Paris-Nice route unveiled

[Valv.Piti]

Whoa, looks like an awesome route with the best field in like forever. Since Valv, Contador and LLS battled in the last 00's when I started watching other things than just the Tour, P-N has since regressed and clearly overhauled by T-A, but this looks like a goodie.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Do you guys think it's possible ASO threw some money at the big stars? I mean, Contador, Quintana and Froome all opted for Tirreno in the past few years and while this year's P-N route is great, it's not so special that I can imagine all 3 of them said "let's do Paris-Nice instead!".

 

[Brullnux]

Do you guys think it's possible ASO threw some money at the big stars? I mean, Contador, Quintana and Froome all opted for Tirreno in the past few years and while this year's P-N route is great, it's not so special that I can imagine all 3 of them said "let's do Paris-Nice instead!".

I imagine Froome probably wanted to try something new, after failing to win in his best year so far IMO, 2013, and DNSing the next two years.

Same with Bertie, last 3 years he's gone to TA. And, for that matter, Quintana too, he won it last year; although I thought he was doing Tirreno.

 

[dacooley]

Re:

To turn it around if they would race on Verbier, would you say "I fear for Froome cause Contador once crushed the VAM record there"? Of course not, it's ludicrous.

of course not, but by saying 'As long as Contador is in great shape he's got nothing to worry about', you strongly hint bertie's great shape is humanly almost impossible to surpass of course, he can climb like froome and porte and even better but every season each of them should prove he climbs better than anyone else. sports is all about it. had contador really thought the way you do - i have nothing to worry about- he wouldn't have become a legendary athlete.

 

[Velolover2]

Do you guys think it's possible ASO threw some money at the big stars? I mean, Contador, Quintana and Froome all opted for Tirreno in the past few years and while this year's P-N route is great, it's not so special that I can imagine all 3 of them said "let's do Paris-Nice instead!".

I imagine Froome probably wanted to try something new, after failing to win in his best year so far IMO, 2013, and DNSing the next two years.

Same with Bertie, last 3 years he's gone to TA. And, for that matter, Quintana too, he won it last year; although I thought he was doing Tirreno.

As far as I know, Quintana is riding neither. But it's good to see PN attracting some big names again. From my perspective, Paris-Nice will always be a greater and more historical race than Tirreno-Adriatico.

Such a race derserves to have all the big stars who is trying to win the Tour. Tirreno-Adriatico is for those who are doing the Giro.

 

[May0maniac]

Do you guys think it's possible ASO threw some money at the big stars? I mean, Contador, Quintana and Froome all opted for Tirreno in the past few years and while this year's P-N route is great, it's not so special that I can imagine all 3 of them said "let's do Paris-Nice instead!".

I imagine Froome probably wanted to try something new, after failing to win in his best year so far IMO, 2013, and DNSing the next two years.

Same with Bertie, last 3 years he's gone to TA. And, for that matter, Quintana too, he won it last year; although I thought he was doing Tirreno.

As far as I know, Quintana is riding neither. But it's good to see PN attracting some big names again. From my perspective, Paris-Nice will always be a greater and more historical race than Tirreno-Adriatico.

Such a race derserves to have all the big stars who is trying to win the Tour. Tirreno-Adriatico is for those who are doing the Giro.

Tirreno-Adriatico used to have the better route in recent years, it also has an awesome trophy
Both races deserve a really strong startlist with many big names, if Quintana would ride Tirreno both races would have a great startslist, but he probably wants to peak for Pais Vasco and not for T-A.

 

[Velolover2]

You're right about they both deserve a great startlist. And even more important, they deserve some well-prepared contestants. In Paris-Nice, we have the best riders showing up. Froome vs. Contador. Dauphine 2014 is the closest we have gotten to a battle between them at peak level. Hope we'll see such a match again as soon as possible.

But in Tirreno Adriatico, there are more potential winners. I can't even pick one. I don't think Nibali will be at 100% when he is preparing for the Giro.

 

[OlavEH]

Seems like a great route:

- Dirt tracks near the finish of the stage on stage 1.
- To times up Mont Brouilly incl. stage finish on stage 3.
- Long uphill finish to Madone d'Utelle on stage 6.
- Classic Nice hilly stage on stage 7.

This must certainly be the best Paris-Nice route in many years.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Re: Re:

Rain on stage 7 would be awesome, with rain and cold weather that stage is goning to be brutal, Sky and Porte would probably hate a rainy stage 7.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6elLGSHuMU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMZA-pkBsE

You are right: I will be doing a rain dance during the stage

Rain is all contador's hope for these days.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Seems stage 1 will have some gravel sections:
https://twitter.com/Roussemarion/status/697438541136142336

 

[BigMac]

Wish P-N would give the 2014 route another try. Though it's been here longer, the climbing approach to this race gives it an undesired Dauphiné scent in my opinion.

