Race Design Thread

[fauniera]

VUELTA A ESPANA

(Tue) stage 15: Tossa de Mar - Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 22 km ITT

The rest day on Monday was used for the transfer to Catalunya. The third week begins with the final time trial of the race. The first time trial was dead flat, this one is undulating to hilly. It takes place on one of the prettiest stretches of Costa Brava. The hills are not too hard, for instance the climb right after the start averages 4,5% over 2 km. Still, climbers should be able to defend themselves reasonably well on this terrain.

Tossa de Mar

Sant Feliu de Guíxols

 

[May0maniac]

Here's a one day race that I've designed 2 months ago

Vancouver Island GP; Victoria - Victoria; 269

This new Canadian race starts and finishes in Victoria BC, in Downtown Victoria to be exact. It's a relly long one day race that features a few climbs and a ton of rolling terrain that should wear the riders out. A big part of the race, mainly durning the first 100km of the race takes place on roads alongside the coastline of Vancouver Island.
After 54.2km we've got the first climb on the long West Coast Road, 1.2km at 9.4%, a short but steep climb, if the tempo is high enough many „pure“ sprinters could get dropped and you have to remember that the first 100km are on rolling terrain, it's pretty much always up and down, so if you get dropped and the tempo in the main bunch remains high, you're gonna have a hard time, not too many fast guys should be able to close the gap and if the make it they'll be worn out and/or their teams will be weakened.
After about 100km the road torns eastwards and after about 17km of flat we'll get more rolling terrain. The next real climb on the Pacific Main Road starts with 137.6km to got, it's 2.9km at 5,2%, not a really long or steep climb, but we're just a bit after the halfway point of the race, it's a really long race so in the end every single climb could count.
The next climb starts with 223km to go, it's on the Shawnigan Lake road and after the actual climb we've still got 1km that goes slightly uphill (it's only around 3% steep), so you can't just recover on the descent right after the climb (or use it to close the gap), you still have to go hard and at this point of the race fatigue could kick in and some riders could already feel the distance in their legs.

The two final climbs will be crucial, they''ll separate the contenders from the pretenders.
The first one is the climb up to Millstream, 2.7km at 7.1% and just liket the following descent the climb takes place on a narrow road that should favour attackers.

Right after the descent we've got 1.2km of flase flat/rollinng terrain, then the final climb of the day starts. It's the short Munn Road, 1km at 7.9km followed by a 3.5km long descent.

The climb takes place on rather narrow roads, so it could be the place where the final selection takes place, for the puncheurs with a big engine, the strong rouleurs and the cobbles specialists it could be the right place to attack.
If your team is strong enough you could send a teammate on the attack on the climb up to Millstream, so you'd have a teammate up on the road that could help you if you're able to get away fron the favourites group on Munn road.
The final 12.8km are flat (on wider roads) and will bring the riders back to Downtown Victoria, so the gaps could be closed, but how many teams will still enough firepower to organize an effective chase after +255km of racing? If the main bunch (or what is left of it) wants to catch the attackers they'll have to forge an alliance and at the same time the attackers will also be forced to collaborate, at least until about 5km to go, from there onward we could see attacks from the riders in the main group who don't fancy their chances in a reduced sprint.
As you can see it's a really long one day race, 269km is a rather unusual distance, but I think that we need more longer one day races, it's a great test of endurance and in the end the distance could be the deciding factor.
It's not the hardest profile, but you shouldn't underestimate the amount of rolling terrain, in the end we still have over 2800m of altitude gain, so if a sprinter is able to handle the distance, hang on on the climbs and/or close the gaps on the final 14km (probably with the help of his team) so that the race is decided in a sprint then he's a worthy winner and deserves nothing but praise.
This race should be a bit like a Canadian version of Paris - Tours or even Milano-Sanremo (with Le Manie), a long race that gives attackers and well rounded sprinters a decent chance.
Victoria and Vancouver Island in general are know for it's mild climate (at least for Canadian standarts), but of course I'd love to see this race with bad weather and rather low temperatures.
Victoria:

 

[Tonton]

That's the kind of design that I like. There will be a selection on the final two climbs after so many kilometers, and the gradients are "inclusive": a pure climber has a chance to place an attack, a Sagan/GVA rider can hang on and win a reduced bunch sprint, a strong Nibali would be a factor, and of course Valverde and his younger brother Balaphilippe would love it.

