That is one of the best single stages I've seen you do Libertine. Well done, Yorkshire is full of those hard cobbled climbs and that would make a stunning one-day race.
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Ronde van Vlaanderen
Another Ronde. This time the cobbles at Mater play an important role. First i wanted the Molenberg to be the last helling, but then decided otherwise.
Brugge
Paddestraat (kassei)
1 Molenberg (kassei)
Haaghoek (kassei)
2 Tenbosse
3 Parikeberg
4 Denderoordstraat (kassei)
Geraardsbergen
5 Kapelmuur (kassei)
6 Eikenmolen
7 Valkenberg
8 Foreest
9 Berg ten Houte
Hotond
- map starts here -
10 Oude Kwaremont (kassei, only first half)
Watermolenstraat (kassei)
11 Kalkhoveberg (kassei)
12 Paterberg (kassei)
13 Kuithol
Donderij (kassei)
14 Taaienberg (kassei)
15 Stationsberg (kassei)
16 Koppenberg (kassei, 20 km to the finish)
17 Achterberg
(descent Ladeuze)
18 Eikenberg (kassei, 10 km to the finish)
Holleweg (kassei) *
Karel Martelstraat and Materplein (kassei, part of Kerkgate)
Ruitersstraat (kassei)
Holleweg (kassei) * - that's 3,4 km of nearly uninterrupted cobbles; 3,7 km to the finish
(descent Volkegemberg)
Oudenaarde Markt
left: Ruitersstraat, right: Holleweg
Another Ronde. This time the cobbles at Mater play an important role. First i wanted the Molenberg to be the last helling, but then decided otherwise.
Brugge
Paddestraat (kassei)
1 Molenberg (kassei)
Haaghoek (kassei)
2 Tenbosse
3 Parikeberg
4 Denderoordstraat (kassei)
Geraardsbergen
5 Kapelmuur (kassei)
6 Eikenmolen
7 Valkenberg
8 Foreest
9 Berg ten Houte
Hotond
- map starts here -
10 Oude Kwaremont (kassei, only first half)
Watermolenstraat (kassei)
11 Kalkhoveberg (kassei)
12 Paterberg (kassei)
13 Kuithol
Donderij (kassei)
14 Taaienberg (kassei)
15 Stationsberg (kassei)
16 Koppenberg (kassei, 20 km to the finish)
17 Achterberg
(descent Ladeuze)
18 Eikenberg (kassei, 10 km to the finish)
Holleweg (kassei) *
Karel Martelstraat and Materplein (kassei, part of Kerkgate)
Ruitersstraat (kassei)
Holleweg (kassei) * - that's 3,4 km of nearly uninterrupted cobbles; 3,7 km to the finish
(descent Volkegemberg)
Oudenaarde Markt
left: Ruitersstraat, right: Holleweg
I like this one more, although I would personally put Koppenberg before Donderij and also excluded some of the cobbles after Eikenberg/included Wolvenberg before heading to Oudenaarde.
Also Kanarienberg and Kruisberg would be nice before Hotond.
Also Kanarienberg and Kruisberg would be nice before Hotond.
Stage 6: York - Whitby, 166km
Climbs:
Sutton Bank (cat.1) 1,3km @ 12,7%
Rievaulx Bank (cat.2) 1,0km @ 9,3%
Blakey Bank (cat.1) 2,1km @ 11,9%
Rosedale Chimney Bank (1st Passage)(cat.1) 1,5km @ 11,9%
Rosedale Chimney Bank (2nd Passage)(cat.1) 1,5km @ 11,9%
Heygate Bank (cat.2) 1,6km @ 9,6%
Egton Cliff/Egton Bridge Cow Bank (cat.2) 1,3km @ 9,6%
After the hell that was the Bradford stage, I go easy on the riders today; the stage is 30km shorter and has less than half the number of categorised climbs - and all of them are on tarmac, no less! That doesn't mean that the riders will especially thank me of course, as yesterday will have really taken a lot out of them, and today is still a very difficult stage that will cause a lot of the rouleurs to get found out, and hopefully some of the puncheurs that lost a bunch of time on the cobbles will see an opportunity to make some time back and make this one fun from distance too - as whereas yesterday's race could have become exciting from attrition alone, that is in play today, but not as much as a standalone stage as yesterday; some of today's climbs after yesterday's efforts will really grind down the riders though. And while yesterday was all about hellingen, today is all about côtes.
As you may know, my generosity and kindness knows few bounds, and as a result, the riders get a first hour that is mostly relaxed, with nearly 50km of comfortable flat riding before the climbs begin. But when they come, they announce themselves quite suddenly with the emergence of the North York Moors coming as a sudden and violent change of scenery from the flatness of the early stage. The first climb is Sutton Bank, a famous hill in these parts and one of Britain's best-known climbs, which gets up to some fearsome gradients on its short but very sharp ascent. Although this is a major road, it is a very nasty climb and as one of the few climbs in the area with a car park and visitor centre at the top, I can imagine we will see a summit finish here in the ToB or the new Yorkshire race at some point.
After Sutton Bank we leave the big road alone, and turn off onto the narrow country lanes that will make up the bulk of today's racing, which will also make it harder to control. Soon we pass the wonderfully preserved Rievaulx Abbey, precursor to Rievaulx Bank (that sign is at the top, btw), our second categorised climb; a little shorter and not as steep, it gets a 2nd category rating, but it's still a nice short, sharp shock and a puncheur's special. After descending this we rejoin the main road at Helmsley until Kirkbymoorside, then a bit of gradual up-and-down on narrow roads north of the latter leads us into the important body of the stage. This starts just after the halfway point in the stage, with the ascent of the challenging Blakey Bank, with multiple gradients over 15% and a max of 20%. It's a scenic one, too, as you can see. The signage also warns us. There's actually a bit of climbing that follows the summit of this climb as we head up into the Moors, but this is much easier than the body of the climb and isn't included in the categorised climbing. There's about 10k between the actual end of climbing and the start of the next one... and it's a pretty serious one.
Although it is not as long as Blakey Bank and has the same average gradient, Rosedale Chimney Bank has really grown to become one of the most well-known British climbs, often suggested by fans for inclusion in the hope of making a truly vicious Tour of Britain. The signs warn of the suffering, and although the 33% noted on the sign may be a slight exaggeration (Brentacol gives a barely-more-than-false-flat 29,8% as the maximum), this one is still unrelenting torment- only the first 100m and the last 150m are under a leg-breaking 12% gradient! Therefore, though the climb itself is short and tops out with all of 63km remaining, many riders distanced will need all of the 16km of descent and rolling terrain that follows the climb just to make contact with the leaders again.
