Race Design Challenge II

[Eshnar]

Re:

Iter per Imperium Romanum is the best. I thought per took the genitive and imperium was third declension. Thank god my GCSE is next year

Hey, I'm no Latin teacher, so don't trust me too much I am pretty sure "per" needs accusative, but it could also be ablative... surely not genitive tho

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Iter per Imperium Romanum is the best. I thought per took the genitive and imperium was third declension. Thank god my GCSE is next year

Hey, I'm no Latin teacher, so don't trust me too much I am pretty sure "per" needs accusative, but it could also be ablative... surely not genitive tho

No genitive would be Greek with δια, you are right with accusative

At least I have an excuse now, I can just say I mixed it up with Greek

 

[Cannibal72]

Just dropped in to ask if the people called Romans, they go in the house.

 

[rghysens]

To the judge(s) who wondered why I started in Smyrna:
In my original design I started in Constantinople, but I couldn't get the pacing of my stages right then, I would venture for too long in the eastern Roman empire and I thought I wouldn't be the only one starting there.

On Turkish roads:
Those of you who take a closer look at my designs, will notice that some of the roads I used in Turkey are rather wide. Similar roads would never be used in a cycling race in France, Belgium, The Netherlands or Italy (maybe in Spain). I hesitated if I should use them and decided to do so when I noticed that the Presidential Tour of Turkey used these kind of roads every year (f.e. the major road beween Alanya and Antalya).

Over to stage 2.

Mare Nostrum, stage 2: Smyrna – Ephesus; 137km, flat

The official start of the race is on the outskirts of Smyrna and the course heads west, along the southern shore of the bay of Izmir for about 25km.

By the town of Güzelbahçe the peloton turns to the south, crossing the isthmus that connects the Karaburun peninsula with mainland Turkey. At the town of Seferihisar, the course heads northeast, to the artificial lake with the same name.

Fifteen kilometer later the peloton can enjoy the views on a second artificial lake, this time on the Kavak Deresi, before it heads to the little village Eski Orhanli. Soon after the peloton reaches the Aegean coastline again. This time it will be followed for forty kilometer, meanwhile passing the site of ancient Lebedos. Once this was a minor city of the Ionian league, that flourished a while under Roman rule, when it was a temporary meeting point of all Ionian actors and host of a festival in honor of Dionysius. Today its scanty remains are even barely drawing the attention of archeologists, but there will be an intermediate sprint.

With 5 km to go, the course turns inland and leads us to the remains of Ephesus, near current Selçuk. The finish will be next to the site of the former Artemistemple of Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of antiquity. Sadly enough, all that remains is one measly column, put upright for some vague reason. On the site is a Seljuq mosque and towering above the plain an Ottoman castle.

The past few years Selçuk has made an appearance a few times in the presidential tour of Turkey, with a mtf to a nearby mountain sanctuary. But given the theme of this race design challenge, this stage isn’t about Selçuk, it’s about Ephesus and its remains.

Climbs:
Seferihisar Climb: km47; 1.7km @ 5.3%; 4th cat
Seferihisar Dam Climb: km50.5; 1.5km @ 4.1%; 4th cat
Beyler Climb: km60; 4.1km @ 3.8%; 4th cat
Eski Orhanli Climb: km71; 2.9km @ 5.4%; 3rd cat
Ahmetbeyli Climb: km120.5; 1.5km @ 5.1%; 4th cat

Roman landmark sprint:
Lebedos, km 92

A little bit of history repeating:
Ephesus was founded in the 10th century BC by Greek colonists. They already built a temple dedicated tot he godess Artemis. After a long period as an semi-independent city-state (like so many other Greek colonies in Asia Minor), it was conquered by king Croesus of the Lydian empire. In his turn, he was defeated by the Persians and Ephesus became a part of the vast Persian empire. After Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, Ephesus became one of the prime cities of the Hellenistic world. Shortly after Alexanders reign, the reconstructed Artemistemple was finished and would become one of the seven wonders of antiquity. In it biggest extent it was over 120m long and 70m wide (that's the size of a football field), with the roof being supported by over 100 marble columns. In the early 3rd century BC the harbour silted up and the resulting marshes caused malaria plagues, so it was decided to relocate the city a few miles. At about the same time the population rose above 100.000, as the inhabitants of nearby Colophon and Lebedos were forced to relocated when their cities were destroyed. In this period the Seleucid and Ptolemaic successor states of Alexander the Great clashed about the control over Ephesus, and later the city would fall tot he Attalid dynasty of Pergamum (likewise Smyrna) and later Rome. During the Roman era it eclipsed Pergamum in importance. According to the Greek geographer and historian Strabo, it was second in importance and size only to Rome (but that is probably an exaggeration). The population rose to around 150.000. A continuous building program with houses, temples and theatres greatly enhanced the splendor of the city.

The pax Romana was a period of wealth and tranquility, even the city's gates were rather cerebrational

Ephesus also became an important centre for early christianity, with the apostle Paul living in the city.
All this came to an end in 263 AD, when the Goths razed the city and temple, and the city declined. Emperor Constantine, however, rebuilt much of the city and it remained important during the early Byzantine empire. Earthquakes, silting up of the harbour and Arab sacks in the 7th century hastened the decline. When the Seljuq Turks conquered it in 1090, it was just a small village. Later it was completely abandonned for nearby Ayasulug (present-day Selçuk),which was protected by a medieval castle and sheltered a naval base.
Today, however, it revives a bit as prime tourist attraction.

Total racing distance: 152.5km

 

[mb2612]

Via Roma Stage 2 Vercellae ( Vercelli) --> Bergintrum (Bourg-Saint-Maurice) 245km
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam - Hannibal Barca

Stage 2 of Via Roma and we have moved about 100 km North East, to the town of Vercellae. Vercellae was initially the capital of a Ligurian tribe, the Libici, before becoming an important town in the Roman Empire. It was also the site of a decisive victory against a tribe called the Cimbri, who invaded with 210,000 men, having marched across Europe, possibly starting in Jutland. Apparently, the sun shining off the Roman armour convinced the CImbri tat the sky was on fire, and utilising this advantage, the Roman's attacked, routing first the cavalry and then the infantry. This victory ended the threat to Rome from the Germanic tribes for over 500 years.