Cool !

 

[Netserk]

When more exactly would you place it in the calender? If it's the weekend before Alberta, it'll clash with Plouay, so after Montreal would probably be better. Then it's the question if it should be the Wednesday after or the weekend, clashing with the WCTTT.

But given this is a fantasy thread, I think it'd be better to just simply push both worlds and Lombardia (which used to be held two weeks later anyway) etc. a week.

 

[Forever The Best]

There is a rest day between stage 15 and 16.

Stage 16 Noja-Solares 176.4 KM Mountain
The first climb of the day is Portillo de la Sia. A long climb with mostly steady gradients. There is a km of false flat/descent in the middle of the climb.

Then we have Portillo de Lunada. Not as long as the first climb, in fact it is almost 10 kms shorter so it is 2C.

After a 14 km descent we have Alto del Caracol, short but steep enough to be a 2C.(Only from the intersection with Lunada)

After more than 20 km of descending and flat we have Alto de Estranguada. An extremely steep climb. The attacks can start here.

After the descent and a very short flat part (2-3 km) we start Alto de Los Machuchos-Collao Espina from La Pedrosa- Los Barrios.The race should definitely explode on the murderish slopes of the climb, especially the first km.

The last climb of the day is Pueto de Alisas from this side with its extremely steep and irregular gradients crested with less than 18 km to go. (only from Bustablado onwards)

This is the profile of descent

After the descent we only have 5-6 kms of flat to Solares. This should be a day of carnage. Riders like Vincenzo Nibali can create carnage today and this should be a spectacular day.

Portillo de la Sia (1st Category, 1225 m, 20.3 Km at 5.1%, Km 64.6)
Portillo de Lunada (2nd Category, 1356 m, 10.8 Km at 5.1%, Km 83.2)
Alto de el Caracol (2nd Category, 833 m, 4.8 Km at 7.5%, Km 102.1)
Alto de Estranguada (1st Category, 687 m, 4.5 Km at 10.2%, Km 130.0)
Alto de los Machuchos-Collao Espina (1st Category, 959 m, 5.3 Km at 11.5%, Km 143.5)
Puerto de Alisas (2nd Category, 682 m, 6.0 Km at 7.4%, Km 158.5)

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

When more exactly would you place it in the calender? If it's the weekend before Alberta, it'll clash with Plouay, so after Montreal would probably be better. Then it's the question if it should be the Wednesday after or the weekend, clashing with the WCTTT.

But given this is a fantasy thread, I think it'd be better to just simply push both worlds and Lombardia (which used to be held two weeks later anyway) etc. a week.

I was thinking about the weekend after Montreal, but the clash with the WCTTT could be a problem, so yes, pusing both worldss and Lombardia one week back would probably be the best option.

 

[Forever The Best]

Nice race Mayomaniac.

Meanwhile, this is stage 17 of my Vuelta:
Cabarceno-Burgos 146.8 km Hilly

This is a transitional stage that should be won by a breakaway. The main difficulty of the day is Puerto del Escudo

There is also a 3rd category climb on the road to Burgos. Then the riders come to Burgos but they climb Castillo de Burgos for an action in the last kilometres. When the riders arrive to the top, they have a descent to Burgos again for the end of the stage.

The breakaway will be formed before/on Puerto del Escudo and the breakaway will fight for the stage on the ascent and descent of Castillo de Burgos. If the breakaway is caught there may be some attacks from the GC contenders on Castillo de Burgos.

Puerto del Escudo (1st Category, 1006 m, 10.1 Km at 6.8%, Km 46.4)
null (3rd Category, 1002 m, 6.7 Km at 4.4%, Km 97.6)
Castillo de Burgos (no puntable, 940 m, 1.69 Km at 5%, Km 145.20)

 

[Forever The Best]

Stage 18 Palencia-Valladolid 53.9 km ITT
A long, flat TT. The pure climbers should strugle and lose minutes

Stage 19 Cuellar-La Pinilla 152.1 km Hilly/Hill Top Finish
One of the last 2 opportunities to gain time on the leader.
First climb of the day is Puerto de Somosierra which is 2C. Then we have a 3rd category climb which I couldn't find its name. The third climb of the day is Puerto de la Hiruela which is categorized as 2C.