Unfortunately for them, if they've done all that work to get back, I have some bad news in store for them: the next climb is a second ascent of Rosedale Chimney Bank. At least the views are nice while their legs are screaming at them. Again, there is a 16km break of respite here as, perhaps luckily for the less blessed climbers, Rosedale Chimney Bank comes up the side of a steep, er, bank, but there are few climbs it can be immediately connected to. And so we crest it for the second time with 45km remaining (there's 16k or so on the circuit plus the 1,5km of the climb) and repeat ourselves, returning to the village of Rosedale exactly as we did before ascending the Bank for the second time. Only this time, at the crossroads where we turned left onto Rosedale Chimney Bank a few kilometres earlier, this time we turn right, which leads us up our next climb, Heygate Bank. This is a much easier affair, slightly longer than its neighbour but with an easier average gradient of 9,6%, and a maximum of a mere and barely considerable 25%. Towards the summit it becomes more exposed as well, and it's more straight and relentless than RCB as well, although overall a bit easier. However, topping out with 25km remaining I can anticipate it seeing a bit more action caused by aggression and not just from attrition, and it does give scope for this.
After the summit there is a downhill followed by a secondary, uncategorised climb; there is then a bit of flat atop the hillside before a very steep and technical descent leads us into the final climb of the day, the categorised part of which finishes with 12km remaining. Egton Cliff, also known as Cow Bank, wears its steepest gradients (once more over 20%) near the bottom, however it is a bit shorter than Heygate Bank at the same average gradient, so could be argued to be a bit easier. It starts on a scenic riverside before turning up the heat with gradients hitting 22%. After the GPM at 12km to go, there are another couple of uphill kilometres of false flat before a very fast and very straight, non-technical descent on major roads into Whitby, a coastal town most famous for its clifftop abbey, where 19th Century writer Bram Stoker went to create arguably the most enduring horror villain of all time, Dracula. The fabled abbey sits on the East Cliff, however, whereas the stage will finish on the West Cliff, which means a couple of uphill corners inside the final kilometre before a straight, flat final 300m. I don't anticipate there will be a big bunch together here, but if there are groups together, the final kilometre will offer a couple of platforms for attack; it's a bit more like an easier version of the Tropea finish from the 2011 Giro.
York:
Whitby:
Climbs:
Sutton Bank (cat.1) 1,3km @ 12,7%
Rievaulx Bank (cat.2) 1,0km @ 9,3%
Blakey Bank (cat.1) 2,1km @ 11,9%
Rosedale Chimney Bank (1st Passage)(cat.1) 1,5km @ 11,9%
Rosedale Chimney Bank (2nd Passage)(cat.1) 1,5km @ 11,9%
Heygate Bank (cat.2) 1,6km @ 9,6%
Egton Cliff/Egton Bridge Cow Bank (cat.2) 1,3km @ 9,6%
After the hell that was the Bradford stage, I go easy on the riders today; the stage is 30km shorter and has less than half the number of categorised climbs - and all of them are on tarmac, no less! That doesn't mean that the riders will especially thank me of course, as yesterday will have really taken a lot out of them, and today is still a very difficult stage that will cause a lot of the rouleurs to get found out, and hopefully some of the puncheurs that lost a bunch of time on the cobbles will see an opportunity to make some time back and make this one fun from distance too - as whereas yesterday's race could have become exciting from attrition alone, that is in play today, but not as much as a standalone stage as yesterday; some of today's climbs after yesterday's efforts will really grind down the riders though. And while yesterday was all about hellingen, today is all about côtes.
As you may know, my generosity and kindness knows few bounds, and as a result, the riders get a first hour that is mostly relaxed, with nearly 50km of comfortable flat riding before the climbs begin. But when they come, they announce themselves quite suddenly with the emergence of the North York Moors coming as a sudden and violent change of scenery from the flatness of the early stage. The first climb is Sutton Bank, a famous hill in these parts and one of Britain's best-known climbs, which gets up to some fearsome gradients on its short but very sharp ascent. Although this is a major road, it is a very nasty climb and as one of the few climbs in the area with a car park and visitor centre at the top, I can imagine we will see a summit finish here in the ToB or the new Yorkshire race at some point.
After Sutton Bank we leave the big road alone, and turn off onto the narrow country lanes that will make up the bulk of today's racing, which will also make it harder to control. Soon we pass the wonderfully preserved Rievaulx Abbey, precursor to Rievaulx Bank (that sign is at the top, btw), our second categorised climb; a little shorter and not as steep, it gets a 2nd category rating, but it's still a nice short, sharp shock and a puncheur's special. After descending this we rejoin the main road at Helmsley until Kirkbymoorside, then a bit of gradual up-and-down on narrow roads north of the latter leads us into the important body of the stage. This starts just after the halfway point in the stage, with the ascent of the challenging Blakey Bank, with multiple gradients over 15% and a max of 20%. It's a scenic one, too, as you can see. The signage also warns us. There's actually a bit of climbing that follows the summit of this climb as we head up into the Moors, but this is much easier than the body of the climb and isn't included in the categorised climbing. There's about 10k between the actual end of climbing and the start of the next one... and it's a pretty serious one.
Although it is not as long as Blakey Bank and has the same average gradient, Rosedale Chimney Bank has really grown to become one of the most well-known British climbs, often suggested by fans for inclusion in the hope of making a truly vicious Tour of Britain. The signs warn of the suffering, and although the 33% noted on the sign may be a slight exaggeration (Brentacol gives a barely-more-than-false-flat 29,8% as the maximum), this one is still unrelenting torment- only the first 100m and the last 150m are under a leg-breaking 12% gradient! Therefore, though the climb itself is short and tops out with all of 63km remaining, many riders distanced will need all of the 16km of descent and rolling terrain that follows the climb just to make contact with the leaders again.
Unfortunately for them, if they've done all that work to get back, I have some bad news in store for them: the next climb is a second ascent of Rosedale Chimney Bank. At least the views are nice while their legs are screaming at them. Again, there is a 16km break of respite here as, perhaps luckily for the less blessed climbers, Rosedale Chimney Bank comes up the side of a steep, er, bank, but there are few climbs it can be immediately connected to. And so we crest it for the second time with 45km remaining (there's 16k or so on the circuit plus the 1,5km of the climb) and repeat ourselves, returning to the village of Rosedale exactly as we did before ascending the Bank for the second time. Only this time, at the crossroads where we turned left onto Rosedale Chimney Bank a few kilometres earlier, this time we turn right, which leads us up our next climb, Heygate Bank. This is a much easier affair, slightly longer than its neighbour but with an easier average gradient of 9,6%, and a maximum of a mere and barely considerable 25%. Towards the summit it becomes more exposed as well, and it's more straight and relentless than RCB as well, although overall a bit easier. However, topping out with 25km remaining I can anticipate it seeing a bit more action caused by aggression and not just from attrition, and it does give scope for this.