The 210,000 troops in the Cimri Army is 7 times the size of the army Hannibal brought through the Alps, and it is him who we aare honouring with todays stage, as we follow his route in reverse. The rout heads north west to Eporedia (Ivrea) which is the first place where Hannibal properly encamped after leaving the Alps. The riders the go into the foothills of the Alps, up the valley Hannibal travelled down to the days sprint point in Augusta Prætoria (Aosta).

Augusta Prætoria was a Roman military encampment, at the confluence of the Great and Little St Bernard passes, giving it significant strategic importance. The Roman walls are still standing, to a significant extent, as are parts of the ancient theatre.

Finally, the stage crosses the Alps, like Hannibal taking the Col du Petit St-Bernard, which is 22.4 km at 5.2%, a category 1 climb. The first proper climb of the race, while it is unlikely to be decisive, this climb is guaranteed to force a selection of the top 20 or so riders, and should force everyone to be in decent shape early in the race, increasing the likelihood of riders falling away in week 4.

Once over the top of the climb there is 30km of descending through the Tarentaise Valley into Bergintrum, making it likely that a breakaway stays away, as it will be tough work for the peloton to close more than a minute, although the lusture of a leaders jersey may well tempt a team or two into action.

The Tarentaise Valley was home to the Centrones tribe, who initially guided Hannibal through the valley, before staging an ambush around the town of Seez, 5vkm from the end of today's stage. They stood on he higher ground, and threw rocks and rolled boulders at the Carthaginians, however Hannibal had kept his rearguard armed and ready for such a deception, which enabled him to hold them to sundown, after which the Centrones ran away.

There is not much to note about Bergintrum itself during Roman times, however given it's location, and as it's name translates as the city between the mountains, it is likely that it was a key resting point for anyone crossing the Alps via the little St-Bernard pass.

 

[Brullnux]

Iter per Imperium Romanum Stage 2: Perinthus - Ainos 181.7km

Not the most exciting stage by any stretch of the imagination, but in a 4 week race you have to have some flat sprint stages to make it even slightly realistic, which it already I admit isn't, with 500km stages and 4 weeks. But still, I felt you had to have a few of these.

The day starts in Perinthus, a Roman town that was the capital of the province Europa between 300-600 AD, during the time of the East Roman Empire. It spanned from Constantinople to what is now effectively the Greek border.

We follow on a coastal road to Bisanthe, the intermediate sprint which counts towards its jersey, another important roman/greek town, before heading on the long straight Roman road to the destination. Unfortunately, there is very little to speak of per se, before the finish in Ainos. There is a big chance of crosswinds should the winds be blowing, as all the roads are very exposed and straight. I expect it to be a big bunch sprint, but there could be echelons, hopefully.

Not muchof a write up and a pretty boring stage, sorry. Stage 3 will be better, I swear

 

[Gigs_98]

CONSTANTINOPOLIS-ROMA stage 2: Perinthos - Burdipta

After an opening TT on the 2nd day there is a very typical stage for this tour, a long flat transitional stage. Unfortunately I had to do this in a race which should cover a very big area, so don't be surprised about a few stages like this. Anyway I visit a few very interesting Roman places and the first road stage usually is quite interesting anyway.
One reason for that is that the first road stage decides who may wear the mountain and sprinters jersey. And especially the mountain points competition could make the early parts of the stage interesting because after only 45 kilometers there is the first categorized climb of the tour, an ascent to the town Kayi. As you can see on the profile this "climb" could also be described as false flat, but there is a short descent in the middle of the climb and another short flat section near the top, so the low gradient doesn't show how steep the ascending parts actually are. (ofc. still not steep but with at least a with a few stretches of over 5%) What makes this ascent interesting is that it comes early in the stage so the strong of the break will be quite big considering that whoever is first at the top gets the lead in the mountain points competition. And the fight on the climb itself will ofc. also be interesting.
Besides that the route is flat with the exceptions of a few short ascents, including one short bump near the finish which could maybe even make it a bit more difficult for Kittel like sprinters.

The area in which the stage takes place is still very near to Istanbul, so this was a very densely populated area with many big towns. One of them is the city where the stage starts, Perinthos, or as it is called today "Marmara Ereğlisi Adliyesi". (btw, there are often many names for the cities I use, and I just use the name which I have read most often) This port used to be very commercially important since it was located at a famous trade route. This made the city very important and before Konstantin, this town was even more important than Constantinopolis. Today there are a few museums where you can see Roman mosaics and items. The majority of the city is however mostly buried or destroyed, so unfortunately tourists cannot see the biggest parts of the town anymore.

After the start the route goes through many relatively unknown Roman towns like Bisanthe, Drousipara, or Burtudizon. However there are also two more famous cities, where the two intermediate sprints will take place. First of all "Arcadiopolis", or as it is known today, Lüleburgaz. This city is known for the Battle of Arcadiopolis in 970, where the Byzantine Army managed to defeat the Bulgarian invaders.
The 2nd intermediate sprint is in Hadrianoupolis, a town with slightly less Roman history, but very impressive Roman landmarks like this Theater.

The finish is located in Burdipta, a comparatively unknown Roman town. However it's a part of the Greek mythology because legends say there was a fight between Zeus and Hera taking place near to the town which is now known as Svilengrad. The Romans used the city mainly to protect an important bridge which crossed the river Maritsa here. The bridge probably was very important because Burdipta was located on the Via Militaris one of the most important Roman roads on the Balkan Peninsula.

(This bridge isn't exactly the one I was talking about, since the Roman bridge was destroyed. This is a medieval bridge which stands however at the same place)

The Golden kilometer of the stage is located between the two intermediate sprints on a slightly ascending road which should make the fight for points and bonus seconds even harder. I decided to put it there, because it's likely that the break is caught at this point, so it might make even more riders thinking about going into the stage, since you could get the points jersey and maybe even the leaders jersey due to the bonus seconds and probably only relatively small time gaps after the opening TT.

Ps: I just saw that my first 40 kilometers or so are the same as in Brullnux's stage.

 

[Eshnar]

Judge 1:

rghysens: T 2 C 5
We're still in early stage flat stages I appreciate that, but Ephesus is an excellent choice.

mb2612: T 4 C 3
A nice early GC shake-up, it will sort the contenders from the pretenders without opening big time gaps. Good reason for PSB, but so many options in Aosta that are hard to take up so early in the race.

Brullnux: T 3 C 3
As Brullnux themselves posted, a fairly straightforward stage for early in the race. You'll need some in a four week race, though.

