Paris–Tours 7 Oct 211 km

[Robert5091]

Paris–Tours Sunday 7 October 2018 211 km start 11.30 CET

Live TV from 15.15 CET

https://www.paris-tours.fr/en/news/2018/harvest-time-for-the-classics-hardmen/741

The Classic of the Falling Leaves is undergoing a little autumn revolution: all hail the Classic of the Grape Leaves! Paris–Tours has flirted with the vineyards of Touraine throughout its hundred-year history. However, this year's course heads farther north, taking the riders right into the heart of the Vouvray appellation… and, even more importantly, putting them to the test on 12.5 km of vineyard tracks. Following the start in Chartres, the peloton will be on high alert due to the risk of splits on the windswept plains of Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher. Then, after 150 kilometres of racing, Paris–Tours will stray from its traditional formula to give attackers a greater chance of success.

By interspersing short, brutal climbs with narrow tracks where riders will have to stay focused at all times, the organisers of Paris–Tours have laid the groundwork for a lively race. The peloton will enter uncharted territory at km 161 with the start of the Château de Valmer track. The 1,500 m Vallée de Raye track, which comes after 162 kilometres and features a climb at the start, could provide a springboard for explosive riders. Shortly after, the peloton will tackle the 2,500 m Grosse Pierre track, with plenty of dirt and fine gravel! The Côte de la Rochère, coming after 151.5 km, is the steepest new climb on the course, with sections reaching 15%. Late attackers will pin their hopes on the 800 m Rochecorbon track, followed by the last climb 10 km before the finish.

start list at https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/paris-tours/2018/startlist/
Map -

Last 12.5 km with vineyard/gravel roads

profile -

 

[Red Rick]

Very interesting how the new route will turn out.

 

[Robert5091]

Official Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/ParisTours

Official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/paristours

 

[Robert5091]

Re:

Very interesting how the new route will turn out.

Very interesting - weather forecast is for a little overnight rain and cloudy on Sunday. Wind is NE so a chance for some splits if the pace is high. I guess it'll be calm until the last 20 km when teams get organazied for the finale.

A wet rainy day could have been chaos - still might be!

 

[Laplaz]

Naesen vs. Kragh Andersen vs. Lampaert.

 

[Bushman]

A shame Astana aren’t here, Valgren could win the race

 

[Dazed and Confused]

This might be the last race I see this year.

Let it be Chava please.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

A shame Astana aren’t here, Valgren could win the race

You do know he's ridden his last race for Astana, right?

---

Hmm... wonder if they'll pay homage to Duquennoy in any way, I suppose they will.

 

[Velolover2]

A shame some of the strongest are missing on this classics course. Van Avermaet, Van Aert, Wellens, Valgren, Stuyven. And the migthy Sagan.

I'd like to see it as a WT race for an autumn showdown between the best classics riders.

 

[Robert5091]

http://www.ciclismointernacional.com/paris-tours-2018-preview/

The action will really kick off from the 175km mark. Over the next 14km we have nearly 10km of gravel roads, that sounds like chaos. Not only that, but we have a number of short climbs to deal with:-

171.6km – Côte de Goguenne 700m at 5.8%.

176.2km – Cöte de Montfort 700m at 4.5%.

183.4km – Cöte de La Rochère 400m at 10.7%(not only steep, but ridiculously narrow!).

189.2km – Cöte de La Valléè Chartier 700m at 5.8%.

194.6km – Cöte de Vouvray 500m at 5.3%.

201.3km – Cöte de Rochecorbon 800m at 4.7%.

Short steep climbs to whittle down the field.

 

[RedheadDane]

WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic have pulled out.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

A shame some of the strongest are missing on this classics course. Van Avermaet, Van Aert, Wellens, Valgren, Stuyven. And the migthy Sagan.

I'd like to see it as a WT race for an autumn showdown between the best classics riders.

It seems to have become a forgotten Classic in recent years, which is a shame because it has a great history, but also has had some very lively races in the past decade.

I think the changing up of the course and whole character of the route this year is part of the identity crisis the race has always had, though, what with spending half the 80s as Blois-Chaville, racing in the opposite direction for a few years etc etc.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

I think the changing up of the course and whole character of the route this year is part of the identity crisis the race has always had, though, what with spending half the 80s as Blois-Chaville, racing in the opposite direction for a few years etc etc.

Wait, what? Did they still call it Paris-Tours then?
"Yeah, Paris-Tours. We start in Tours and end in Paris."

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

I think the changing up of the course and whole character of the route this year is part of the identity crisis the race has always had, though, what with spending half the 80s as Blois-Chaville, racing in the opposite direction for a few years etc etc.

