Race Design Thread

[Libertine Seguros]

Stage 7: Akureyri - Akureyri, 22,3km (ITT)

The final stage of my Tour of Iceland is a mid-length ITT through Akureyri and its surrounding areas. The riders will start on the waterfront on Strandgata, starting with a short uphill to the city church, looping around the north and west side of the city for a few kilometres of rolling terrain, before descending down to the side of the fjörð, with just one technical switchback to deal with. After arriving back at the coast the riders are close to the dramatic in-route to Akureyri airport. In that image you can see a large section of the time trial course - ahead of the runway there is a long bridge traversing Eyjafjörður. The riders will cross this before the toughest part of the route, the climb on the eastern side of the fjörð on Veigastaðavegur; this is approximately 2,5km at around about 5%, so this will give the climbers a bit of a chance to limit their losses before they get back down to the coast and cross the bridge in the opposite direction, then it's a short, flat power burst along the waterfront back to Strandgata for the finale.

This race does favour climbers, but in order to make the most of what the race can offer they will need to spend quite some time on the attack; puncheurs and second-tier climbers willing to take chances will also be in a good position.

Akureyri:

 

[togo95]

Tour of Yemen - 11

Stage 11: Ibb - Zabid; 129 km

Short sprinters stage, maybe for breakaway. GC guys will probably have an off day. Finish is in Zabid, part of world heritrage UNESCO.

 

[roundabout]

What's the name of that cobbled swiss +2000m climb? It was used in 2005. I don't know if ever since.

The "old road" up Gotthardpass I presume.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...e_Strasse.jpg/800px-Gotthard_alte_Strasse.jpg

Although wikipedia says there's more concrete now.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Allright, let's continue with my Scandinavian Tour. By the way, we should insert spoiler alerts at this forum. Libertine really seems to have predictive gifts.

Stage 6: Jönköping - Kristianstad (221 KM)

This will be the last stage finishing in Sweden, but it won't be a spectacular one. Apart from the start, no climbs needs to be tackled this day. Therefore it will be a long and boring day. But hey, sometimes you can't avoid these.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 7: Malmö - Kobenhaven ITT (47 KM)

This stage is one of my personal favourites of this tour. Climbers gonna hate this time trial! After a small detour through Malmö the riders will cross the Danish border over the famous 8 KM long Sont Bridge! After going through the Sont Tunnel the riders immediately enter Denmark's capital Kobenhavn. After a detour through this city the rider's tortures will end nearby the famous mermaid sculpture.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 8: Roskilde - Vejle (211 KM)

This will be the only road stage in Denmark. The reason is simple, it is really becoming time to enter the mountains. Luckily, this will be a quite entertaining stage. After a start at the well-known festival city Roskilde, the peloton will pass through Odense and the Belt Bridge before arriving at Vejle. This place is known for the 21% steep Kiddesvey climb. And off course it is included this day. After the top there are only 5 kilometres left. However, there is still enough to come, because 1 kilometre before the finish an even harder climb needs to be tackled. The Kongevey is only 500 metres long, but averages 13%! After a short decent the last 500 metres to the finish will go gradually up again (6%). Definetely a stage for the Purito's in this world!

Tomorrow will be a rest day, when the riders will take the plane from Aarhus to Bergen.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 9: Bergen - Laerdalsoyri (225 KM)

Finally, we are in Norway. I felt a bit 'forced' to explore the climbs in Sweden and Denmark as well, but Norway is the real deal. Therefore the first stage will immediately become a killer. After the start in the beautiful city of Bergen the peloton will have to go through an awfully large amount of tunnels before the first HC climb of this tour can be tackled: The Snovegen.This is a monsterclimb averaging 8% over 16,5 kilometres. After a short ride at the plateau, a spectacular descend will bring the riders to the finish in Laerdalsoyri.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 10: Laerdalsoyri - Juvashytta (200 KM)

Today is one of the two queen stages! For the first (and the last) time the stage will start at the place where the previous one has ended: Laerdalsoyri. The day starts easy with the rather gradual climb up to Tyin Lake, but after passing to Ovre Ardal the trouble will start with the big climb to Tindevegen. Subsequently the tortures continue with the climb up to Sognefjellet. Luckily the peloton already starts at 900 metres, and therefore only need to tackle 5 KM at 8%. However, their luck ends soon, because the finish will be on Scandinavians highest and toughest climb: the Juvashytta! This 'Zoncolan of the North' brings the riders to the famous Galdhöppingen skiing area. Definetely big gaps will be created today!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What was that you were saying about my predictive abilities? I felt sure it was going to be a few more days in Denmark working your way north, after putting the TT and Vejle at the weekend, to really put a bit more pressure on the climbers with some wind-affected stages, then it be an up-and-down-Norway final week. So I was way off base on that!

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 4
Bandung - Bandung ITT, 44 Km

I had to rethink this stage plenty of times. My initial plan was a very long ITT, possibly heading north on the coast with strong crosswinds involved, but I couldn't find the proper locations and I would have ended up too far away from my next stage starting city. On the other hand I didn't want to fill in with a transfer stage, since my goal is to create gaps before the first real mountain stage. Therefore climbers will be forced to attack.