Gigs: T 2 C 4
Due to the vagaries of the scoring system, I've fudged it so that Gigs and Brullnux get the same overall total for their very similar stages, although this one just about shades it for cultural points.

Judge 2:

Gigs_98 T: 2 C:3
Few people like flat stages, and I'm no exception. On the other hand, they are very common in the first week, and at least there will be battle for 2 jersey's

Brullnux T:2 C1:
Stage 2 and still no KoM jersey? I like the chances for echelons, though hopefully the peloton will be less nervous than in a certain lesser, more overrated race

Rghysens T:2 C:4
Hopefully there will be a bit of battle for the KoM. I like that the stage is short.

mb2612 T:5 C5:
I love it. A stage where dozens of riders will fancy their chance for the leader's jersey, and a lot of possible action, on a pass that was climbed by an army of such legend so long ago.


Judge 3:

Gigs_98 T: 2 C: 2
Pretty underwhelming

Brullnux T: 2 C: 2
See above

Rghysens T: 3 C: 4
I like the location a lot. Course is my idea of a sprint stage. Make the fast men work a bit. Will be a sprint, but finale may take a bit out of the speedsters.

mb2612 T: 4 C: 3
If you are starting a GT with a flat stage, this is the way to follow it up.

Judge 4:

rghysens: T: 3 C: 5
Flat along the coast... the only good type of flat. Also, the finish location is perfect.

Gigs_98: T: 2 C: 3
See Brullnux

Brullnux: T: 2 C: 3
See Gigs...

mb2612: T: 5 C: 4
I like the idea of an easy mountain stage straight off the blocks. Celebrating Hannibal would have been more effective if you had crossed the Alps the right way though...

CLASSIFICATION FOR STAGE 2:

mb2612: 33
rghysens: 28
Gigs_98: 20
Brullnux: 18

CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 2:

mb2612: 56
rghysens: 55
Gigs_98: 50
Brullnux: 47

 

[Gigs_98]

CONSTANTINOPOLIS-ROMA stage 3: Philippopolis - Serdica (186 km)

Unfortunately my race isn't in any mountain range yet so the 3rd stage still is relatively easy. However there are the first relatively hard climbs and the first really good chance for attackers.

The stage starts in Philippopolis (Plovdiv). The city which was once conquered by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alaxander the Great, was ruled by the Romans from 72 BC until the 5th century. Like yesterdays finishing town it was a economically important city because it was located at the Via Militaris. The most famous landmarks of the city are a Roman stadium and a Roman theater, which was accidentally found 15 meters under the earth and it took 10 years to excavate it.

The route follows the Via Militaris and passes the Roman city Bessapara (Pazardzhik), where the first intermediate sprint will take place after only 36 kilometers. This should cause a very fast first hour since some sprinters teams will maybe try to keep the peloton together so their sprinters can take some points. After this sprint the stage gets hilly and after 75 kilometers there is the first categorized climb, the 4th category ascent to the town Bata. Shortly after that the riders pass another Roman town, which today is called Panagyurishte, unfortunately I didn't find out the Roman name but there is a thracian temple only a few kilometers away from the town.
After about 100 kilometers of stage 3 the first 2nd category climb of the race starts. This ascent is over 6% steep for the majority of the climb but flattens out a bit at the end. Anyway this climb ridden at a high pace might hurt a few pure sprinters and ofc. this is also an important point for the fight for the mountain jerey. There isn't a long descent after the top, only a short downhill section before another short bump. Generally the next kilometers never are really flat but there also aren't any long climbs or descents. After about 130 kilometers there is the 2nd intermediate sprint in the Roman station Sparata (Vakarel) and a few kilometers later there is the golden kilometer.

The last highlight of the stage is the final climb of the day, the 3rd category ascent to the village Bistritsa. If the break is still in front there will be an interesting fight for the stage here, if the peloton has caught them many attackers will try to get away from the sprint trains. Anyway, this climb should be fun to watch.
The finish is in Serdia, the city which is today known as Sofia and is the capital of Bulgaria. The Antique history of this city is more or less the same as of Philippopolis. Conquered by Philip II of Macedon, important because located at the Via Militaris,... The most famous Roman landmark is probably this Roman church built in the 4th century.

 

[Brullnux]

Iter per Imperium Romanum Stage 3: Maroneia - Neapolis

The third stage starts off in Maroneia, which during Greek and Roman times was immensely famous for its wine production, like the Soave of the classical era. It was also mentioned as the Ismaros in Homer's Odyssey.

The important part of where this stage is set is the country: Greece.

I feel that it is impossible to pay homage to the Roman Empire without also acknowledging the importance that the mighty Greeks played in its success. While the Roman army was second to none in its time, the Greek culture, architecture and intelligentsia was above that of the Romans. In fact, the Romans were not afraid to take may ideas and tips from the buildings and plays and poems written by the Greeks. The rest of my first week, I will tell you in advance, takes place in the location whose power which preceded the Roman Empire, and without which I don't think the Roman empire would've reached the same heights. The 'other' empire of the classical era deserves its proper respect, in my opinion.

Anyway, back to the race: After about 100km of flat, there is the first categorised climb of the whole race, as one of the judges pointed out. We start big, with a first category climb. The climb is a long, mostly pretty gentle climb, that occasionally does peak out at over 8% or 9%. Then a tricky and steep descent follows, before another climb, shorter and at a similar average gradient. However, it does has an initial steeper section of about 4 at 7%.

The next climb is probably the most taxing in terms of gradient, with the gradient in the second half kicking up to having a 2km stretch at 8.5%. Still, nothing too hard. A bit of rolling terrain precedes the final climb of the day, a long drag unfortunately on wide Vuelta-like roads. However, after 230km in the saddle, it should prove difficult nonetheless. The descent is pretty simple before the finish in Neapolis, now Kavala, which is also pretty nontechnical. It hangs pretty evenly in the balance between a late attacker, of which there should be many so they can wear the aurum jersey, and a reduced bunch sprint.

Neapolis wasn't a particularly important or well-known Roman town, but it was important as a base for Brutus and Cassius for the Battle of Philippi, and also as the landing point for the Apostle Paul. It was, actually, an important harbour. It became much more important during the Byzantine period.

Perhaps worth mentioning it also follows the Via Egnatia for a bit, albeit the new one, not the old narrow barely cobbled one.