After the summit there is a downhill followed by a secondary, uncategorised climb; there is then a bit of flat atop the hillside before a very steep and technical descent leads us into the final climb of the day, the categorised part of which finishes with 12km remaining. Egton Cliff, also known as Cow Bank, wears its steepest gradients (once more over 20%) near the bottom, however it is a bit shorter than Heygate Bank at the same average gradient, so could be argued to be a bit easier. It starts on a scenic riverside before turning up the heat with gradients hitting 22%. After the GPM at 12km to go, there are another couple of uphill kilometres of false flat before a very fast and very straight, non-technical descent on major roads into Whitby, a coastal town most famous for its clifftop abbey, where 19th Century writer Bram Stoker went to create arguably the most enduring horror villain of all time, Dracula. The fabled abbey sits on the East Cliff, however, whereas the stage will finish on the West Cliff, which means a couple of uphill corners inside the final kilometre before a straight, flat final 300m. I don't anticipate there will be a big bunch together here, but if there are groups together, the final kilometre will offer a couple of platforms for attack; it's a bit more like an easier version of the Tropea finish from the 2011 Giro.
York:
Whitby:
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 1: Montélimar ITT, 19km
First stage for my first Critérium du Dauphiné is an individual time trial around Montélimar, with a small hill right in the middle of it. The ITT is 19km long and it is the first of two in the race. It starts in a small avenue with four lanes but the majority of the stage is in roads with the normal two lanes.
The hill is 2.7km long with an average gradient of 4.6%. It shouldn't stop a pure time trialist from taking the win. With so many climbs near-by, I couldn't resist to add a small one. Wouldn't make much sence to create a completely flat TT in this area.
Montélimar second largest town in the Drôme department after Valence. Population of 60k inhabitants.
First stage for my first Critérium du Dauphiné is an individual time trial around Montélimar, with a small hill right in the middle of it. The ITT is 19km long and it is the first of two in the race. It starts in a small avenue with four lanes but the majority of the stage is in roads with the normal two lanes.
The hill is 2.7km long with an average gradient of 4.6%. It shouldn't stop a pure time trialist from taking the win. With so many climbs near-by, I couldn't resist to add a small one. Wouldn't make much sence to create a completely flat TT in this area.
Montélimar second largest town in the Drôme department after Valence. Population of 60k inhabitants.
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 2: Valence - Lyon, 208km
STAGE 2
We start to head north. After yesterday's ITT in Montélimar, riders move to Valence, which is only a few kilometers away, where they'll start the second stage, a fairly hilly stage. We're heading to Lyon afterall!
Riders leave Valence heading north to Saint-Rambert-d'Albon but take the left to Annonay just after passing Saint-Vallier and head to the first categorized mountain top (the second one in the profile (cat2)) in Burdignes. The climb is 12km with an average gradient of 4% and tops at 830m. We're in D29.
Following it is a descent to Bourg-Argental. Riders don't have much time to rest because where the descent ends another climb starts. Still in D29, riders climb to La Gaupillère, near Le Bessat. The climb (a cat1 to mapmyride) is 12.5km with an average of 5.2% and tops at 1200m.
We now have a 18km descent to Saint-Chamond and... another (easy) climb to the small village of Valfluery (735m) (D2). 10km at 3.9% is a soft one. Another descent follows while riders head towards Rive-de-Gier. Riders continue their journey north until they reach Thurins and yet another climb. It starts in that same town, near the 154km mark (cat2). Let's call it Yzeron since that's the name of the town in the summit, at an elevation of 723m. The climb is nearly 7km at 5.5%.
Finally there's a long (false-flat) downhill on the way to Lyon and the four short semi-punhy hills you see by the end of the stage. The first is 3km with a 4% average and some slopes of 12%. It connets La Mulatière and the côte de Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon through the Chemin de la Croix Pivort (an Ans style climb from LBL). We're in the west side of Lyon. Following the road, the second climb tops at Saint-Juste and it's 2.3km with an average gradient of 5% and maximum of 9. Riders descend and cross one of the bridges to the middle of Lyon and rapidly hit the third climb. The shortest but the steepest. It is 1.20km with an average of 6% and maximum of 12.
The final hill starts at Saint-Jean and goes through the Montée du Chemin Neuf. The stage ends in it's top. The climb itself is 2km at 5% with a couple of 8% slopes
Profile:
Climbs:
- Burdignes 12km @ 4%
- La Gaupillère 12.5 @ 5.2%
- Valfluery 10km @ 3.9%
- Yzeron 7km @ 5,5%
- Côte de Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon 3km @ 4%
- Saint-Juste 2.3km @ 5%
- Chartreux-Saint-Vincent 1.2km @ 6%
- Montée du Chemin Neuf 2km @ 5%
Lyon
STAGE 3
Connects Lyon to Chambéry and It's supposed to be a sprint stage so no profile. It's 190km long and there's a 1 lap circuit around Lac du Bourget (Aix-Les-Bains).
STAGE 2
We start to head north. After yesterday's ITT in Montélimar, riders move to Valence, which is only a few kilometers away, where they'll start the second stage, a fairly hilly stage. We're heading to Lyon afterall!
Riders leave Valence heading north to Saint-Rambert-d'Albon but take the left to Annonay just after passing Saint-Vallier and head to the first categorized mountain top (the second one in the profile (cat2)) in Burdignes. The climb is 12km with an average gradient of 4% and tops at 830m. We're in D29.
Following it is a descent to Bourg-Argental. Riders don't have much time to rest because where the descent ends another climb starts. Still in D29, riders climb to La Gaupillère, near Le Bessat. The climb (a cat1 to mapmyride) is 12.5km with an average of 5.2% and tops at 1200m.
We now have a 18km descent to Saint-Chamond and... another (easy) climb to the small village of Valfluery (735m) (D2). 10km at 3.9% is a soft one. Another descent follows while riders head towards Rive-de-Gier. Riders continue their journey north until they reach Thurins and yet another climb. It starts in that same town, near the 154km mark (cat2). Let's call it Yzeron since that's the name of the town in the summit, at an elevation of 723m. The climb is nearly 7km at 5.5%.
Finally there's a long (false-flat) downhill on the way to Lyon and the four short semi-punhy hills you see by the end of the stage. The first is 3km with a 4% average and some slopes of 12%. It connets La Mulatière and the côte de Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon through the Chemin de la Croix Pivort (an Ans style climb from LBL). We're in the west side of Lyon. Following the road, the second climb tops at Saint-Juste and it's 2.3km with an average gradient of 5% and maximum of 9. Riders descend and cross one of the bridges to the middle of Lyon and rapidly hit the third climb. The shortest but the steepest. It is 1.20km with an average of 6% and maximum of 12.
