Bornand (2009), or the ones over the Madeleine and the Portet D'Aspet (2010), the Pinerolo stage is the only one that isn't complete crap. An equally big problem is the fact that it takes them ages to even get to the mountains. Not a single difficult stage untill stage 12.

The first couple of days aren't too bad, sure, you already know Gilbert is going to win stage 1 and 4, but you can't blame them for trying. A short TTT isn't too bad either, but because it takes them a millennium to get to the first real mountains, those first 11 stages are going to take forever. I like the ITT, not too long, and quite hilly. Time trialist are almost as boring as sprinters, so the less chance they get, the better.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Tour is ok this year. 4 good stages imo.
Stages I look forward to, and I think are hard enough to be decisive.

Stage 12
Stage Profile
Luz-Ardiden Climb

Stage 14
Stage Profile
Plateau de Beille Climb

Stage 17
Stage Profile
Colla Pra Martino Climb

Stage 19
Stage Profile
Alpe d'Huez Climb

-------ok stages:

Stage 18 (this one is weak until the last km really)
Stage Profile
Col Du Galibier

Stage 8
Stage Profile

Stage 16
Stage Profile

Stages 1, 4, 6 look to have some potential for a guy like gilbert. couple others might see an attack, but meh.
+ Stages 2 (TTT) and 20 (ITT).
The rest looks meh.

an ok course. Nothing on the giro. I think a better course then last year also.

There are 4 tough mountain finishes.
There are 2 interesting uphill finishes in the first week (Alleoute, Bretagne)
There is a intersting medium mountain stage in the first week (Super Besse)
The day after there's another hilly stage.
There's a stage that features the Aubisque between the two mountain finishes in the Pyrenees.
Theres a nice medium monutain stage to Gap.
There's a tough stage to Pinerolo
There's a team time trial
There's a longer individual time trial.

This makes 13 very intersting days. I don't see how the route is that much easier then the Giro.
For the riders, this tour will be a lot harder then the Giro anyway!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Wait, you put the second most awesome mountain stage of 2011 under ok category together with stages to Super-Besse and Gap?



And it's weak until the last km?

Meh maybe I'm a bit harsh on it. But it isn't the 2nd best stage of the year, no way. The stage on a whole is ok, and I'll move it to the above category cause your right, it's better then the other 2. But I don't think it will be that great, not steep enough.

 

[El Pistolero]

Think this route will be better than the Giro route.

It's not like much happened in the Giro mountain stages except in the final climb(and the epic stage 15 and I'm putting stage 20 already up now)

Yes, it's easier, but that doesn't mean it's worse. Giro had an incredible lack of puncheurs to make some of the intermediate stages more interesting. With someone like Gilbert,Kolobnev, Voeckler, Leukemans, Greg, Pozatto, Ballan, Cunego, etc. some of these intermediate stages in the Giro would have cracked up the favorites group for sure.

 

[roundabout]

Meh maybe I'm a bit harsh on it. But it isn't the 2nd best stage of the year, no way. The stage on a whole is ok, and I'll move it to the above category cause your right, it's better then the other 2. But I don't think it will be that great, not steep enough.

In an ideal world (and here I'm being slightly Zomegnanish) they should have climbed the Granon instead of Galibier which would have made it the most awesome stage in years but the first 2 climbs are enough to cause damage by themselves.

 

[luckyboy]

They could make the Tour much more interesting that it is though. There are good mountains they never go up. Would be nice if it didn't go through Gap and Pau pretty much every year too.

It just sucks that the Alpes and Pyrenees are so close together, because that means there will always be a cluster of flat stage beforehand, as there is nowhere to go inbetween. Though the managed it in 2009, they just messed up the mountains.

Saying that, I'm sure they could start in Montpellier or Beziers, have 3 flat stages and a TT, then do 3 Pyrenean stages in the first week. Then have a few boring stages north to Vendee or Nantes and transfer east to head for the Alpes. Then go to Paris, TT again, Champs Elysees.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I love climby races. But I am not particularly enthused by the Tour route. There's a lack of real steep stuff (climbs like Errozate remain unused) and too much reliance on the same old same old. When is Alpes-Maritimes going to be used properly? Oh look, the Tourmalet mid-stage, same as every damn year.

Not to mention that we're almost at the end of week 2 before we get a single stage where it's worth watching more than the last 10 minutes.

 

[Bavarianrider]

I love climby races. But I am not particularly enthused by the Tour route. There's a lack of real steep stuff (climbs like Errozate remain unused) and too much reliance on the same old same old. When is Alpes-Maritimes going to be used properly? Oh look, the Tourmalet mid-stage, same as every damn year.