 

[rghysens]

Re: Mare nostrum stage 3

Mare Nostrum, stage 3: Ephesus – Hierapolis: 253km; medium mountains

We’re leaving the coastline of Mare Nostrum behind and will venture inland for a few days.
The official start of the third stage is on the outskirts of Selçuk, the modern town near ancient Ephesus.
Soon the peloton has to climb the hillrange that separates the valley of the Küçük Menderes from the Menderes river. The peloton will enter the latter after 30km. The Menderes valley is an approximately 10 to 15km wide agricultural flatland, intersparsed with numerous irragation canals.

Above all, the ancient name of the river – Meander – became, due to its winding course, proverbial for anything sinuous. Already in antiquity the fertile plain saw the founding of several cities and villages. 52km into the stage, the peloton will pass Tralles, current Aydin, which was a prosperous trading center that commanded the road from Ephesus to the Anatolian inland. From the Roman era there are remains of a gymnasium and a theatre in a park on the northern edge of town.

Its most famous son was Anthemius of Tralles, who was the co-architect of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
The peloton will continue to follow the Meander upstream and reach ancient Nysa after 83km. According to Greek mythology the birthplace of the god Dionysus, the city was a centre of learning, specialised in the study of Homeric literature. Roman era remains include a library, a theatre and a bouleuterion (senate).

Still, Nysa doesn’t mark the end of the Meander valley. It will take another 35km before we turn right and head for the valley of the ancient Orsinus, a tributuary of the Meander. A few kilometers later the peloton passes the sole wall segment that attests the former existence of Antiochia ad Meandrum, a city with little history, apart from the battle that was fought here in 1211 between the Byzantines and Turks.

Thirty km uphill false flat along the course of the river leads the peloton to Aphrodisias, the remains of an ancient city named after the godess Aphrodite.

The extensive ruins include a monumental gate, a theatre, the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, a stadion and much more. On site you can still find some intricate ornamented sarcophagi.
Leaving Aphrodisias and with 65km to go, the peloton heads for the mountains north of town.
The minor climb to Isiklar is a warm up for the first real difficulty of the day: the climb over the flanks of the Akdag.
This will break the peloton apart, since only the GC contestants and their helpers will have reason the hold on. The irregular 25km long descent leads to the valley of the Lycus, another tributuary of the Meander. The crossing of this plain takes 20km and may give us some glimpses on today's finish location: present-day Pamukkale. The city contains a lot of mineral hot springs which deposited limestone on the hillsides, resulting in pools of calcareous water on white-colored terraces and looking like a “cotton castle” (pamuk kale in Turkish).

We will not go directly to the city, but make a detour through the mountains on the right bank of the Lycus. First Climbing to Uzunpinar with 25km to go and then, after a while on a plateau, the quick descent to the finish, located on the hill above the modern town. The final dash to the line is a short 400m long climb at 6%.
Crowning the “pamuk kale” is the ancient city Hierapolis, meaning sacred city. Founded in or before the 3rd century BC, the first thermal baths were built here in the early 2nd century BC. In 60AD the city was severly damaged due to an earthquake, but with imperial financial support, it was rebuild in Roman style.

In the 7th century it became damaged after another earthquake and Persian raids and it slowly declined, being abandonned in the 14th century.
Today the main attractions on the site are the theatre, that’s still being used for performances, the vast necropolis and city gates.

Climbs:
Acarlar climb: km9.5; 4.6km @ 4.6%; 3rd cat
Isiklar climb: km156; 2.7km @ 5.6%; 4th cat
Akdag climb: km 167.5; 10.4km @ 7.2%; 1st cat
Uzunpinar climb: km228; 10km@ 7.8%; 1st cat

Roman landmark sprints:
Tralles: km52
Nysa: km83
Antiochia ad Meandrum: km122
Aphrodisias: km 149

Total distance raced: 405.5km

 

[mb2612]

Via Roma Stage 3 Lugdunum (Lyon) --> Alesia ( Mont-Auxois)
Id bellum se suscepisse non suarum necessitatium, sed communis libertatis causa demonstrat - Vercingetorix

The third stage of Via Roma starts in the Eastern suburbs of modern Lyon(in part because it's tight up against the 150km limit). Lugdunum was founded in 43 BC by the Romans as it's strategic location meant that it was an excellent place to build a stronghold. It quickly grew in importance, and became the functional capital of Gaul. In fact, the first, non-Italian born emperor, Clausius, was born in Lugdunum. In 197 AD the city was the host the the Battle of Lugdunum, which might have been bloodiest inter-Roman battle of all time. The looting following the battle, combined with Roman administrative reorganisation, meant that Lugdunum never re-hit the heights it scaled in the first 2 centuries AD.

The stage heads north out of Lugdunum, and after 70km hits the days intermediate sprint, in Matisco (Macon). In 1764 over 300,000 coins, among other treasure, was discovered in Matisco, unfortunately, it all disappeared soon after, with only the below 8 statuettes remaining, in the British museum.

The stage continues, following the Arar (Saône) river north another 90 km before we hit the town of Beaune, after which the stage stops following the valley, and instead takes in 7 short sharp climbs, including the uphill dash to the line in Alesia.

The first 4 climbs, are disigned to soften up the legs of the sprinters, and leave open the possibility of a team really stringing things out All 7 are classified as category 3, giving the breakway a chance of stealing the mountain jersey from yesterdays leader, which should enliven the first few climbs. With 90 km to go the first climb is 5km at 4.0%, 20km later, this time slightly shorter, 3.4km at 4.7%. This is followed by a smoother 3.6km climb at 3.6% with 60km left to ride, and then another 2.6 km at 6.0% 15 km later.

Moving into the final 25km of the stage 3 climbs separate the riders from the finish. First 3.2km at 4.9%, cresting with just over 20km to go, before the penultimate climb of 3.8km at 4.7%, which peaks 7.6km from the finish. THe constant up and down of the terrain, plus the massive distance, should have shredded the peloton, and there is no flat section to allow a regrouping, before the final 1.4km of climbing at 4.9% to the finish atop Alesia (Mont-Auxois).