So this is it: another city parcours looping aroung the massive Bandung. It's not the sexiest metropoly around, but one thing for sure: roads here are much better than the average indonesian tarmac. Pure TTers will have a clear advantage. There's no climb whatsoever, the small bump around halfway has a max slope of 2%. A couple of technical turns here and there will make it a bit trickier, but nothing scary.


Bandung

 

[Finn84]

Here's a about 15,5-kilometre circuit about 30 kilometres from Istanbul city. So, it's the proposal for 2020, if Istanbul wins IOC voting to get the Olympics.

With the route to the circuit may be taking the most direct route, then maybe 14 laps around this and then once around former F1 circuit which is a bit undulating as well. For women, maybe six or seven laps.

I will try to design routes for Rio (2016) as well as other 2020 candidates Madrid and Tokyo.

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 5
Cibinong - Gunung Guntur (MTF), 189,9 Km

Climbs:
Malati (Cat. 2) - 5,5 Km @ 5,5%
Kawah Putih (Cat. HC) - 17,3 Km @ 7,6%
Baros (Cat. 2) - 8,3 Km @ 5,7%
Laksana (Cat. 1) - 5,9 Km @ 9,4%
Gunung Guntur (Cat. 1) - 3,6 Km @ 10%

Gaps have been made, climbers are far back on the GC. But it's a new day in Java. The first Montain Top Finish of the Tour is no small thing. It's a 190 km headache with 5 categorized climbs where every man will be by himself come the last mur.

We start from a small village called Cibinong heading south, we take a glance at the lush south coast of Java and then turn left. Malati is the first climb of the day, an appetizer before the real pain begins. At km 71 we face the first HC climb, an 11 km beast with slopes at 14% and a 2km section of sterrato. With the amazing Lake Kawah behind us, we keep going on the Jalan Babakan towards Bandung. It's a fast and long descent that takes us to Pasin Jambu. From there we turn east, climb the Cat. 2 Baros and then prepare for the final bagarre.

Gunung is not the highest, nor the scariest volcano of the island. But the road leading to its sum are good enoug for a double climb from different sides. We first approach it from the west side, 6km at 9,5 % with a crazy 20% 500 mt section near the top, then descend slightly and get to the final mur, with the whole last km between 18 and 20%.


Kawah Putih

Gunung Guntur

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's not a day for the sprinters, is it! We have hilly Worlds/Olympic courses in Istanbul, a Mende-like finish in Indonesia and Juvasshytta is one of the great unused (at the pro level at least) climbs of the world...

 

[McLovin]

The "old road" up Gotthardpass I presume.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...e_Strasse.jpg/800px-Gotthard_alte_Strasse.jpg

Although wikipedia says there's more concrete now.

Yes, that's the one. Thank you!

 

[TheBigT]

Finished mapping out my grand tour of Australia, just need to work on the write up.

 

[Finn84]

2020 Summer Olympics Candidate Cities - Madrid RR



Using nearby villages Cobena and Algete, we have a circuit. Including around 7-kilometre uphill section where the road climbs up 130 metres. Cobena has some difficult and maybe even little dangerous downhill section. But it's not impossible to end up in Madrid centre, so there are a bit less that 25 kilometres left when they exit the circuit.



Starts with downhill, but then some more climbing. Speciality is 2,5-kilometre tunnel section under the airport. The final is pretty straightforward with the finish line in Calle de Alcalá.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

I couldn't help changing the course of my Scandinavian Tour (I think I've never let one race unchanged ), so if you read back you can see the spiced up version of the 10th stage to Juvashytta.

Libertine: I suggested you had predictive skills since you correctly forecasted that there would be stage finishes in Huskvarna and Vejle. For me, it were just random places which (according to Google Terrain) could provided some nice possibilities for bike racing. I've never known that the local tours always held their queen stages over there.

But let's continue:

Stage 11: Skjolden - Innvik (159 KM)

After two hard days, today will provide the riders some rest. Today's course is short and rather easy. However, a bunch sprint is unlikely since 20 KM before the finish the 7K at 7% climb to Utvikfjell is included.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 12: Styn - Dalsnibba (185 KM)

The second queen stage! Already after 20 KM the peloton will be confronted with a HC climb: the 12 Km at 7,5% Strynefjellet. The second climb of the day is much shorter, but also steeper as well. The Ornevegen averages 9% over 7 KM! Immediately the riders will be confronted with the third climb of the day. The unpaved 3,5 KM at 11,5% climb to Grondiket. Luckily, the decent of this climb is quite smootly paved, and after a detour around the Storfjord, the peloton will climb the Ornevegen again, but from the other direction. Luckily, this side is rather easy. Thereby making it a nice warm up (when it's still needed) for today's finishing climb: the 21KM at 7% climb to Dalsnibba. Especially the last part of this climb is hard; it doesn't only averages 10%, but also has some unpaved sections!