Wait, what? Did they still call it Paris-Tours then?
"Yeah, Paris-Tours. We start in Tours and end in Paris."

They changed the name a few times too, which was probably another part of the problem.
From wiki;

The course was reversed and the route constantly changed between 1974 and 1987. It was sometimes known as the Grand Prix d'Automne and sometimes by the names of the start and finish towns. For many the event lost character as the race was run between Tours and Versailles (1974–75) Blois and Chaville (1976–77 and 1979–84), Blois to Autodrome de Montlhéry (1978) and Créteil to Chaville (1985–87). In 1988 the race reverted to its original Paris–Tours route.

 

[Squire]

I've always liked Paris-Tours. The year I started following cycling all through the season, 2009, had a great edition of this race won by Gilbert.

The introduction of gravel roads feels a bit gimmicky to me. This great race doesn't need to change its route. It's nice as a Milano-Sanremo-style autumn battle between the attackers and durable sprinters. What it needs is WT status.

 

[Tim Booth]

Re: Re:

Wait, what? Did they still call it Paris-Tours then?
"Yeah, Paris-Tours. We start in Tours and end in Paris."

and now the race starts in Chartres, which is some 96 km southwest of Paris, so they still call it Paris-Tours.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

Wait, what? Did they still call it Paris-Tours then?
"Yeah, Paris-Tours. We start in Tours and end in Paris."

and now the race starts in Chartres, which is some 96 km southwest of Paris, so they still call it Paris-Tours.

And Compiegne is 85km north of Paris, but Paris Roubaix starts there. Paris-Nice starts wherever it feels like. And don’t get me started on Paris Dakar.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

I've always liked Paris-Tours. The year I started following cycling all through the season, 2009, had a great edition of this race won by Gilbert.

The introduction of gravel roads feels a bit gimmicky to me. This great race doesn't need to change its route. It's nice as a Milano-Sanremo-style autumn battle between the attackers and durable sprinters. What it needs is WT status.

All of this. I’d like to see the Autumn Double mean something to someone again.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

This might be the last race I see this year.

Let it be Chava please.

Sweet wine, sweet ending it would be.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

Wait, what? Did they still call it Paris-Tours then?
"Yeah, Paris-Tours. We start in Tours and end in Paris."

and now the race starts in Chartres, which is some 96 km southwest of Paris, so they still call it Paris-Tours.

And Compiegne is 85km north of Paris, but Paris Roubaix starts there. Paris-Nice starts wherever it feels like. And don’t get me started on Paris Dakar.

Paris-Dakar ...yeah. I like Paris-Tours reinventing itself one more time, hopefully for good, an infusion of Strade or PR, anything as long as it becomes relevant again.

It was Blois-Chaville at one point. OK, I won't go again with the shower autographs story, featuring The Badger and Knetemann .

 

[rghysens]

Re:

I've always liked Paris-Tours. The year I started following cycling all through the season, 2009, had a great edition of this race won by Gilbert.

The introduction of gravel roads feels a bit gimmicky to me. This great race doesn't need to change its route. It's nice as a Milano-Sanremo-style autumn battle between the attackers and durable sprinters. What it needs is WT status.

Basically this. Paris-Tours has more often than not been a very entertaining race the past two decades. All in all it's a nice race to end the season and I don't mind the new final. But it could use an extra km or 40 and the WT status, I admit.

 

[Robert5091]

Re:

WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic have pulled out.

From their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WBVeranAquaPro/

Nos coureurs sélectionnés pour Paris-Tours, qui sont sous le choc après l’annonce du décès de leur co-équipier Jimmy Duquennoy, ont décidé de ne pas prendre le départ de l’épreuve française de ce dimanche.

Our riders selected for Paris-Tours, who are in shock after the announcement of the death of their teammate Jimmy Duquennoy, have decided not to take the start of the French race this Sunday.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Both competitors in that sprint will end their careers today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVebsaXg73s

 

[Gigs_98]

I'm still not sure what to think about the route change. I feel like this is a case of "don't try to fix it if it ain't broke" because while a lot of races have struggled over the last few years because too many editions ended in bunch sprint the balance between attackers and sprinters has actually been really good in Paris Tours and the last few years had some really exciting finale's. Then again maybe this route change helps the race to become relevant again, which would be great.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Composition of the breakaway : Chavanel (TDE), Eisel (DDD), Guernalec (FST), Van Goethem (RNL), Vermeulen (RLM), De Bondt (VWC)

Pack at 2'35"