Alesia was the final stand of Vercingetorix, who lead a major rebellion against roman rule in 52 BC. Having won a phyric victory in Gergovia, Vercingetorix retreated with his army to the hilltop stronghold of Alesia. In response, knowing that the town could not be taken by force, Caesar laid siege to Alcesia, however as Gallic reinforcements were on their was Caesar built a bizarre donut shaped fortification, where his army was both encircling Vercingetorix, and being encircled by his reinforcements. This formation paid off however, as the fortifications enabled the Romans to keep the two Gallic armys apart, and win the day, after which Vercingetorix rode to Caesar and threw down his sword and armour and accepted defeat, capture, and his eventual execution.

 

[Eshnar]

Judges are a bit behind on schedule ^^" sorry. The votes will come tomorrow morning. In the meantime you're all free to post stage 4 if you need.

 

[Tonton]

Alesia finish, yes. I had one in Gergovia in my preparation for this. Sorry that I have too much work going on to participate . Did anybody think about a murito, Mur de Golgotha finish?

Congrats to all. It's a big undertaking. I want to see a sprint finish in north Africa, by a coliseum, where back in the day was a nasty gladiator: Nacer Cofidis .

Gosh, I wish I was doing this. Good luck to you all.

 

[Eshnar]

Judge 1:

Gigs_98 T: 3 C: 3
I am going to give you decent enough cultural marks here, because I like GTs visiting cities of reasonable size and I once had a big crush on a girl from Sofia. And I like the route for a flat stage. So you have "parred" the third hole!

Brullnux T: 5 C: 2
For me, this is what a medium mountain stage in the first week should be about. The location of the stage doesn't set the pulse racing.

Rghysens T: 4 C: 4
You're winning me over with your sprints at Roman landmarks, That is a nice touch that adds to your stages. Very interesting part of the world for your stage finish, I actually just spent 10 minutes reading about it. The stage itself is very nice, too. I wonder how good the roads are for a descent here, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

mb2612 T: 3 C: 3
Pretty interesting start and finish locations. The route is a good route, I might be a little bit harsh, but the climbs won't shake the field out as much as one would think. Still if every GT had a stage like this on Day 3, I would be a happy bunny.


Judge 2:

Gigs_98 T: 2 C: 2
Seems the sprinters will have to work for it

Brullnux T: 3 C: 3
I wouldn't know what to expect and I like that

Rghysens T: 3 C: 4
Stage would be even better without too long flat parts at the wrong moments

mb2612 T: 4 C: 3
Great hilly stage for at this point in the race


Judge 3:

Gigs_98 T: 3 C: 3
Nice transitional stage, however the hills are a bit too easy for my liking. Culturally the location is good, but unfortunately your opponents went for the big ones.

Brullnux T: 4 C: 3
Very well designed medium mountain stage. When I read Neapolis I didn't not think to THAT Neapolis...

Rghysens T: 5 C: 4
Very pretty stage, definitely for GC action already. In general I like when I read start and finish town and don't have to check them out, because I knew them already.

mb2612 T: 4 C: 5
I really like your homage to Alesia. The stage itself looks nice on the profile, but the gradients are a bit underwhelming.

Judge 4:

Gigs: T: 3 C: 4
I like the introduction of fairly little-known Roman heritage in Bulgaria, and the stage is perhaps the most realistic but the least likely of the four to see action.

Brullnux: T: 3 C: 3
A nice stage but the final climb is fairly easy so I expect the break to take it. Plus the cultural points are rather diminished cos I can't count the pre-Roman cultural points!

rghysens: T: 4 C: 3
Again, cultural points are affected by only being able to take the Roman era into account. A nice stage that will sort out the pretenders, though.

mb2612: T: 4 C: 4
A nice hilly stage - not super hard but the length will help make it selective. A theme of honouring those who stood up to the Romans seems to be emerging.


CLASSIFICATION FOR STAGE 3:

rghysens: 31
mb2612: 30
Brullnux: 26
Gigs_98: 23


CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3:

mb2612: 86
rghysens: 86
Gigs_98: 73
Brullnux: 73

 

[rghysens]

Re: mare nostrum stage 4

To the judge that wondered about the quality of the roads: based on satellite images, the roads I used (and will use) are all sealed, but of course there can be the occasional pothole (that can be filled).
To the judge that wondered about the long flats "at the wrong moments": to avoid that the race would fall flat on its back on longish flat sections after hard climbs, I have my bonification system that rewards attacking. So if you attack on a climb, stay in front for a while and then get reeled in, you still are rewarded with some time. So they shouldn't necessarily impede attractive racing.

Anyway, over to stage 4.

Mare Nostrum stage 4: Hierapolis – Sagalassus: 217.5km; hilly + hilltop finish

The peloton leaves the cotton castle for the plain of the Lycus where it passes the remains of Laodicea ad Lycum after 11km, the site of an intermediate sprint. In the Roman era it was home to a great medical school and it received the title of "free city" from Rome, being the chief city of a conventus (a subdivision of a Roman province), that counted 24 cities beside itself.

After circling modern day Denizli the course will head for higher grounds, first by the modest climb to Ovacik, but 15km later by the more difficult climb to Aydinlar, which has a hard middle half of 4.7km at 8.9%. Its short descent is followed by 10km uphill false flat to the third climb of the day. With the rising altitude, the coastal mountain ranges gradually give way to a more rolling terrain, covered with pastures, wheat fields and an occasional orchard.

We’re now entering the broader area of Isparta, a region known for its lakes of volcanic origin and nicknamed the Turkish Lake District. The first of the lakes the peloton will go by is Lake Salda.

Surrounded by white sandy beaches and pine forests, it is a popular tourist destination for Turks, but less so for foreign tourists, who often stay at the coastal areas. Next is the smaller Yarisli lake, before the peloton heads to Burdur and the eponymous lake. Because of its high salinity it doesn’t freeze over in winter and serves as a refuge for migratory birds. The contestants of Mare Nostrum won’t have much time for wildlife spotting, as they soon will head for higher grounds.
With 22km to go they start to tackle the penultimate climb, whose descent has some tight switchbacks before it gives way to a 5km long, more or less straight line, gently descending to modern Aglasun. A sharp left hand turn marks the beginning of the finishing climb, that starts out with two kilometres at slightly less than 5%, before changing into a regular slope of 6.2% with four winding kilometres to go.

(final 20km)


The finish is on the small parking lot at the entrance of ancient Sagalassos.

This Roman site draws the attention because of its beautiful restored Nymphaeum, but also has an excavated theatre and agora and some rock-cut tombs that are so typical for the region.
The city itself already existed before the roman era, but greatly expanded during it. An impressive building program during the reign of emperor Hadrianus saw the construction of the theatre, several temples, thermae and four nymphea (monumental fountains). It was a major exporter of pottery and a bustling trade city because of its location on the Via Sebaste, that connected Antiochia in Pisidia with the mediterrannean ports.