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 13: Vinstra - Lillehammer (182 KM)

It's propably overkill, but I really felt the need to make the last mountain stage very difficult as well. But before the riders can even start, a large transfer (180 KM) to Vinstra is required. From there, the peloton will tackle the famous Peer Gynt Vegen to Tretten, and via another climb they will go to the host City of the 1994 Winter Olympics: Lillehammer. Over there, two difficult local rounds needs to be challenged before the race finishes at the short climb up to the famous ski jump. In total, this stages contains not less than 6 climbs!

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Stage 14: Hamar - Oslo (170 KM)

It's time to finish of this Scandinavian Tour. And off course, it will be done in style. After starting in front of the famous (for Dutch Iceskate retards like me ) Vikingskipet in Hamar, the peloton will go straight to Norway's capital Oslo. Over there, three local rounds in downtown Oslo will give this race the prestigious ending it deserves. Will the Karl Johansgate become the new Champs Élysées?

 

[togo95]

Tour of Yemen - 12

Stage 12: Al Hudaydah - Al-Mahabishah; 224 km

12th stage is the longest one. From Al Hudaydahroute goes north through arid and flat terrain. There is chance of strong wind blowing here. First uphill slopes begin around 165 km. These climbs aren't easy but still quite far from the finish, maybe for some outsiders to try their luck. First one is the toughest on this stage. Qufl Shamr will make main group smaller that's sure. In addition to this, in the village Qufl Shamrat the top begins unpaved road, although it's smooth enough. In this area the road is very http://i49.tinypic.com/27zi06s.jpg[/img]]winding and more straight section can be seen only from 4 km to go. The unpaved road is 40 km long and although there are some ascents the steep sections are short. However they'll tire those legs and provide places to attack. 11 km to go, where will riders enjoy tarmac again begins also the final climb of the day, which takes peloton to the finish in Al-Mahabishah. Average gradient isn't the highest, but first 5 km are toughest with average over 9%.

Climbs:
Qufl Shamr (173) - 8,5 km; 9,1%
climb [#] (187) - 9 km; 5,2%
Al-Mahabishah (224) - 10,8 km; 5,9%

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Scandinavian Tour has decided to kick into overdrive to finish. I also love Oslo to pieces (but it does rather look like if I want a finish looping around Holmenkollen I'm going to need to do things myself )... and can imagine Karl Johans Gate would make a perfect finish, right in front of Nationaltheatret and Universitet i Oslo, with de Kongelige Slott in the background. Maybe with a bit of a circuit looping around Aker Brygge and the Åkershus Fortress before returning to Karl Johans Gate? That would be one of the best finishing circuits around.

 

[Arnout]

I present my first contribution after reading here: the Tour of Greece. It will be a 7-day race, with stages on the mainland of the struggling country. Unfortunately no profiles of climbs are available on climbbybike or cyclingcols for this race. I will present stage by stage, over the next few days.

Tour of Greece Stage 1 Serres - Ormilia

Immediately a difficult day for the riders, with a stage of 193km and a lot of climbs. After starting in Serres, a medium-sized city in the east of the province of Central Macedonia, the riders head towards the west over the E79, negating the mountain pass between the Eggleziko Pigadi and Pente Vrises, on their way towards Lachanas, a small village in the hills, over good and wide roads.

Near the village, the riders leave the E79 and continue on smaller roads, towards the village of Pente Vrises and emerging on the other side of the pass in Lagkadas. The riders can enjoy a flat middle part of the race, before heading back into the hills near Nea Apollonia, a small historic town. Via Arnea, another old town, the race descends towards the Mediterranean sea, before turning right, for a last climb towards Vrastama.

This last climb is not that difficult, with an average percentage of about 5%, but the race was hard and with an attack, one has a chance for a stage win and the GC jersey the next day.

Apart from a little part in the middle, the descent is steep and extremely fast, with only one major turn. The daring type can really make a difference here, before reaching the finishing line in Ormilia.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

The Scandinavian Tour has decided to kick into overdrive to finish. I also love Oslo to pieces (but it does rather look like if I want a finish looping around Holmenkollen I'm going to need to do things myself )... and can imagine Karl Johans Gate would make a perfect finish, right in front of Nationaltheatret and Universitet i Oslo, with de Kongelige Slott in the background. Maybe with a bit of a circuit looping around Aker Brygge and the Åkershus Fortress before returning to Karl Johans Gate? That would be one of the best finishing circuits around.

That's exactly what I've done! If you click on the link you can see it.

Unfortunately no profiles of climbs are available on climbbybike or cyclingcols for this race. I will present stage by stage, over the next few days.

Maybe you can use salite.ch? That is one of the biggest collection of cycling profiles. But I'm looking forward to your contribution. Greece should have enough possibilities to create a nice race. Unfortunately they don't have the resources to finance it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ah yes, I see now. You have also however used a large stretch of Karl Johans Gate where it isn't really designed for road vehicles, through the pedestrianised stretch. Bikes will be fine over there, I've seen plenty on there, but it's not all that typical for racing, I can only name a couple of small Italian women's races I've seen use pedestrianised areas like that. The cobbled road stretch only starts at Stortinget. Then again, it is only a parade sprint stage; just wondering if there might be problems with sprint trains with some street furniture. Just a minor gripe in what's been a very entertaining tour.