Race Design Thread

[Libertine Seguros]

So here it is my Grand tour of Australia, doesn't even come close to covering the nation, but at least it should be interesting.

Well, given that it's actually quite hard to cover all of Italy, France or Spain with 3 weeks, and Australia is a lot, lot bigger than those, it's not surprising that you couldn't cover the nation! Interested in the starting of the race in a road stage with a cat.1 climb in it, that's pretty straight-to-the-point!

Edit: since you didn't give your race a name I've taken the liberty of nicknaming it the Grand Tour Down Under

 

[karlboss]

Stage 3

Coffs Harbour to Coffs Harbour

I'd say this is for stage hunters, and due to the 2 previous days also a definite hunt for the leaders jersey. Overall contenders would need to take care, a mistake here could see minutes slip away. The decent is again unsealed, however not so steep and technical and shorter than yesterday.

162km climb of the day Cat 1 10.56km at 6.7% gain 700m

Map

Profile

 

[karlboss]

Stage 4

Port Macquarie to Walcha

Walcha is a little in the middle of nowhere, but if we went all the way to tamworth this would have been dull.
183km. Very similar in approach to stage 1, Though the climb could be regarded as longer though less steep. It could almost be regarded as a long uphill drag over 45km gaining around 1000m.
Again on it's own the sprinters team could control this, but a concerted effort from stage hunters leaders, jersey hunters could spoil that. Given the final cat 3, 4km at 4.6%, it may prove 1 lump too many for the sprinters.

Map

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[karlboss]

Well, given that it's actually quite hard to cover all of Italy, France or Spain with 3 weeks, and Australia is a lot, lot bigger than those, it's not surprising that you couldn't cover the nation! Interested in the starting of the race in a road stage with a cat.1 climb in it, that's pretty straight-to-the-point!

Edit: since you didn't give your race a name I've taken the liberty of nicknaming it the Grand Tour Down Under

Not a problem,

If I were running an annual GT in oz, I'd cover different areas, but always include the SE alpine region. For example start much further North and have a long transfer on a Rest day etc.

Edit, Sprinters don't get too many easy wins here, they have to work for all but 1 I think. If they want to roll around easy and then sprint, go ride track

 

[Libertine Seguros]

After the prologue, it's time for our first road stage, and there will be no 'sprinters hold the jersey for a week' nonsense for me. No sir, the GT contenders are going to have to work for it.

Stage 2: Sant Cugat del Vallés - Mont-Roig del Camp, 177km

The GC will get an early shake up here, as we travel along the Catalan coast for a genuine intermediate/medium mountain stage. There are three categorised climbs in today's stage, one each in categories 1, 2 and 3. The main obstacle of the day is the climb of Mont-Ral, which starts just outside Valls. The birthtown of Xavier Tondó is the point at which the climbing becomes serious, with Mont-Ral immediately following it, and cresting with between 50 and 60km to go, before a long and gradual descent. After that, we have the new category 2 climb of Sant Miquel d'Escornalbou.

Escornalbou is a short climb cresting at 12km to go. It is just 4,8km long at 7,7%, but don't let that fool you - this is a legitimate category two. The first 3km average 9%, with a steepest gradient of 21%, and a 500m stretch in the middle averaging 12%. Then there is a short period of flat before it ramps up for a final 600m at 10%. This will give plenty of opportunities for the puncheurs and climbers to open up some gaps and give the GC an immediate shake-up, because with just 12km to go, most of which is descent (it's only really the final 3km that are flat) there is a real incentive to make up some time early on and lay a marker down to your challengers. You're really going to need to actually be in form for all three weeks here.

Climbs:
Can Prunera (cat.3) 6,1km @ 4,3%
Mont-Ral (cat.1) 12,6km @ 5,0%
Castell de Sant Miquel d'Escornalbou (cat.2) 4,8km @ 7,7%

Sant Cugat del Vallés:

Mont Roig del Camp:

 

[karlboss]

Stage 5

Tamworth to Scone.
Beautiful classic australian scenery from Australia's country music capital, past hanging rock, surprised myself with some street view looks at the route.