Climbs:
Ovacik climb: km31; 5.4km @ 4.9%; 3rd cat
Aydinlar climb: km55.5; 9.4km @ 6.4%; 2nd cat
Kocapinar climb: km 70.5; 2.6km @ 6%; 4th cat
Salda climb: km106.5; 4.7km @ 4.8%; 3rd cat
Yesilbaskôy climb: km201; 5.4km @ 4.5%; 3rd cat
Sagalassos climb:km 217.5; 6.2km @ 5.6%; 3rd cat

Roman landmark sprint:
Laodicea ad Lycum: km11

Total distance raced: 623km

 

[Gigs_98]

CONSTANTINOPOLIS-ROMA stage 4: Pautalia - Ulpiana (222 km)

Yeah I know, another hilly stage like this isn't ideal but I couldn't really do anything different. At least sprinters get a few chances early in the race, so they have a reason to participate. The problem I have is that the race is currently in Serbia and only to find usable roads in this country is a challenge because the good old "the streets which are yellow on google maps are always usable" rule doesn't work here. Sometimes you can't even see those yellow streets on the satellite pictures because they are rather walkways than streets. I designed the whole first week, had a medium mountian stage with a few hard climbs early in this stage, but then noticed that some gradients on the profile seemed strange to me, so I looked at the streets again and had to remake the majority of the stage. Believe me, there will be mountains soon enough, but just not yet. Anyway this stage isn't even that easy, but I'll write more about that later.

The start of the stage is in Pautalia (Kjustendil) a city which was conquered by the Romans in 45 AD, after the fall of Thrace. Pautalia became a fortress which was economically important because of its position on the street which connected the Serdica on the Via Militaris and Thessaloniki on the Via Egnatia. Due to its location Pautalia became the economical and cultural centre of the region.

What you can see on this picture is what remains of a Roman thermae. It's not really surprising that buildings like this still exist in Pautalia since the first settlers came there because of hot springs.

This church is another famous landmark of Pautalia as it is one of the oldest churches in Bulgaria. It was built in a time when the city was still part of the Byzantine Empire around 10 000 AD.

After the start the road almost always goes uphill for the first 70 kilometers. This will make the first racing hours extremely hard, but because the gradients are never really serious only the last few kilometers uphill are a categorized climb. After a very long descent there is the first intermediate sprint in the Roman station "Anausaro". At this point the longest flat section of the stage starts, while the riders pass a few Roman towns like Vranjska Banja (believe it or not, but this is not the Roman name). Like Pautalia this region was known for its thermaes, and there was a Roman fortress located here which unfortunately doesn't exist anymore.

The 2nd intermediate sprint takes place in Bujanovac, and is one of the few intermediate sprints which don't take place in old Roman towns, because all other Roman settelments wouldn't really make sense from a racing point of view. The race really starts a bit later with the climb to the town Bushovate. The ascent flattens out a bit at the end but especially the start is pretty steep and will definitely hurt some sprinters. There isn't a really long descent so if someone should drop it won't be easy to come back, especially because there is a 2nd climb shortly afterwards. This climb is basically the opposite of the first one since it gets steeper till the end. The ascent never is really steep but again probably steep enough to hurt the sprinter and encourage attacks, especially because the climbs come directly after each other. And even after the descent there is another short bump which I didn't categorize, however I decided that the Golden Mile (I accidentally always called it Golden kilometer in the last write ups) will be there. This way even some riders who are interested in the leaders or points jersey might try something here.
Some of you might know the name of this 2nd climb, which is Novo Brdo. The castle here is one of the Kosovo's most famous landmarks, but unfortunately largely destroyed. And tbh, this is a medieval castle not a Roman, but the mines in this area, which were the reason to build the castle (the people needed a place where they could bring their precious metals, and where it would be safe) were already used in Roman times.

After the last little bump of the stage the rest of the day is slightly downhill until the finish line in Ulpiana, which should also make attacks a little bit more work. Ulipiana was a Roman town which is located a few kilometers southern of todays city Pristina. The city which was first mentioned in 138 AD, was destroyed by an earthquake in 518. The Roman Emperor Justnian rebuilt the town and called it Iustiniana Secunda, since his hometown was called Iustiniana Prima, and is located a bit northern.
Ulpiana:

As I said this is another stage which could be won by sprinters but they won't have an easy day. The two climbs near the end + the uphill golden mile will surely encourage attacks and might generally cause problems for some sprinters if they are raced fast enough. That should mean that the last 50 kilometers could be an interesting battle between attackers, sprinters like Sagan, who don't get dropped on climbs like that, and sprinters like Kittel who will need their teams to bring everything back together. Throw in a strong break and this "sprinters stage" could actually be very entertaining.

 

[Brullnux]

Iter per Imperium Romanum

Thessalonica is one of the few Greek cities that achieved its true potential under Roman control, a thriving trade hub along the Via Egnatia, he most important Roman road in the eastern empire, and it was here were Theodosius the Great, whom I mentioned in the prologue, massacred the 7,000 civilians, in an infamous piece of Roman brutality. Thessalonica was, in actual fact, one of the most important roman cities in (mainland) Greece, possibly the most after Athens.

The whole stage is on roads that were around in Roman times, apart from the last 10km - even the mountain passes. Thus, it might not surprise you that they are not the hardest, but the first especially is still pretty taxing, featuring a 12km portion after the flat section of 7.5%. The second is much easier, and so expect the stage to go either to the break or have a reduced bunch sprint.

On the road, Veria, or Veroia (the first location on the profile which I completely misspelt), is famous for being a key point of worship during Roman times, is the place of the first intermediate sprint. The second in the ancient roman hamlet of Elilmia, and the third in Servia, which as a city reached its peak in the Eastern Roman Empire times.

The finish is in Doliche, built in the Greek era but also flourished under the Romans. It is most important for being under Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods, all of which borrowed by Roman mythology as well.