The final hill starts at Saint-Jean and goes through the Montée du Chemin Neuf. The stage ends in it's top. The climb itself is 2km at 5% with a couple of 8% slopes
Profile:
Climbs:
- Burdignes 12km @ 4%
- La Gaupillère 12.5 @ 5.2%
- Valfluery 10km @ 3.9%
- Yzeron 7km @ 5,5%
- Côte de Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon 3km @ 4%
- Saint-Juste 2.3km @ 5%
- Chartreux-Saint-Vincent 1.2km @ 6%
- Montée du Chemin Neuf 2km @ 5%
Lyon
STAGE 3
Connects Lyon to Chambéry and It's supposed to be a sprint stage so no profile. It's 190km long and there's a 1 lap circuit around Lac du Bourget (Aix-Les-Bains).
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 4: Albertville - Aime la Plagne 174km
STAGE 4
Stage 4 and we finally arrive at the great mountains of the French Alps. After yesterday's stage which finished in Chambéry (designed to be a sprint finish), riders now came a bit more deep into the region, to Albertville, home to the start of today's stage. Expect a very difficult stage. Overall it has almost 5k of elevation gain.
Riders first head southwest following D925. Once they reach Aiton, they make a gentle turn left (south) to take D75 which will take them through a valley leading to Saint-Pierre-de-Belleville and eventually La Chambre and Saint-Martin-sur-la-Chambre. As you might have already noticed riders are in the foot of the southern slope of the Col de la Madelaine, the first climb of the day. Obviously an Hors Catégorie, it is pratically 20k at 7.6%, almost reaching an elevation of 2000 meters (1960m). Following the climb it's the usual descent to La Léchère.
A few meters (and I mean meters) of flat and we hit yet another climb. A first category. we start climbing slightly before the village of Petit Coeur (romantic), and follow D93. The climb leads to the ski station of Grand-Naves although the road goes a bit higher. The climb is 13.7km at 7% and its end elevation is 1400m. After the summit riders descend to Aigueblanche.
A few kilometers after, riders reach the town of Moutiers and begin the third climb of the day. It starts in that same town and ends in the small village of Le Villard. 11km with an average gradient of 6.5%. Riders then descend to Centron.
They're now in the valley which will lead them to the final climb. Once they reach Aime, they start to climb towards the very top of La Plagne. That's Aime La Plagne. A killer HC only used twice in Le Tour, the last one in 2002. The landscape towards the summit is amazing and should give some nice heli shots. La Plagne is 20.1km with an average of 7%.
Profile:
Climbs:
- Col de la Madelaine 19.7km @ 7.6%
- Grand-Naves (D93) 13.7km @ 7%
- Le Villard 11.4km @ 6.5%
- Aime La Plagne 20.1km @ 7%
Aime La Plagne
Other photographs
1 - 2 - 3
STAGE 4
Stage 4 and we finally arrive at the great mountains of the French Alps. After yesterday's stage which finished in Chambéry (designed to be a sprint finish), riders now came a bit more deep into the region, to Albertville, home to the start of today's stage. Expect a very difficult stage. Overall it has almost 5k of elevation gain.
Riders first head southwest following D925. Once they reach Aiton, they make a gentle turn left (south) to take D75 which will take them through a valley leading to Saint-Pierre-de-Belleville and eventually La Chambre and Saint-Martin-sur-la-Chambre. As you might have already noticed riders are in the foot of the southern slope of the Col de la Madelaine, the first climb of the day. Obviously an Hors Catégorie, it is pratically 20k at 7.6%, almost reaching an elevation of 2000 meters (1960m). Following the climb it's the usual descent to La Léchère.
A few meters (and I mean meters) of flat and we hit yet another climb. A first category. we start climbing slightly before the village of Petit Coeur (romantic), and follow D93. The climb leads to the ski station of Grand-Naves although the road goes a bit higher. The climb is 13.7km at 7% and its end elevation is 1400m. After the summit riders descend to Aigueblanche.
A few kilometers after, riders reach the town of Moutiers and begin the third climb of the day. It starts in that same town and ends in the small village of Le Villard. 11km with an average gradient of 6.5%. Riders then descend to Centron.
They're now in the valley which will lead them to the final climb. Once they reach Aime, they start to climb towards the very top of La Plagne. That's Aime La Plagne. A killer HC only used twice in Le Tour, the last one in 2002. The landscape towards the summit is amazing and should give some nice heli shots. La Plagne is 20.1km with an average of 7%.
Profile:
Climbs:
- Col de la Madelaine 19.7km @ 7.6%
- Grand-Naves (D93) 13.7km @ 7%
- Le Villard 11.4km @ 6.5%
- Aime La Plagne 20.1km @ 7%
Aime La Plagne
Other photographs
1 - 2 - 3
The unnamed climb is to Grand-Naves, the Nordic ski station. That's only actually at 1326m whereas the road gets over 1400m; the climb is usually called Grand-Naves though. The actual summit is called the Croix de Sauget.
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 5: Val Thorens - Moutiers ITT 34km
STAGE 5
Initially I thought of doing a MTT up Val Thorens but imagined it could kill the GC action on the previous stage. Therefore the best solution is a descent individual time trial from Val Thorens to Moutiers - right on the foot of the climb.
After Sain-Martin-de-Belleville riders switch from the road their on (D117) to D96. D96 offers a much more technical descent with lots of switchbacks. My life would be complete if ASO ever brought this to either Le Tour or Dauphiné.
Average gradient: 5.2%
Elevation loss: 1860m
Profile:
Val Thorens (the descent is to the left)
STAGE 5
Initially I thought of doing a MTT up Val Thorens but imagined it could kill the GC action on the previous stage. Therefore the best solution is a descent individual time trial from Val Thorens to Moutiers - right on the foot of the climb.
After Sain-Martin-de-Belleville riders switch from the road their on (D117) to D96. D96 offers a much more technical descent with lots of switchbacks. My life would be complete if ASO ever brought this to either Le Tour or Dauphiné.
Average gradient: 5.2%
Elevation loss: 1860m
Profile:
Val Thorens (the descent is to the left)
jsem94 said:
Probably not, there aren't many straight sectors on that descent and with so many switchbacks it would be both useless and dangerous. I think they'd use normal road bikes.........and aero helmets.
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 6: Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines - Le Bourg-d'Oisans
STAGE 6
...and more mountains on the riders' path. Inevitably. This is supposed to be the queen stage. It will take the riders from Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines to Bourg d'Oisans. I'm hoping those who lost some precious seconds on the previous day time trial will try something on this stage. It's a downhill finish so we should see some attacks at least 20-30km's from the finish. There are 5 categorized mountain sprints.