Now we have Puerto de Quesera, hardest climb of the stage and probably the place for attacks. (only the last 7.3 kms)

The final climb of the day is La Pinilla, where the stage will finish, is 5.5 km at %4.1. It is a 3rd category climb and it the finish can bring some gaps.

Puerto de Somosierra (2nd Category, 1452 m, 10.9 Km at 4.0%, Km 76.8)
null (3rd Category, 1292 m, 3.7 Km at 6.6%, Km 88.8)
Puerto de la Hiruela (2nd Category, 1476 m, 6.6 Km at 5.2%, Km 100.6)
Puerto de la Quesera (2nd Category, 1749 m, 7.3 Km at 5.9%, Km 136.6)
La Pinilla (3rd Category, 1510 m, 5.5 Km at 4.1%, Arrive)

 

[Forever The Best]

Stage 20 Collado Villalba-Los Angeles de San Rafael Mountain/Hilly 211.4 km

We start climbing quickly and Puerto de Navacerrada which is 1C is the first climb of the day where the breakaway should be formed:

Then we have Puerto de Navafria, a 2C climb:

Then we have Canencia, which I categorized as 2C but it can be 3C too:

Now the race is getting seriously and this is the last 1st category climb of this Vuelta, Puerto de Morcuera. Perhaps the GC attacks would start here?(from Miraflores de la Sierra)

Then we have Puerto de Cotos which is easier than Morcuera but gaps can be opened even more or closed. The attacks may start hereas well.

After the 8 kms of flat to Puerto de Navacerrada and the descent we have our last climb of the day, Alto del Leon which is 2C. The race should explode on te previous climbs and Leon should just open the gaps even more if the race is still close.

After the descent and a very short flat part there is a uphill to Los Angeles de San Rafael which is 2.78 km at %4.1. It is not categorized and a short downhill part of 300-400 metres bring the riders to the finish.

Puerto de Navacerrada (1st Category, 1854 m, 18.6 Km at 5.2%, Km 20.9)
Puerto de Navafria (2nd Category, 1777 m, 12.5 Km at 4.9%, Km 81.5)
Puerto de Canencia (2nd Category, 1522 m, 13.8 Km at 3.6%, Km 115.0)
Puerto de la Morcuera (1st Category, 1778 m, 9.1 Km at 7.0%, Km 132.2)
Puerto de Cotos (2nd Category, 1831 m, 14.8 Km at 4.7%, Km 163.1)
Alto del Leon (2nd Category, 1509 m, 8.3 Km at 6.5%, Km 197.2)
Alto de Los Angeles de San Rafael (no puntable, 1277 m, 2.78 km at %4.1, Km 211.44)

 

[Forever The Best]

Stage 21 Las Rozas-Madrid 108.4 km Flat
The last stage of the race is a parade to Madrid. The finish is at Paseo del Prado.

Here is the link to my Tour again:
https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/tours/view/4759

For more information:
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=2062828#p2062828

 

[SammyLarns]

2019 Giro d'Italia

I haven't posted on here for a few months now, due to a very busy period at work. But it's eased off slightly and I've had time to create a Giro route for 2019. I think, possibly, this might be my best route - but I'm very willing to hear any and all feedback.

The Giro starts on Corfu, just across the Adriatic from Italy, spends two days on Greek soil and then meanders to the east coast before crossing the Apennines to the west coast and into the mountains. The Giro has a habit of moving the finish around in recent years and 2019 will be no different. The peloton will face a final stage along the sea front around San Remo. The race winner will likely already be decided but if it's close then two ascents of the Poggio and two ascents of the wall like south side of the Cipressa will be captivating viewing.

Despite the finish, there's plenty of opportunities for the sprinters throughout the race, so don't expect a mass exodus as soon as the first week ends. It's not a good race for time triallers though, there's two stages where they'll hop on the time trial bikes and they both come within the first three days.