180km
Climb of the day cat 3 4.48km at 5%. Challenging as this is in the middle of an unsealed narrow road of some 20km. Again the profile suggests one for the sprinters, but due to the length and severity of the unsealed section, I'm not so sure, Hushovd maybe.

Map

Profile
http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee501/karlboss/oz gt/stage5b.jpg

 

[karlboss]

Stage 6

Scone Newcastle
Finally one that would be almost impossible for the sprinters to throw away. Hence short as any longer and it could be dull.

150km
Map

Profile

Looks lumpy, but none of the lumps are even cat 5 climbs.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

For those a bit more interested in Escornalbou, there's a pretty cool photo from the APM guys here:

and the profile:
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Castell-Monestir-dEscornalbou&MountainID=4197

If anything, the MMR data suggests that the final steep section is longer as it almost totally flattens out for part of the section marked at 4,6% on the profile.

 

[karlboss]

stage 7

Newcastle Sydney
Along the coast taking in some cat 3, 4 and 5s. Wind could play a part. Most of these climb are around 2-4 km 5% with sections not more than 10%, so not super tough, but due to the number of them sprinters may struggle. The finish is down to the opera house, so will be a little tricky but very fast.

The roads needed for the stage make it unlikely. Though if you can close the Champs elysees, you can close anything.


206km
Map

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[craig1985]

Tour of Algeria

The Algerian Government decided they wanted to show off the country, and being a 2-3 hour flight from Paris, a UCI race was viable and logistically possible for a lot of WT teams.

Tour of Algeria stage 1 - Algiers - Algiers - 252.5km:

Map and profile

Starting and finishing outside the Palais de la Culture in the Algerian capital of Algiers has a Gilbert-like finish with small uphill finish, and you can be certain there will be plenty of attacks and counter attacks as one break is caught, another will go, so it will be up to a team to be able to control the race. The first 70km are flat, until we start our first climb of the day at Bougara, where the first KOM will be as it is a 13km climb with a max gradient of 14%. We follow this pattern of up and down climbing at an altitude regularly topping the 1,000m mark, for 70 or so km. It starts descending although there is a few small ramps in the Parc National de Chréa. The peolton briefly goes along the outskirts of the city of Blida (البليدة‎) which is located 45km of Algiers, if you take the direct Trans-Sahara Highway, but the peloton doesn't get it that easy.

The peloton finally starts passing through the outer suburbs of Algiers at the 230km mark, and the peloton will past the Parc Zoologique de Ben Ankoun where the final attacks will come, back along the Cité Maki before the finish at the Palais de la Culture.

Palais de la Culture:

Blida:

Parc Zoologique de Ben Aknoun:

 

[karlboss]

stage 8

Blue Mountains TT 57km
First GC appointment.

From the regatta centre to echo opint and the 3 sisters. Essentially one long uphill drag, at 2%.

Map

Profile

Finish

 

[karlboss]

Stage 9

Sutherland to Kiama.
Following the first rest day, we travel back to the formula. Stage hunting possibly picking up the leaders jersey, but nothing decisive for the final overall.

For sprinters this isn't.
Through the royal national park and taking in some regular training grounds for Sydney and Wollongong cyclists.
Up bulli pass 3km Steep, though map my ride tells me it's 6.21km at 6.5%,
Up Mount Kiera which is as stated 7.5km at 5.5%
last climb is Macquarie Pass 11km at 5.6%

170km

Map

Profile

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The rest day is after stage 8? You do know that's at a weekend, right?

Craig, that's al-Blida to you (the Arabic you quote has the definite article attached so I assume that's how it's known in the country)

 

[karlboss]

stage 10

Wollongong Bowral

Great coastal town to the home of Australia's greatest legend,

165km
Climbs
5.5km at 7.4%
8.2km at 7%
finish 2.89 at 5.5%, but I'm pretty sure it's more like 1km at 10%, could change this as it kind of does lead to nowhere.

