Race Design Thread

[Progsprach]

Oh no, my insanity records set in my first two races are getting targeted. You're not allowed to attack them ;-). At least it's gonna be hard to snatch that hardest mountain used ever record away from me.

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 11
Madiun - Semarang, 184.3 Km

Another sprinters-friendly stage, although this might be one for stagehunters.
I know the profile could suggest otherwise, but all of the climbs in this parcours are so mild that I decided not to give KoM points for any of them.
Last bump is some 25 km far from the finish. This is one of the last chances for sprinters.

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 12 (MTF)
Semarang - Gunung Sumbing, 163.6 Km

Climbs:
Km 60 (Cat. 2) - 7,5 Km @ 6%
Km 69 (Cat. HC) - 12 Km @ 11,4%
Km 100 (Cat. 1) - 11,5 Km @ 5,6%
Km 134 (Cat. HC) - 9,5 Km @ 13,8%
Km 154 (Cat. HC) - 8,5 Km @ 11%


A brief stage, but that's pretty much anything good riders can expect from today. Five categorised climbs, three HC, 5000+ mt of total gain in altitude and the nasty road conditions of Central Java.

We leave from the coastal city of Semarang, roll along the ocean for 50 kms, then turn left toward the central volcanos of the island. First on our schedule is Gunung Seroja with its lush little lakes along the way. This is actually one of the few mountains in Indonesia that we can cross from north to south and we'll gladly take this opportunity and keep going.

After the ascent to Serang riders will have to prepare for the most brutal climb of the whole island, the monster of Java: Mount Sindoro. Exception among his peers, this is a volcano which can actually be climbed until the top. Climb is gradual: first half is around 8-9%, second half never gets below 16% with slopes at 21%. I flirted with the possibility of sending the riders all the way to the summit of Sendoro, but final 2 kms are on narrow sterrato at some crazy gradients like 35% (website won't even calculate it), so I gave up.

Instead riders will get another climb and not an easy one. After the descent to Wanutengah, peloton will turn right and start going up to Gunung Sumbing. Average gradient is at 11% but again there are slopes at 20%. One thing for sure: a man, alone, will get to the finish line and rightfully claim he's the best among the best.


Gunung Sendoro

 

[Arnout]

Time to finish my Tour of Greece. It's been a while due to vacation and stuff like that, but here is stage 6.

Tour of Greece stage 6 - 207km: Karditsa - Simos

(1) Cat. 3 32.6km, 2.2%
(2) Cat. 3 8.2km, 4.6%
(3) Cat. 1 21.7km, 4.6%
(4) Cat. 2 8.4km, 6.2%
(5) Cat. 2 9.1km, 6.3%
(6) Cat. 2 9.1km, 5.4%

A long and demanding stage, but without very difficult climbs, it is the trademark of most of the stages of this Tour of Greece. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of climbs will put pressure on every leg in the peloton, and riders still feeling fresh will have a chance to distance others. If they feel daring, they can start attacking early, for big gaps or massive payback later on...

We start in the town of Karditsa, a provincial capital with nearly 40,000 inhabitants. It is known to be bicycle-friendly, and claims that 30% of inner-city transport is done by bike. Like many Greek cities, it is also old, with ancient landmarks, with the Saints Constantine and Helena cathedral as most striking one.

Leaving the city, the riders head south, towards the Pindus mountain range, also labeled "the spine of Greece", gradually ascending on the first climb of the day, towards Rentina. Despite a total ascent of more than 30 kilometers, the climb is only labeled as a category 3 ascent, as it is more a false flat than a real ascent.

After a steep, technical but scenic descent, the second climb follows. With an average percentage of 4.6%, it is not hard, but the changing gradients will make it demanding nonetheless.

The subsequent descent back towards a lowly 200m above sea level brings the riders to the foot of the highest mountain of the day. Chances are it will be cloudy and misty. If not, the riders will be treated on beautiful views (even though this is a winter shot).

The next climb immediately follows the descent, a pass over the watershed near Asprovrisi, with the highest point at some 1360 meters.

Passing a beautiful mountain lake, the riders start the finale of todays stage, heading back into the hills once again, going uphill on the climb towards the Kerovauni - Perpiani mountain, for what is probably the hardest climb of the day. The descent is necessary to cross the Rema Kotsalos stream.

The last climb of the day is a relatively easy one, but the legs of the riders will be seriously tired by now. We climb past the small village of Pokista, to finish after a short downhill in Simos.

This was the last road stage of this Tour of Greece, tomorrow the race will be concluded by a time trial.