Their journey starts in Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines, a small town by the north of the Glandon. And the Glandon is where they're heading to. Riders take D927, pass Saint-Colomban-des-Villards, reach the Col du Glandon, but continue, turning left and reaching the Col de la Croix de Fer. That's where the climb ends. Overall it's an unquestionable hors catégorie, 23km with an average gradient of 7% and an end elevation of 2030m.
Riders then descend to Saint-Jean-d'Arves, take D80 and start yet another climb. The Col du Mollard, which is 6.40km at 5.7%. Then there's a technical descent to Villargondren.
Then there are some km's of false flat on the way to Saint-Michele-de-Maurienne, where riders start the climb to the Col du Télégraphe and eventually the Galibier. Two first categories on after another. Probably a single HC if the descent wasn't so big. Following is a long descent to Lac du Chambon and Mizoën. Now, you probably recall this village from last year's Tour.
They are climbing Sarenne. Using it as a mountain pass alongside Alpe d'Huez and then descending to Bourg d'Oisans. A techincal descent with the mitical 21 switchbacks. If any attacks fail on the previous climbs, they can always try somthing on this descent.
Profile:
Climbs:
- Col de la Croix de Fer 23km @ 7%
- Col du Mollard 6.4km @ 5.7%
- Col du Télégraphe 11.7km @ 7.3%
- Col du Galibier 18km @ 6.3%
- Col de Sarenne 15.3km @ 6.3%
STAGE 6
...and more mountains on the riders' path. Inevitably. This is supposed to be the queen stage. It will take the riders from Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines to Bourg d'Oisans. I'm hoping those who lost some precious seconds on the previous day time trial will try something on this stage. It's a downhill finish so we should see some attacks at least 20-30km's from the finish. There are 5 categorized mountain sprints.
Their journey starts in Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines, a small town by the north of the Glandon. And the Glandon is where they're heading to. Riders take D927, pass Saint-Colomban-des-Villards, reach the Col du Glandon, but continue, turning left and reaching the Col de la Croix de Fer. That's where the climb ends. Overall it's an unquestionable hors catégorie, 23km with an average gradient of 7% and an end elevation of 2030m.
Riders then descend to Saint-Jean-d'Arves, take D80 and start yet another climb. The Col du Mollard, which is 6.40km at 5.7%. Then there's a technical descent to Villargondren.
Then there are some km's of false flat on the way to Saint-Michele-de-Maurienne, where riders start the climb to the Col du Télégraphe and eventually the Galibier. Two first categories on after another. Probably a single HC if the descent wasn't so big. Following is a long descent to Lac du Chambon and Mizoën. Now, you probably recall this village from last year's Tour.
They are climbing Sarenne. Using it as a mountain pass alongside Alpe d'Huez and then descending to Bourg d'Oisans. A techincal descent with the mitical 21 switchbacks. If any attacks fail on the previous climbs, they can always try somthing on this descent.
Profile:
Climbs:
- Col de la Croix de Fer 23km @ 7%
- Col du Mollard 6.4km @ 5.7%
- Col du Télégraphe 11.7km @ 7.3%
- Col du Galibier 18km @ 6.3%
- Col de Sarenne 15.3km @ 6.3%
BigMac said:STAGE 5
Initially I thought of doing a MTT up Val Thorens but imagined it could kill the GC action on the previous stage. Therefore the best solution is a descent individual time trial from Val Thorens to Moutiers - right on the foot of the climb.
After Sain-Martin-de-Belleville riders switch from the road their on (D117) to D96. D96 offers a much more technical descent with lots of switchbacks. My life would be complete if ASO ever brought this to either Le Tour or Dauphiné.
Average gradient: 5.2%
Elevation loss: 1860m
Profile:
Val Thorens (the descent is to the left)
...and Bradley Wiggins misses the time cut...
Critérium du Dauphiné, stage 7: Le Bourg d'Oisans - Grenoble 153km
STAGE 7
Not going to describe it. Sprint/strong breakaway stage. It goes from LBD to Grenoble. When riders are out of the Bourg they take the route de l'Oisans /D1091, go around Grenoble, move northeast and come back to Grenoble where they'll finish the stage.
All the GC action set for the next and final stage.
STAGE 7
Not going to describe it. Sprint/strong breakaway stage. It goes from LBD to Grenoble. When riders are out of the Bourg they take the route de l'Oisans /D1091, go around Grenoble, move northeast and come back to Grenoble where they'll finish the stage.
All the GC action set for the next and final stage.
Realised that I still need to finish off my Tour of Britain.
Stage 7: Richmond - Keswick, 190km
Climbs:
Buttertubs Pass (cat.1) 3,8km @ 6,3%
Scotch Jeans (cat.3) 5,4km @ 3,6%
Underbarrow Road (cat.2) 2,6km @ 6,9%
Kirkstone Pass (cat.1) 5,0km @ 7,9%
Dockray (cat.2) 2,0km @ 7,2%
Honister Pass (cat.1) 3,0km @ 7,9%
Newlands Pass (cat.1) 1,9km @ 10,3%
When we left the riders, they'd just been climbing through the Yorkshire Moors, with short but brutally steep climbs like Rosedale Chimney Bank, Blakey Bank and Heygate Bank to deal with, a stage to suit the puncheur following on from the absolute hell that was the Bradford stage with ten cobbled climbs. Entering the final couple of days of the race, there are likely to be some big gaps on the GC, and this stage, which takes in the scenic Lake District, is the last chance for the climbers to stamp their mark on the race.
There are seven climbs categorised on today's stage, and while the layout of the stage may mean only the last two see meaningful attacks, the accumulation of this being the fourth consecutive hard stage of racing could well see many names isolated and suffering long before the final duo. There is a lot more that could be done with the Yorkshire Dales than I am doing with them, but frankly I wanted to keep the stage length reasonable as if I put a real hell-stage on here, it might induce conservative racing in the previous stages. Therefore all we really see of the Dales is Buttertubs Pass, albeit a well known climb in the area. We are climbing the opposite side to that seen in the 2014 Tour de France, by the way. This is still a scenic and challenging ascent, but is here more to ensure a strong breakaway than anything else, as it is followed by a long rolling period only broken up by the two-stepped and not especially challenging Scotch Jeans climb.
Now we enter the Lake District, a famous region of hills and lakes known as one of the prettiest parts of England. It's also home to several of England's fiercest climbs (I may one day do a "21 climbs a British GT would need" thread or something along those lines), and this stage is just scratching the surface of what would be possible in this maze of valleys and stupendously steep roads. The first, and biggest, of these that the péloton will tackle today is Kirkstone Pass, which we are tackling from Ambleside, a side which is known to locals as "The Struggle", for being the fiercest, most unrelenting version of this three-sided pass. The view down to Lake Windermere is phenomenal, but as you can see, this is not a road that wants to be your friend. The climb ultimately consists of a gradual lead in, then 3km of hell broken up by a flat kilometre two thirds of the way through. The maximum gradient is 20%, so long-suffering domestiques will say goodbye to their leaders here, with still 75km remaining. The descent is also scenic, then the riders face a few flat kilometres along the valley before handling the short Dockray climb. There then follows nearly 30km of undulating terrain that allows riders dropped to fight their way back on, and also a first passage through our stage town of Keswick.