 

[johnymax]

The profiles of all stages are up on PCS.

http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=163630&c=6&stat_id=199

 

[cantpedal]

Re: Re:

To turn it around if they would race on Verbier, would you say "I fear for Froome cause Contador once crushed the VAM record there"? Of course not, it's ludicrous.

of course not, but by saying 'As long as Contador is in great shape he's got nothing to worry about', you strongly hint bertie's great shape is humanly almost impossible to surpass of course, he can climb like froome and porte and even better but every season each of them should prove he climbs better than anyone else. sports is all about it. had contador really thought the way you do - i have nothing to worry about- he wouldn't have become a legendary athlete.

Of course depending on who wins half of us will be saying my favorite is the best ever the other half will be saying my guy was sick or hurt and would have crushed everyone a few years ago when he was in peak form

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Wish P-N would give the 2014 route another try. Though it's been here longer, the climbing approach to this race gives it an undesired Dauphiné scent in my opinion.

It isn't P-N without the Col d'Èze time trial and a stage like this year's stage 7.

 

[railxmig]

I've decided to wait checking out Paris-Nice untill the profiles are uploaded. I've heard about this sterrato circut - very nice and interesting approach. Never thought that ASO would decide for sth like that. In my Dauphine i was thinking about finishing in Romans-sur-Isère, but couldn't find any good place to have it. Very poor quality satelite images of this particular region didn't help the matter.

I was checking Madone d'Utelle for like five months, but couldn't decide if road is good enough condition for a smaller french race (the road is very poor and narrow, space on the top seems to be quite acceptable for basic installations). In my hypothetical stage i would maybe use Col de Saint-Léger, Col de Saint-Raphaël (Puget-Théniers - La Penne) and Col de Vé Gautier as a run-in.

Chalet Reynard with descend on the less known east side. Another place, where i was wondering for some time (for my TdF). I've actually left a hypotethical Dauphine/Paris-Nice breakaway stage using east side of Ventoux and then the Suzette road (D90 north of Carpentras) with a cat. 3 hill and finish in Carpentras on Avenue Jean Jaurès/Place de Verdun.

Wish P-N would give the 2014 route another try. Though it's been here longer, the climbing approach to this race gives it an undesired Dauphiné scent in my opinion.

It isn't P-N without the Col d'Èze time trial and a stage like this year's stage 7.

Lack of good medium mountain Nice stage is kind of disappointing. It could be fine, but there's just too many space between Èze and Peille. I wouldn't mind Èze if only there was another 15-20km TT. Otherwise it doesn't seem like a very bad route. Utelle is a fine climb and sterrato on stage 1 is an interesting design choice and knowing north french weather in march it can be problematic (Giro '10). I consider the 2014 design as emm... bad. I don't even remember if there was any place to gain any time, a route for punchy finishers like half-shape Michelin Guy. Maybe if at least Fayence stage had been more challenging before Col de Bourigaille.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yea, I didn't like the 2014 route, it was an interesting experiment, but the Fayence stage needed to be more like the 2009 stage there, and while it didn't need a big MTF (there's no need for a BIG mountain in Paris-Nice, something like Mende in 2010 or Mont Faron in 2007 will suffice) something with some more significant gaps to be opened would have been ideal. 2011 would have been fine had the time trial not been so long that it killed the racing afterwards, and if the execrable Biot stage hadn't had those horrible loops afterward. 2010's Tourettes-sur-Loup stage that Tondó won is a good Paris-Nice penultimate mountain stage.

The desire to have a Promenade des Anglais stage AND finish with the Col d'Èze TT led to some absolutely hideous stages like the de Gendt breakaway one in 2012 - nobody was ever going to dare to take any risks on attacking there with an MTT the next day. There really isn't space to have both the Nice-Nice loop stage with La Turbie and the Col d'Èze that worked so well from 2008-11 AND the Col d'Èze MTT, so they should probably alternate them. The Col d'Èze TT isn't a particular favourite of mine as I prefer the short loop stage, but it is traditional.

 

[jens_attacks]

i hope the col d'eze itt will be back. but never as the last stage, just blocks the race.

 

[TMP402]

Re:

i hope the col d'eze itt will be back. but never as the last stage, just blocks the race.

So the TT then the stage Gallopin won last year would encourage the most exciting racing.