 

[mb2612]

Via Roma Stage 4 Augustobona Tricassium (Troyes) --> Nemetacum ( Arras) 292 km
There, where I have passed, the grass will never grow again - Attila the Hun

It starts in the city of Augustobona Tricassium, which was well located at a confluence of several roads, and it gradually grew into importance due to that fact. The town was originally know as Augustobona however over time this changed to Tricassium, hence the double barrelled name here. Some remnants of the original Gallic/Roman battlements still remain. Reportedly, when Attila the Hun was ransacking Gaul, Saint Loup, the Archbishop of Augustobona, succesfully hostaged himself to enable Augustobona to avoid getting sacked.

And it's Attila who this stage is dedicated to, as the route heads north towards Catalaunum (Châlons-en-Champagne), for it is here that he was finally turned back in 451 AD, in what is commonly know as the last victory of the Western Roman Empire, in the battle of the Catalaunian Plains. Having sacked Cenabum (Orleans), and bypassed Troyes, Attila was finally forced into a pitched battle by the Roman army, although on both sides there were vassals and goths than Roman's or Huns. The battle itself had an inconclusive outcome, however it finally stopped Attila in his tracks, arguably saving the expansion of Christianity, and allowing Roman rule of Gaul to continue for slightly longer.

After Catalaunum, the stage heads north east, going through the town of Durocortorum (Reims) after 125km. After that, there is a short category 4 climb, 2km at 4.4% just to keep the break interested, before continuing to the sprint point at Viromandis ( Vermand) after roughly 225 km. Viromandis was formerly the capital of the Viromanduens tribe, and is the site of a large burial ground.

The road then continues North, to arrive at the finish town of Nemetacum, after 292km of riding. The name Nemetacum comes from the Celtic for sacred space, so we can assume that the town was originally a religious site of some description. After that, Nemetacum became famous for it's arts and textiles, before being destroyed by Germanic invaders in 406.

 

[Eshnar]

I'm still waiting for a judge and I'm about to go to sleep, so votes will come again tomorrow morning sorry...

 

[Eshnar]

Judge 1:

Gigs_98 T: 3 C: 3
The length of the stage means that the profile looks somewhat tougher, but this is a solid sprint-from-a-reduced-bunch stage that could offer chances to the attacker late on with the golden mile.

Brullnux T: 3 C: 5
Definitely the strongest cultural points here, using only Roman-era roads and starting in Thessaloniki. The stage itself again looks more selective than it is thanks to lowish gradients, should be a reduced sprint.

Rghysens T: 4 C: 3
The cultural points aren't particularly special, but a Roman site enabling a small MTF that will establish the contenders makes this a good early stage.

mb2612 T: 2 C: 4
The length is the one thing that saves this from a racing point of view. With the border towns' heritage this is good from a cultural point of view and the route stands out because it's geographically taking a completely different direction.

Judge 2:

Gigs_98 T: 4 C: 3
I actually like this stage, and I think I will be in a minority among the judges. It is not too hard, offers a realistic chance for attackers, which is all you can really ask for in a flat stage. Culturally, it doesn't really get my juices flowing.

Brullnux T: 2 C: 3
This continues the theme of relatively uninteresting stages from a cultural perspective. Technically, it is okay aswell. Breakaway written all over it, not going to be much interesting racing. I don't know the area, but a minor hill near the end would help.

Rghysens T: 4 C: 3
The stage itself looks good in isolation, I just hope there are going to be a few easier days here and there. I like the profile for a medium mountain stage. Culturally, it is a solid stage,

mb2612 T: 1 C: 5
I love the idea of a stage dedicated to Atilla the Hun. I don't like the way you are in north-eastern France and you haven't gone cobbled. There are a few opportunities for attacking racing here, and you haven't taken them.


Judge 3:

Gigs_98 T: 2 C: 2
Hopefully there will be a bit of tension with the attackers

Brullnux T: 3 C: 5
Plenty of possibilities on this stage. Love that you finish near Mt Olympus

Rghysens T: 3 C: 3
There could be war to get in the breakaway, but I doubt there will be much action at the pointy end of the stage

mb2612 T: 1 C: 3
It's long, it's flat, and it's not a stage I'll be watching from start to finish

Judge 4:

Gigs: T: 3 C: 3
The sprinters will have to work for it, but not so much

Brullnux: T: 4 C: 4
Really a nice stage. The climbs aren't that tough, but for the first week it's perfect.

rghysens: T: 3 C: 4
Cool finish, and the location is great. It lacks a bit of meat in the middle though.

mb2612: T: 2 C: 3
I like long stages, but considering the area this one goes to, wasn't it possible to throw some cobbles in?


CLASSIFICATION FOR STAGE 4:

Brullnux: 29
rghysens: 27
Gigs_98: 23
mb2612: 21


CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 4:

rghysens: 113
mb2612: 107
Brullnux: 102
Gigs_98: 96

 

[mb2612]

Haha, I completely forgot about cobbled roads. The judges are right to put me in last place for that.

 

[Gigs_98]

CONSTANTINOPOLIS-ROMA stage 5: Municipium Dardandanorum - Municipium Celegerorum (174 km)

Finally a mountain/medium mountain stage in my race. I needed some time but I swear it will get harder from now on
The start of the stage is in Municipium Dardanorum (Leposavic) or Municipium Dard... because the real name of the city isn't known, only the first 4 letters so some historians just called it Dardanorum. It originally was built because of the many mines in the area, but the settlement became more and more important and became a typical Roman city.

After only about 20 kilometers the first really hard climb of the race starts, a HC ascent to the skiing area Kopaonik. This isn't a Roman pass, but according to this website there was a mine basically at the top of the climb. The start isn't overly steep and there even is a flat section at the end of the 2nd half, but then the 2nd half is pretty hard, with 10 kilometers at about 8%, with a few sections of over 10%. This climb will cause a very good break, since the break generally will have a good chance on this stage and ofc this climb is very important for the fight for the mountain points jersey.

It's of course hard to say only by looking on the satellite pictures but the street also seems to be in a good condition, and since the street is the only way to reach the skiing area I would be surprised if the road surface is too bad. After the descent there is a pretty long flat section where the break will try to get a decent advantage. The only highlight of this part of the stage is an intermediate sprint in Raska. This city didn't exist in the Roman empire but there is actually a very good explanation why, because only a few kilometers away there is a UNECO cultural heritage, the old Roman town Stari Ras, which translated means "Old Raska". This town exists of two parts, the town in the valley and a fortress on a hill and it was built during the regime of Emperor Justinian I. The city existed for a pretty long time but was destroyed by the Mongols, so the people who lived there built a new town and so the city Raska developed.