After passing through Keswick, the riders go on a 40km loop, of which the first 10km is included in that 30km of rolling terrain mentioned above. That's because the key moves will come late on today, in that final 30km. Almost immediately after the 30km to go banner, the riders are flung onto one of the region's most savage roads, the narrow and snaking Honister Pass. Scenic from every angle, this puncheur's paradise kicks off with a kilometre of false flat, which means that the average gradient doesn't really prepare riders for the savagery of the 2nd kilometre, which averages over 13%. Trouble for some riders here will make it a very long final stretch for them, as this climb, while only 3km long and while easing up in its final kilometre, is a real leg-breaker. The first kilometre of the descent is similarly brutal, though apart from one tricky chicane it is mostly fast and non-technical, which will be at least some respite - could be really hard in the wet, though. It has been handled a couple of times by the Tour of Britain, but usually in stages ending in Carlisle or Blackpool, so never in a position to have a GC impact, unlike here. Very shortly after the descent finishes, also, the riders turn onto the road to the desolate and dramatic Newlands Pass, which is not one of the best known Lake District passes, but is one that enables us to connect it to a reasonably sized population centre for a finish and is still plenty enough to create gaps. The average gradient here is just over 10% for 1,9km, which is similar to Montelupone, and the gradients get up to a muscle-burning 25%, so as the final real mountain of the Tour this is plenty tough enough to create gaps. It tops out 17km from the finish, from which I anticipate a frenetic, frantic descent into Keswick to finish, with the remaining GC contenders spread out in small groups. How big the gaps are will depend on fatigue and the size of the gaps opened up in previous stages, but we could have an interesting run-in here for sure.
Richmond:
Keswick:
Stage 7: Richmond - Keswick, 190km
Climbs:
Buttertubs Pass (cat.1) 3,8km @ 6,3%
Scotch Jeans (cat.3) 5,4km @ 3,6%
Underbarrow Road (cat.2) 2,6km @ 6,9%
Kirkstone Pass (cat.1) 5,0km @ 7,9%
Dockray (cat.2) 2,0km @ 7,2%
Honister Pass (cat.1) 3,0km @ 7,9%
Newlands Pass (cat.1) 1,9km @ 10,3%
When we left the riders, they'd just been climbing through the Yorkshire Moors, with short but brutally steep climbs like Rosedale Chimney Bank, Blakey Bank and Heygate Bank to deal with, a stage to suit the puncheur following on from the absolute hell that was the Bradford stage with ten cobbled climbs. Entering the final couple of days of the race, there are likely to be some big gaps on the GC, and this stage, which takes in the scenic Lake District, is the last chance for the climbers to stamp their mark on the race.
There are seven climbs categorised on today's stage, and while the layout of the stage may mean only the last two see meaningful attacks, the accumulation of this being the fourth consecutive hard stage of racing could well see many names isolated and suffering long before the final duo. There is a lot more that could be done with the Yorkshire Dales than I am doing with them, but frankly I wanted to keep the stage length reasonable as if I put a real hell-stage on here, it might induce conservative racing in the previous stages. Therefore all we really see of the Dales is Buttertubs Pass, albeit a well known climb in the area. We are climbing the opposite side to that seen in the 2014 Tour de France, by the way. This is still a scenic and challenging ascent, but is here more to ensure a strong breakaway than anything else, as it is followed by a long rolling period only broken up by the two-stepped and not especially challenging Scotch Jeans climb.
Now we enter the Lake District, a famous region of hills and lakes known as one of the prettiest parts of England. It's also home to several of England's fiercest climbs (I may one day do a "21 climbs a British GT would need" thread or something along those lines), and this stage is just scratching the surface of what would be possible in this maze of valleys and stupendously steep roads. The first, and biggest, of these that the péloton will tackle today is Kirkstone Pass, which we are tackling from Ambleside, a side which is known to locals as "The Struggle", for being the fiercest, most unrelenting version of this three-sided pass. The view down to Lake Windermere is phenomenal, but as you can see, this is not a road that wants to be your friend. The climb ultimately consists of a gradual lead in, then 3km of hell broken up by a flat kilometre two thirds of the way through. The maximum gradient is 20%, so long-suffering domestiques will say goodbye to their leaders here, with still 75km remaining. The descent is also scenic, then the riders face a few flat kilometres along the valley before handling the short Dockray climb. There then follows nearly 30km of undulating terrain that allows riders dropped to fight their way back on, and also a first passage through our stage town of Keswick.
After passing through Keswick, the riders go on a 40km loop, of which the first 10km is included in that 30km of rolling terrain mentioned above. That's because the key moves will come late on today, in that final 30km. Almost immediately after the 30km to go banner, the riders are flung onto one of the region's most savage roads, the narrow and snaking Honister Pass. Scenic from every angle, this puncheur's paradise kicks off with a kilometre of false flat, which means that the average gradient doesn't really prepare riders for the savagery of the 2nd kilometre, which averages over 13%. Trouble for some riders here will make it a very long final stretch for them, as this climb, while only 3km long and while easing up in its final kilometre, is a real leg-breaker. The first kilometre of the descent is similarly brutal, though apart from one tricky chicane it is mostly fast and non-technical, which will be at least some respite - could be really hard in the wet, though. It has been handled a couple of times by the Tour of Britain, but usually in stages ending in Carlisle or Blackpool, so never in a position to have a GC impact, unlike here. Very shortly after the descent finishes, also, the riders turn onto the road to the desolate and dramatic Newlands Pass, which is not one of the best known Lake District passes, but is one that enables us to connect it to a reasonably sized population centre for a finish and is still plenty enough to create gaps. The average gradient here is just over 10% for 1,9km, which is similar to Montelupone, and the gradients get up to a muscle-burning 25%, so as the final real mountain of the Tour this is plenty tough enough to create gaps. It tops out 17km from the finish, from which I anticipate a frenetic, frantic descent into Keswick to finish, with the remaining GC contenders spread out in small groups. How big the gaps are will depend on fatigue and the size of the gaps opened up in previous stages, but we could have an interesting run-in here for sure.
Richmond:
Keswick:
Stage 8: Dumfries - Edinburgh, 155km
Climbs:
Devil's Beef Tub (cat.2) 11,0km @ 2,8%
The final stage of my Tour of Britain is our one stage foray into Scotland, where the overall prizes will be handed out. Any sprinters who have bothered to stay after the Bristol stage will look at this as the nearest thing they have to an opportunity in the second half of the race, and with pretty good reason. It's fairly short and finishes on a circuit, even if it's not quite as straightforward as they may wish.