Map

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[roundabout]

Maybe it's a 20-stage race or just 1 rest day?

 

[karlboss]

stage 11

Golbourn jervis Bay

One for the sprinters, finishing on the beautiful jervis bay. Some of the whitest beaches on earth.

171km
Map

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[craig1985]

The rest day is after stage 8? You do know that's at a weekend, right?

Craig, that's al-Blida to you (the Arabic you quote has the definite article attached so I assume that's how it's known in the country)

You know more Arabic then I do, but on the map, it just had it as Blida, or there is an in joke/reference to al-Blida and it's a big case of 'Woooooooosh' for me

Other then, the stage is hard enough for you?

 

[karlboss]

stage 12

Rerun of stage 10

Broulee Canberra
From a holiday town on the coast to the nations capital, ONe big climb early and a solid uphill finish to mount ainslie overlooking the city.

Climbs
Omitting the false flat,
11.9km at 5.5% just the top section after flase flat 6.5km at 7.5%
Finish
2.79km at 5.8%

210km
Map

Profile

Finish

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You know more Arabic then I do, but on the map, it just had it as Blida, or there is an in joke/reference to al-Blida and it's a big case of 'Woooooooosh' for me

Other then, the stage is hard enough for you?

I only did a year of Arabic, but I can read the script. In Arabic, it clearly attaches the definite article but in English it clearly doesn't - this isn't exactly uncommon (al-Urdunn = Jordan, and our name 'Algeria' comes from the Arabic al-Jaza'ir as we didn't separate the definite article).

250+km in the first stage, you have seriously decided to sort the wheat from the chaff immediately, haven't you! Andrea Guardini and Angelo Furlan have already missed the time cut.

 

[karlboss]

Stage 13

Canberra to Corin Dam

Short stage Starting at Parliament, a loop through the state forest, and finishing at Corin Dam.

137km
Final climb 11km at 4.5%

Map

Profile

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Looks like Australia presents the same kind of problems I really struggled with with my Vuelta a Argentina - there is no lack of climbs, but finding the connecting climbs is the biggest challenge.

 

[craig1985]

I only did a year of Arabic, but I can read the script. In Arabic, it clearly attaches the definite article but in English it clearly doesn't - this isn't exactly uncommon (al-Urdunn = Jordan, and our name 'Algeria' comes from the Arabic al-Jaza'ir as we didn't separate the definite article).

250+km in the first stage, you have seriously decided to sort the wheat from the chaff immediately, haven't you! Andrea Guardini and Angelo Furlan have already missed the time cut.

Rest assured I'm having trouble coming up with a sprinters stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Rest assured I'm having trouble coming up with a sprinters stage.

I'm sure you can link some of the desert townships to make some pan flat sprinters' stages. But don't try too hard

 

[karlboss]

Stage 14

Canberra Tumut
Up and down, unsealed and heading into the mountains.

154km
Climb cat 1 9.21km at 5.6%.
Unsealed section ecompasses Cat 1 climb. no more than 30km.

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[craig1985]

I'm sure you can link some of the desert townships to make some pan flat sprinters' stages. But don't try too hard

I came up with one, but I think the town is rather small.

Without further ado, here is stage 2:

Cité des rosiers - Parc National du Djurdjura - 135.4km

Map and profile

In my anti Angelo Furlan and Andrea Guardini stage race, stage 2 kicks off from the Algiers suburb of Cité des rosiers, outside the Stade 1er Novembre and takes us to the Parc National du Djurdjura, which rest assured, whilst it's a short stage, the finish at the Djurdjura is hard enough. Up until the 114km mark, whilst there is a few climbs, it's not too hard and the peloton should stay intact or come back together easily enough. The climb up to Djurdjura is 21km long, with some sections getting over 21%! It will definitely suit an explosive climber.