Then the 2nd big climb of the stage starts, the 1st category ascent to Odvracenica. This climb is very long, but not as steep as Kopaonik. However ridden at a high pace this will sort out the peloton for the first time in the race and the first favorites who aren't in a good shape might show their weakness for the first time, like Pinot on the Aspin in the tdf this year. This is a 4 week race so it's very likely not all favorites will have their peak at the same time and some riders maybe aren't in top shape yet so it would make sense if a few teams test their opponents. However after the top of this climb there isn't immediately a descent, the next 30 kilometers rather are a steady up and down which will be curial for the fight for the stage. Two of the short climbs in these next 30 kilometers are categorized, first of all the climb to Golija, which is the highest point of the stage and then a little bump to Dajici. Before this last climb there is a very short ascent where the Golden Mile takes place. Again this should encourage attacks, since the finish isn't that far away anymore.

The descent is quite technical but I think the streets are in a pretty good condition (You can see the street here) About 12 kilometers before the finish the real descent ends and the last kilometers false flat, so still slightly downhill. The finish is located in Municipium Celegerorum (Ivanjica) which is like the start town another roman city where the original name isn't known and we actually only know the first 3 letters. The city was built by a celtic tribe, the Celegeri, which is why it doesn't have a very rich Roman history, and there also aren't many Roman landmarks. The most famous one is probably this sprint which the riders pass a few kilometers before the finish.

This first mountain stage surely isn't a typical one. The hardest climbs are quite far away from the finish but still there is hardly any flat after the 1st category climb. I wouldn't expect big battles between the gc favorites yet, but strong teams might already test their opponents. Moreover the fight for the stage victory will be very interesting. The break will probably be pretty big and probably the whole last 75 kilometers will be interesting to watch because the last hard climb comes far away from the finish, thefore the pure climbers basically have to attack relatively early.

 

[Brullnux]

Iter per Imperium Romanum Stage 5: Larissa-Ambrakia

Today's begins in Larissa, one of the most famous classical cities of Greece. Unfortunately, almost all of this city's exploits come on in the wrong classical era. However, like most cities that gained high importance during the Greek times, it also became an important Roman city, becoming the headquarters of the Thessalian league, Thessaly being the region of Greece. Quite a large one too. It was also key in the construction of the Roman Empire, often being mentioned in the civil wars.

The stage itself is largely similar to the previous two days, with a hard climb, some rolling terrain, another climb before the finish. It's similar to Stage 3, but with an easier middle. However, a much more beautiful middle, with it set in the National Park of Tzoumerka, Peristeri and Arachthos Gorge. I know it isn't Roman, but it is beautiful.

The last climb is fairly simple, with a few stretches of 7 or 8 per cent but others where it barely counts as false flat. The descent is fast and technical on narrow roads so it gives an attacker a real chance of a win. I expect a break to take it, because the next day is a very very difficult stage, the first this difficult.

The finish itself is in Ambrakia, nowadays Arta, one of the larger western Greek cities on the mainland, famous for its olive oil.

 

[rghysens]

Mare Nostrum stage 5: Attalea – Coracesium: 224km; medium mountains

After a transfer from Sagalassos to Attalia, modern day Antalya, the peloton will start the third consecutive stage that might affect the GC.
Attalia was founded by king Attalus of Pergamom in 150BC, as naval base for his powerful fleet. Only 17 years later it became part of the Roman empire and quickly grew and prospered, as attested by some remains like the Hidirlik tower or Hadrians gate.

It more or less maintained its position until today, although there were some periods of decline.
The neutralised start is at the Düden park, where the Düden river plunges into the Mediterranean, while the official start is a few kilometres more to the east.
The course isn’t heading straight for today’s finish location. First the peloton will make a cultural excursion to the ruins of Perge, where an intermediate sprint will be contested. Like so many other archeological sites in Asia Minor, it was basically a flourishing Roman city on Hellenic foundations. Perge was a stopover for the apostle Paul on his way to Antiochia in Pisidia and Attalea. One can wonder if he admired the theatre, stadium, impressive walls and gates and baths as much in their original state as tourists nowaday do with their remains.

After 50km of racing (or just cruising around), the course makes a second detour, now to admire the Roman remains of Aspendos. Apart from the ruined basilica and aquaduct, it stands out for one of the best preserved Roman theatres in the whole of the former Roman empire and occasionally still used for performances nowadays.

Three kilometres further up the road the peloton can see the Aspendos bridge, a medieval bridge built on Roman foundations after the original bridge collapsed during an earthquake.
The race continues on flat roads, heading for the third intermediate sprint, this time in Side, after almost 95km. Here the race doesn’t go by the Roman remains, but the helicam can easily zoom in on the Roman agora, the theatre or some of the other edifices.

The next 35km, the course keeps following the coastline,but then a left hand turn leads the peloton inland. With 87km to go, the first climb of the day starts, and it’s a difficult one: 4.2km at over 9%. Halfway the climb, one can have wonderful views on the medieval Alara castle, built on a steep rock.
The final 65km the course serpentines through the lush mountains and hills bordering the Mediterranean.

Finally,after a long and hard day in the saddle, the peloton arrive in former Coracesium, present-day Alanya.

The region of Coracesium (or Korakesion) was used as a base for Cilician pirates who threatened trade in the eastern mediterranean in the late 2nd and early 1st century BCE, and reportedly even plundered on mainland Italy. Several Roman campaigns greatly diminished the danger, and the final blow was dealt by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, who defeated the pirate fleet at the harbour of Coracesium and later laid siege to the city and captured it. Thereafter it would be incorporated in the Roman province of Pamphylia (with Perge as its capital), while the pirates themselves where dispersed over Cilicia. The clearing of the pirate bases was an essential step to establish safe links between Italy and the eastern Mediterranean and made it easier to incorparate Syria in the Roman empire a few years later.

Climbs:
Saburlar climb: km141.5; 4.2km @ 9.3%; 2nd cat
Karamanlar climb: km150; 2.2km @ 8.9%; 3rd cat
Aliefendi climb: km171; 4km @ 4.3%; 4th cat
Kayabasi climb: km186; 8.4km @ 6.3%; 2nd cat
Gedevet climb: km203.5; 5.2km @ 7.7%; 2nd cat

Roman landmark sprints:
Perge: km 24
Aspendos: km 60
Side: km 94.5

Total distance raced: 847km