There's only one categorised climb today, and while the profile makes it look quite important, I assure you it's not. Apart from a really great name, the Devil's Beef Tub offers little in the way of really selective slopes, with only a few kilometres at 4% to challenge, as seen in its profile. Really, it's only included because it is on the main route that isn't a major road that runs from Dumfries into Edinburgh, because this stage is all about the closing circuits. The stage finishes with just under 5 laps of a city centre circuit in Edinburgh; while a few of the city's climbs such as Arthur's Seat have been avoided, this circuit is still far from easy, negotiating a small artificial hill called The Mound, which is partially cobbled, and then appearing near to the famous Edinburgh Castle, the riders turn left and head down what's actually a vaguely downhill cobbled route on The Royal Mile - nevertheless the cobbles are in such a condition that the vague, mild downhill shouldn't present any problems. The riders then tackle wide open roads on Queen's Drive and London Road before a couple of sharp corners lead into the finish on the wide open Royal Terrace. A few circuits of this mean that some of the least durable sprinters will be removed from contention and the cobbles may entice moves, but the sprinters will generally feel quite confident they can bring this one home to finish the race in style.
Dumfries:
Edinburgh:
Climbs:
Devil's Beef Tub (cat.2) 11,0km @ 2,8%
The final stage of my Tour of Britain is our one stage foray into Scotland, where the overall prizes will be handed out. Any sprinters who have bothered to stay after the Bristol stage will look at this as the nearest thing they have to an opportunity in the second half of the race, and with pretty good reason. It's fairly short and finishes on a circuit, even if it's not quite as straightforward as they may wish.
There's only one categorised climb today, and while the profile makes it look quite important, I assure you it's not. Apart from a really great name, the Devil's Beef Tub offers little in the way of really selective slopes, with only a few kilometres at 4% to challenge, as seen in its profile. Really, it's only included because it is on the main route that isn't a major road that runs from Dumfries into Edinburgh, because this stage is all about the closing circuits. The stage finishes with just under 5 laps of a city centre circuit in Edinburgh; while a few of the city's climbs such as Arthur's Seat have been avoided, this circuit is still far from easy, negotiating a small artificial hill called The Mound, which is partially cobbled, and then appearing near to the famous Edinburgh Castle, the riders turn left and head down what's actually a vaguely downhill cobbled route on The Royal Mile - nevertheless the cobbles are in such a condition that the vague, mild downhill shouldn't present any problems. The riders then tackle wide open roads on Queen's Drive and London Road before a couple of sharp corners lead into the finish on the wide open Royal Terrace. A few circuits of this mean that some of the least durable sprinters will be removed from contention and the cobbles may entice moves, but the sprinters will generally feel quite confident they can bring this one home to finish the race in style.
Dumfries:
Edinburgh:
Bump...
It's that time of the year again: riders are preparing themselves left and right for the tour. That reminded me of my first year as a cycling addict (1995) when I saw Indurain, Boardman, Virenque, Jalabert, Leblanc,...battling it out in the Daupin? Lib?r? and the GP du Midi Libre. In honor of that now defunct race (and in remembrance of my lost youth, let's not forget that) I'll design a new GP du Midi Libre.
Traditional stage finishes of that race in South-eastern France were Mende/Croix-Neuve, l'Esperou/Mont Aigoual and S?te/Mont Saint-Clair. None of these will feature in my race, but I will still offer some stages of varying difficulty, fit as first stage races towards the tour.
Stage 1: Nîmes - Béziers: 180km, flat
There are some minor hills on the road, but this is an opportunity for the sprinters. There will be another flat stage, both are included to attract a decent sprinting field.
Sage 2: Béziers - Castres: 174km, hilly
There's a real col in the first half of the stage, but the final is rather hilly than mountainous. The short but very steep c?te de Burlats will be an ideal launching pad for a puncher, or for a little group to break away from what's left of the peleton.
Climbs:
Col de Sainte-Colombe: km54,5 ; 13,2km @ 3,7%
Col du Thérondel : km76 ; 10,6km @ 6%
Côte du Pradel : km130 ; 4km @ 6,8%
Côte de Lacrouzette : km157 ; 7km @ 3,8%
Côte de Burlats : km165,5 ; 2km @ 11%
Stage 3a: Gaillac - Albi : 108km, flat
This day can be compared with the traditional last day of the Driedaagse De Panne - Koksijde: a short morning stage, with the second chance for sprinters, and a TT in the afternoon. The big favorites will certainly save themselves for the TT, so not much action has to be expected. This stage will likely have more on offer on the touristic side: it passes Cordes-sur-Ciel, one of the most beautiful villages of France and finishes in the world heritage site of Albi.
Stage 3b: Albi - Albi : 17,5km, flat ITT
A flat ITT, first through the historical town center and then a loop southeast of town.
Stage 4: Carmaux - Millau/Causse Noir: 188km, medium mountains + MTF
On the penultimate day the queen stage will take place. This is the only stage where the altitude exceeds 1000m, but only for a short time and on a not too difficult climb. The actual finish isn't located at the summit of the last climb, but after 1,5km of false flat.
Côte de Requista: km36; 1,8km @ 5,9%
Côte de la Capelle: km52 ; 9km @ 3,3%
Côte de Tiergues: km109km ; 6,8km @ 4,3%
Col de Vernhette: km132,5 ; 14,2km@ 4,8%
Côte d'Azinières: km149 ; 3,2km @ 4,8%
Col de Brunas: km169; 3,8km @ 8,2%
La Causse Noire: km186,5; 7,4km @6,1%
Stage 5: Marvejols - Decazeville: 186km, medium mountains - hilly
The preceding stage had a straightforward design, with a sting in the tail, but this one twists and turns from the banks of the river Lot to the surrounding plateaus above and back, while flattening out towards the end. There are, however, still more than enough opportunities to shake the GC in this stage.
Côte des Azémars: km51,5; 5,8km @ 6,4%
Montée de Palays : km75 ; 5,2km @7,2%
Côte du Causse : km86 ; 2,4km @6%
Montée des Mazes : km93 ; 5km @ 8,1%
Côte de Golinhac : km116,5 ; 5,2km @ 6,4%
Côte de Valayssac: km130 ; 3,4km @ 6,6%
Côte de Riach: km140 ; 6km @ 4,1%
Côte du Prat: km152 ; 4,4km @ 7,5% (section of 2km @ 11,1%)
Côte de la Rouquette Basse: km158 ; 2,4km @ 8,2% (1 km @ 12%)
Côte de la Linière : km169 ; 3km @ 8,4%
Côte d'Agnac : km183,5; 1,6km @ 6,4%
It's that time of the year again: riders are preparing themselves left and right for the tour. That reminded me of my first year as a cycling addict (1995) when I saw Indurain, Boardman, Virenque, Jalabert, Leblanc,...battling it out in the Daupin? Lib?r? and the GP du Midi Libre. In honor of that now defunct race (and in remembrance of my lost youth, let's not forget that) I'll design a new GP du Midi Libre.