The whole race is 3092km long, that's about 400km shorter than the average Giro. There's just one stage over 200km - 206.8km stage 5 between Manfredoni and Pescara, which is broadly flat. Excluding the two time trials, the average stage is just 159km, but there's not really any long transfers either.

The race will kick off on Saturday 4th May and run until Sunday 26th May with two rest days built in. The transfer for the mechanics and coach drivers will be hard work, Corfu is around 13 hours away by ferry from the start of stage 3 in Lecce. For the cyclists though, it's just a little hop across the water to the city of Salento by plane. Therefore, there's no need for a rest day on the first Monday of the race. The first rest will come on Tuesday 14th May after stage 10 in La Spezia. The second rest will come mid-way through the final week Wednesday 22nd May after stage 17 in Turin.

This brings us on to the actual stages:

Stage 1 - Corfu (GR) - Corfu (GR) - 49.3km TTT

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 2.01.18 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 2.01.51 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Last 5km:
Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 2.02.02 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
It's a hard start to the Giro, the opening 16km are almost entirely flat and take the teams towards the north of the island and towards the mountains. The climb from Skripero is just 3% on average, but it last for almost 14km and will put serious strain on the weaker climbers in the teams. The ride back home is dead flat and finishes outside the beautiful Old Fortress.

 

[SammyLarns]

Stage 2 - Kavos - Corfu 121.9km

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 2.48.34 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 2.47.44 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

5km to go:
2019 Giro d'Italia - S2 - Kavos (GR) - Corfu (GR) 121.9km by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
We're starting the far south of the island, in Kavos - famous in the UK as a party town. The peloton will need to steer clear of the Sambucca though as they have a short sharp stage to navigate before they head back to Italy. The opening kilometers are flat but the first climb of Achiellion (3.1km at 4.9%) will be a good warm up for the following three climbs. Before they face the following climbs, the riders will head back through Corfu for the intermediate sprint and head up the coast to Kontokali for the feedzone after 55km.
Barely half way through, and the real racing is about to begin. The first of the twinned horned climbs of Sokraki (12.9km at 3.4%) and Troumpetas (6.4km at 6.1%), features a gentle opening few kilometers but that quickly gives way to a 12% stretch for 500m and 8% until the summit where a heavily reduced peloton will crest.
After the descent, they will immediately begin the climb of Troumpetas. There's no gentle opening though, it's 6% immediately and after a brief easing it cranks up to 8% almost all the way to the summit. There's 35km to the finish, just enough time for some committed sprinters to get back on. The final few kilometers will be familiar as they retrace their route to the intermediate sprint earlier in the stage.

Logistics:
Riders stayed in - Corfu
Journey to start length - 1.20hr
Start time - 13.30
Est Finish time - 16.45

 

[barmaher]

Love the touch of including race day logistics. Personally, I would have included menus, but what you have is sufficient.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Love the touch of including race day logistics. Personally, I would have included menus, but what you have is sufficient.

Pan y agua ?

 

[SammyLarns]

Stage 3 - Lecce - Lecce 24.6km TT

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-03-01 at 2.29.08 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-03-01 at 2.28.13 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Last 5km:
2019 Giro d'Italia - S3 - Lecce - Lecce 24.6km TT by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
That map is not a deception, this is a classic out and back course, familiar to any UK racers. The riders will start from Lecce in the south east of Italy and head down to the beach at San Cataldo. There's nothing complicated about the course, they will swing around and head straight back up the gradual rise and back into Lecce. Expect to see smaller climbers suffer on the long drag back into Lecce. After these three hard days there will already be some sizable gaps between the main favourites.

Logistics:
Riders stay in: Corfu
Journey to Start: 3 hours (flight for riders)
Estimated Start (first rider): 15:00
Estimated Finish (last rider): 18:30

 

[SammyLarns]

2019 Giro d'Italia - Stage 4 - Taranto - Cerignola 182km

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-03-01 at 2.56.31 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-03-01 at 2.54.41 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Last 5km:
2019 Giro d'Italia - S4 - Taranto - Cerignola 182km by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
The first pure sprinters stage of the race takes the riders from the arch of the boot of Italy in Taranto, to the town of Cerignola in Apulia. The route avoids the pan flat region next to the Adriatic sea and keeps a little inland and towards the small hills. The first climb on Italian soil is the steep but brief Ginosa. At the summit though, the riders will continue to climb, at a gradual gradient towards the high point in the stage, the 487m Basiliclata. That's the main difficulty of the day and, although the stage rises and falls after that it shouldn't be overly taxing for the sprinters. The final 5km are grippy as the riders navigate the streets of Cerignola but this is very definitely a stage the sprinters should be targeting.