Not to mention that we're almost at the end of week 2 before we get a single stage where it's worth watching more than the last 10 minutes.

There will be a more exciting stages in the first 12 days then there were in the Giro.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

The first 9 days are certainly made for him.

He's certainly a good bet for 1, 4 and 6.

Cav looks good for 3, 5, 7 and 11.

Gilbert will have to work for 8 and 9. Cav will have to work for 10.

The first week and a half look like being a good battle for green between Cav and Gilbert. I think there's a good mix there for the sprinters, puncheurs and break away artists. That looks like good fun, until we get to the mountains.

Cav will also fancy 15 and 21 obviously, but if Gilbert can pick up some points in the bunch sprints, which he's capable of, it looks like it might be a close fight for green, especially if Petacchi gets in the mix too. That's one thing the Giro doesn't have.

 

[Lanark]

There will be a more exciting stages in the first 12 days then there were in the Giro.

Well, the Giro did see two stages in the first week pretty much cancelled, that's hardly a fair comparison. Even then, it's doubtfull the Tour will be more interesting.

The biggest problem with the Tour is predictability. I don't have to watch the race to know Gilbert is going to win at least two of the three uphill sprints, Cavendish is going to win at least 3 bunch sprints, and HTC will win the TTT.

 

[Bavarianrider]

He's certainly a good bet for 1, 4 and 6.

Cav looks good for 3, 5, 7 and 11.

Gilbert will have to work for 8 and 9. Cav will have to work for 10.

The first week and a half look like being a good battle for green between Cav and Gilbert. I think there's a good mix there for the sprinters, puncheurs and break away artists. That looks like good fun, until we get to the mountains.

Cav will also fancy 15 and 21 obviously, but if Gilbert can pick up some points in the bunch sprints, which he's capable of, it looks like it might be a close fight for green, especially if Petacchi gets in the mix too. That's one thing the Giro doesn't have.

The question is. how much points will they dish out for the green on those uphill finishes. I fear they want give as much as in pure sprints. If they do Gilbert would almost be a lock for the green jersey

 

[Bavarianrider]

Well, the Giro did see two stages in the first week pretty much cancelled, that's hardly a fair comparison. Even then, it's doubtfull the Tour will be more interesting.

The biggest problem with the Tour is predictability. I don't have to watch the race to know Gilbert is going to win at least two of the three uphill sprints, Cavendish is going to win at least 3 bunch sprints, and HTC will win the TTT.

This might might put Tony into yellow, so i like it

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There will be a more exciting stages in the first 12 days then there were in the Giro.

It's all subjective. If Weylandt hadn't crashed we'd have praised stage 3 to the hilt. This year's Giro's been a bit of a letdown, but it will probably still be better than the Tour.

Sprint trains don't interest me in the slightest, nor do TTTs, so that basically leaves me with a couple of stages where Gilbert will waltz away as easily as Contador's been doing in the Giro, and Super-Besse.

Nope, still think that there's no point watching more than 10 minutes of any of these stages. HTC will just strangle the life out of it the way they usually do, and I will issue an empty threat to strangle Bob Stapleton as a result.

I know you like watching the kind of race where you can win with nothing but a half decent TT and the team super-controlling everything else - but I don't.

 

[luckyboy]

There will be a more exciting stages in the first 12 days then there were in the Giro.

lol

There was de Clercq's close win, Contador on Etna, Weening on the Strade Bianche, Gatto and Contador's surprise attack in Tropea. The end of stage 3 would have been good, but that was a terrible day and the racing wasn't important.


This Giro hasn't been as good as last year, but it is still a lot more entertaining than any recent Tour.

 

[Bavarianrider]

It's all subjective. If Weylandt hadn't crashed we'd have praised stage 3 to the hilt. This year's Giro's been a bit of a letdown, but it will probably still be better than the Tour.

Sprint trains don't interest me in the slightest, nor do TTTs, so that basically leaves me with a couple of stages where Gilbert will waltz away as easily as Contador's been doing in the Giro, and Super-Besse.

Nope, still think that there's no point watching more than 10 minutes of any of these stages. HTC will just strangle the life out of it the way they usually do, and I will issue an empty threat to strangle Bob Stapleton as a result.

I know you like watching the kind of race where you can win with nothing but a half decent TT and the team super-controlling everything else - but I don't.

I think you exerate a bit, but you can't really blame the route then anyway. Come on want more could you excpect from the first week?