Traditional stage finishes of that race in South-eastern France were Mende/Croix-Neuve, l'Esperou/Mont Aigoual and S?te/Mont Saint-Clair. None of these will feature in my race, but I will still offer some stages of varying difficulty, fit as first stage races towards the tour.
Stage 1: Nîmes - Béziers: 180km, flat
There are some minor hills on the road, but this is an opportunity for the sprinters. There will be another flat stage, both are included to attract a decent sprinting field.
Sage 2: Béziers - Castres: 174km, hilly
There's a real col in the first half of the stage, but the final is rather hilly than mountainous. The short but very steep c?te de Burlats will be an ideal launching pad for a puncher, or for a little group to break away from what's left of the peleton.
Climbs:
Col de Sainte-Colombe: km54,5 ; 13,2km @ 3,7%
Col du Thérondel : km76 ; 10,6km @ 6%
Côte du Pradel : km130 ; 4km @ 6,8%
Côte de Lacrouzette : km157 ; 7km @ 3,8%
Côte de Burlats : km165,5 ; 2km @ 11%
Stage 3a: Gaillac - Albi : 108km, flat
This day can be compared with the traditional last day of the Driedaagse De Panne - Koksijde: a short morning stage, with the second chance for sprinters, and a TT in the afternoon. The big favorites will certainly save themselves for the TT, so not much action has to be expected. This stage will likely have more on offer on the touristic side: it passes Cordes-sur-Ciel, one of the most beautiful villages of France and finishes in the world heritage site of Albi.
Stage 3b: Albi - Albi : 17,5km, flat ITT
A flat ITT, first through the historical town center and then a loop southeast of town.
Stage 4: Carmaux - Millau/Causse Noir: 188km, medium mountains + MTF
On the penultimate day the queen stage will take place. This is the only stage where the altitude exceeds 1000m, but only for a short time and on a not too difficult climb. The actual finish isn't located at the summit of the last climb, but after 1,5km of false flat.
Côte de Requista: km36; 1,8km @ 5,9%
Côte de la Capelle: km52 ; 9km @ 3,3%
Côte de Tiergues: km109km ; 6,8km @ 4,3%
Col de Vernhette: km132,5 ; 14,2km@ 4,8%
Côte d'Azinières: km149 ; 3,2km @ 4,8%
Col de Brunas: km169; 3,8km @ 8,2%
La Causse Noire: km186,5; 7,4km @6,1%
Stage 5: Marvejols - Decazeville: 186km, medium mountains - hilly
The preceding stage had a straightforward design, with a sting in the tail, but this one twists and turns from the banks of the river Lot to the surrounding plateaus above and back, while flattening out towards the end. There are, however, still more than enough opportunities to shake the GC in this stage.
Côte des Azémars: km51,5; 5,8km @ 6,4%
Montée de Palays : km75 ; 5,2km @7,2%
Côte du Causse : km86 ; 2,4km @6%
Montée des Mazes : km93 ; 5km @ 8,1%
Côte de Golinhac : km116,5 ; 5,2km @ 6,4%
Côte de Valayssac: km130 ; 3,4km @ 6,6%
Côte de Riach: km140 ; 6km @ 4,1%
Côte du Prat: km152 ; 4,4km @ 7,5% (section of 2km @ 11,1%)
Côte de la Rouquette Basse: km158 ; 2,4km @ 8,2% (1 km @ 12%)
Côte de la Linière : km169 ; 3km @ 8,4%
Côte d'Agnac : km183,5; 1,6km @ 6,4%
Stage of Giro (or Tour of Austria) finishing on Grossglockner-Edelweissspitze could be epic. It could start in Brunico (Bruneck) in Italy and reach Grossglocknerstrasse via Lienz, Mittersill and Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse. Mountaintop finish on Edelweissspitze (2571 m) would be huge (21.4km@8.3%) with final 14km@10%. Most of the uphill climb is the road to Hochtor but in Grossglockner-Fuschertorl a 2-km steep, cobbled section up Edelweissspitze starts.
Brunico:
Grossglockner-Edelweissspitze
Brunico:
Grossglockner-Edelweissspitze
Great, now some forum software problem has caused attempts to amend the thread library post for stages for existing races to delete the links to all races other than the Giro (!) and not let me add the new stage.
When the forum works its way around this I'll have a look at reinstating that library. For the time being I won't amend any of the other library posts just in case.
When the forum works its way around this I'll have a look at reinstating that library. For the time being I won't amend any of the other library posts just in case.
Not sure where to post this so I thought here you guys might be able to help me
Watching this stage, I realized the final climb is nearly 40kms long and I've never heard of it
Can anyone tell me what Col this is? Finishing place is Gressoney-Saint-Jean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HagXFNoMUXw
Watching this stage, I realized the final climb is nearly 40kms long and I've never heard of it
Can anyone tell me what Col this is? Finishing place is Gressoney-Saint-Jean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HagXFNoMUXw
Staffal/Gressoney in the Valle d'Aosta.
Far from my favourite Valdostan climb though. Col Tze Core wins that.
The Valle d'Aosta is just highly underrated in general. Lots of very strong climbs in close proximity (Tze Core/Brusson-Estoul/Joux/Saint-Pantaleon/Saint-Bartelemy/Champremier/Cervinia/Pila/Grand Saint Bernard/Verrogne/Place-Moulin/Valnontey di Cogne/Valsavarenche/Colle San Carlo/Petit Saint Bernard plus more smaller ones)
Far from my favourite Valdostan climb though. Col Tze Core wins that.
The Valle d'Aosta is just highly underrated in general. Lots of very strong climbs in close proximity (Tze Core/Brusson-Estoul/Joux/Saint-Pantaleon/Saint-Bartelemy/Champremier/Cervinia/Pila/Grand Saint Bernard/Verrogne/Place-Moulin/Valnontey di Cogne/Valsavarenche/Colle San Carlo/Petit Saint Bernard plus more smaller ones)
Thank you
I actually found that profile somewhere in my search but disregarded it, as it didn't jive with the commentator in the video saying that the climb 'doesn't vary much from 5% the whole way'.
I guess TV graphics sucked in 1995, heh
I actually found that profile somewhere in my search but disregarded it, as it didn't jive with the commentator in the video saying that the climb 'doesn't vary much from 5% the whole way'.
I guess TV graphics sucked in 1995, heh
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