Logistics:
Riders stay in: Taranto
Journey time from previous stage: 1.30hr
Stage Starts: 13.00
Stage Finish Estimate: 17.30

 

[SammyLarns]

2019 Giro d'Italia - S5 - Manfredoni - Pescara 206.7km

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 3.43.23 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 3.43.50 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Last 5km:
2019 Giro d'Italia - S5 - Manfredoni - Pescara 206.7km by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
Another stage for the fast men, the opening is very hard and good create some splits early on but after the first 37km are dealt with it'll be a long drag to the finish. This is the longest stage of the race, and there will be some accumulated fatigue, but there's nothing really to concern the sprint teams or the team of whoever is in pink today. The wind isn't likely to be an issue but after the early climbing, we stick tightly to the coastline so any wind or weather that comes will have a major impact on the peloton. There are chances for sprinters over the next few days but this is the most clear cut for a handful of stages.

Logistics:
Riders stay in: Foggia (40mins from previous stage finish)
Distance to start: 40 mins
Start time: 12.30
Estimated Finish time: 17.35

 

[SammyLarns]

2019 Giro d'Italia - S6 - Teramo - Ancona 153.9km

Profile:
Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 7.22.09 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Map:
Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 7.21.43 PM by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Last 5km:
2019 Giro d'Italia - S6 - Teramo - Ancona 153.9km by Sam Larner, on Flickr

Description:
None of the climbs on this stage are particularly challenging, but their location is. The opening climb comes immediately as the flag is dropped so expect some hard riding as a break tries to form on a stage which would suit an escape. The middle part of the stage is very straightforward, a flat and largely straight road along the coast where any sprinters who were dropped early on will be able to climb back in. This area should be familiar to most of the peloton as we pass by San Benedetto del Tronto, the traditional finish of the Tirreno Adriatico. The real battle will begin with 25km to go as the peloton heads back towards the hills. Again, individually these aren't hard climbs but with a fast moving peloton they are likely to create myriad issues for the weaker riders. The finish is akin to Milan-Sanremo as the leaders will come pilling down the hill and into Ancona.

Logistics:
Riders stay in: Foggia (40 mins from previous stage)
Distance to start: 2 hours
Start time: 13.30
Estimated Finish: 17.10

 

[Forever The Best]

https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/tours/view/4880

My second Tour de France
6 high mountain stages (L'Aberouat, Argeles-Gazost, Foix, Les Deux Alpes, Le Bourget du Lac, Le Grand Bornand)
5 medium mountain stages (Digne les Bains, Tarare, Clermont Ferrand, Station du Mont Dore, Malbo)
2 ITT of 117.1 km
2 lumpy/hilly stages (Lisieux,Sete)
1 Tro Bro Leon stage (Lannilis)
5 pure sprint stages (Fougeres, Poitiers, Biarritz, Dole, Paris Champs Elysees)

8 HC climbs (Col de Soudet, L'Aberouat, Col d'Aubisque, L'Alpe d' Huez, Mont du Chat, Cret de Chatillon, Mont Bisanne, Col de l' Arpettaz)

13 1C climbs (Col de Bostmendieta, Col de Marie Blanque, Col de Spandelles, Col de Mente, Col de la Core, Col d'Agnes, Col de Peguere, Col de Solude, Les Deux Alpes, Col de Porte, Col de l' Epine, Collet de Tamie, Col des Cyclotouristes)

Uphill finishes:
Stage 3 Lisieux 4C
Stage 7 L'Aberouat HC
Stage 13 Les Deux Alpes 1C
Stage 19 Station du Mont Dore 2C

 

[Netserk]

Your Tarare stage looks really interesting, but some of the roads need a lot of work to be included. I'm thinking of the end of Chapelle des Fous and the start of Gay.

I too have made a hilly stage recently, where some of the roads would need an upgrade, or where I'm just unaware of their condition (when neither streetview nor satellite will let me know). As an example, I would like to use the second half of this climb (http://www.klimtijd.nl/beklimming/chemin-de-renardmont), and then descend down to Moulin-du-Ruy.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Your Tarare stage looks really interesting, but some of the roads need a lot of work to be included. I'm thinking of the end of Chapelle des Fous and the start of Gay.

I too have made a hilly stage recently, where some of the roads would need an upgrade, or where I'm just unaware of their condition (when neither streetview nor satellite will let me know). As an example, I would like to use the second half of this climb (http://www.klimtijd.nl/beklimming/chemin-de-renardmont), and then descend down to Moulin-du-Ruy.

Yes, you are right. Didn't realize the roads were so bad in those climbs. It looks like some parts of those two climbs are not asphalted. And they don't even look like they can be usable. They look a lot narrower and worse than Finestre :redface:

From what I can see from streetview and satellite Renardmont looks asphalted.

 

[Netserk]

The ascent of Renardmont is fine (but quite narrow), it's more the top of it and the first part of the descent that worries me...

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

The ascent of Renardmont is fine (but quite narrow), it's more the top of it and the first part of the descent that worries me...

Mine are not even asphalted and too narrow. Perhaps I will design an alternative stage not including these climbs of these sides.

 

[railxmig]

Tarare is only one of the problems in this tour. There's Les Deux Alpes stage with a descent from Solude. I think not only the top of Solude is unpaved but also the descent is on that cliff road with tons on narrow and unlit tunnels and a couple hundred meters drop on one side. It's a visually stunning road but not for a descent.

Other problem is Spandelles, where there's barely any road (and the climb itself is nothing special to justify the decision) and Laberouat, which is a tiny refuge with barely any space for anything. I doubt even Route du Sud would manage to have finish there. Col des Cyclotouristes and Col de l'Arpettaz are also very awful as far as i remember. Those are of course only small nitpicks if somebody cares about road conditions and/or logistics etc.

Around a month ago i posted a preview of a Tour i was working on for like 3 years right now. I guess i'm ready to post this one then.

Tour de France by railxmig – preamble.

This tour was in development hell for almost 3 years. First stages were created in the summer of 2014 and the last ones a couple of days ago. I decided to not go for any realism, objectivity or optimalization. Balancing the route was very low on my priority list. I did however stick to my "patents" of putting a flat and straight time trial in the 1st week and a more twisty and hilly one in the last week. I also put mountain descent stages after the MTFs. I really didn't care about putting the most selective stages on the weekend. If i can't do it then i don't mind it putting elsewhere.

There will be of course 21 stages of which 2 are TT and 1 is a prologue so the overall tour length might be shorter but the road stages are longer than i was going for. There'll be a lot of >180km stages. It's purely accidental.

This tour starts in Bretagne and then goes south alongside the Atlantic coast and east to Jura and the Alps. Then alongside the Mediterranean coast to Pyrenees before coming back to Massif Central and Paris. Outside of Bretagne and Paris the northernmost point of this Tour is Nevers, so there won't be any cobbles or WW-s artifacts. That doesn't mean every stage will be on nice and wide roads. Jura and central France are known for their wilderness and narrowness while there might be some small amount of sterrato (ribin) in Bretagne.

This tour is heavilly echelon prone with at least 3 coastal stage and one TT on mainly open roads going close (mainly alongiside) to the coast. Considering the possible ribins, close to 90km of TT and purely technicall hilly stages this tour might be more suitable for a more tougher rider than just a pure climber. That of course doesn't mean there won't be any mountains as there are 5/6 (depends how you will treat the Jura stage) mountain stages with 4 MTFs and 6 HC climbs with 3/4 crucial ones.

I guess that should be all for the basics. I normally do very long posts with tons of filler content. This time i don't have time for that so i will limit myself to only short synopis of each stage but to compensate that i'll try to post 2 or 3 stages per post. I hope i will manage to start either today or tomorrow and post at least one entry per day.

I don't know how to end this post so i guess just have a good day. And sorry in advance for my awful english.

 

[Netserk]

Has Spandelles become worse since it was used in Route du Sud?