 

[Arnout]

Tour of Greece stage 7 - 32km: Ampelakia - Ampelakia

(1) Cat. 4 4.6km, 5.2%
(2) Cat. 4 1.9km, 8.9%

As if the course wasn't hard enough for the past six days, this race is concluded by a far from easy time trial. The length is not the real problem, with 32km it's right on the money for a time trial in a week-long race, but two nasty climbs will challenge the riders once more.

The scene for this race against the clock is Salamis Island, the island in the Saronic Gulf, only a few kilometers from, and in front of, Athens. With a population of 40,000 men, women and children, the island is densely populated, but this time trial avoids the two main centers, the largest city Salamina and the main port in Pakoukia.

Instead, the riders start and finish in Ampelakia, just below mentioned cities. Turning west first, the riders start easy, along the coast of the Ormos Salaminas bay.

Reaching the village of Eantio, the riders turn inland and upwards, to arrive at the other side of the island near a beautiful beach.

Returning along the other coast, the second hill starts after Kaki Vigla. This is a really nasty one, the average percentage of 8.9% doesn't look too bad, but the last 500 meters of the climb are on average in excess of 18%, while the 500 meters before that are some 11%.

The descent is not as steep, but straight and well-surfaced, speeds will be very high here, before a final kink and a false flat downhill towards the end of this Tour of Greece.

 

[Arnout]

So, to round up:

Tour of Greece

Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6
Stage 7

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 13 (ITT)
Borobudur - Magelang, 29.9 Km

Climb:
Km 10.6 (Cat. 2) - 5.6 Km @ 6.9%

We're in the third weekend of the race and coming from the hardest stage of the tour (so far). A medium lenght hilly ITT looked like the best way to understand who is the fastest to recovery from previous effort.

Starting point is in Borobudur, arguably among the most stunning buddhist temples of the whole world. We leave right in front of the temple (although this would probably not be possibile in real life) and take the way north towards Magelang.

After 10 kms we get to the climb of Tempuran, a 5.6 Km ascent to the village of Ketangi. It starts at 4% but soon they'll head to the hardest part: 800mt at 12%. Then it gets easier again and the rest of the climb is around 6-7%. The following descent is not steep, nor technical. Time trialers should take advantage of these 13 kms till the finishing line, although fatigue will probably be the most important factor here.


Borobudur

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 14 (MTF)
Temanggung - Mount Merbabu, 187 Km

Climbs:
Km 11 (Cat. 1) - 8,4 Km @ 6,1%
Km 26 (Cat. 2) - 5,3 Km @ 6,7%
Km 51 (Cat. HC) - 9,5 Km @ 9,7%
Km 119 (Cat. 1) - 24,7 Km @ 4.2%
Km 169 (Cat. HC) - 17,2 Km @ 12,4%


So here's the conclusion to the nightmare weekend of the Java Tour. Another MTF, another beast in the end. All in all, this is not the hardest stage, but it comes after two tough days so anything could happen.

We leave from the small town of Temanggung where there is absolutely nothing of note apart from tobacco fields. The first climb of the day to Gunung Ungaran is split in two parts. none of them is particurarly steep or long, but it will put some kms in the legs. We then head south for the climb to Seloprojo, with gradients almost between 9 and 10%.

60 flat kms will give riders some hope before we turn east for the final section of the stage. Gunung Merapi (Mountain of Fire) and its iconic crater will be seen along the way. Bear in mind this is a very active volcano, so although we'll pass pretty far from its summit, the parcours might be modified in case of eruptions. There's a huge mythology connected to this Volcano, which is probably the most important of the whole country.

North of Merapi, stands the colossal Mount Merbabu. It's another of the few mountains we can climb to the very top, this time without being forced to crazy gradients. There are slopes at 18% in the final 3kms but it's a uniform climb for the most part. Stage ends above 3000 mt so altitude could be a factor here.

Tomorrow is final rest day.

Mount Merbabu

 

[rghysens]

It's been done a couple of times before, but I'll design a giro d'Italia. It will be a combination between traditional giro features (an early, but easy mountain top finish) and traditional tour features (two long tt's). Hopefully it leads to an interesting parcours that gives the opportunity to all kinds of racers to shine, without being backloaded.

Prologue: Trieste, 6.4km. A flat prologue in the historical centre of town. A typical tour start, but in my opinion there's nothing wrong with it. And the winner probably won't keep the pink jersey for 7 days.

1st stage: Monfalcone-Rovigo, 194km. A flat stage along the Adriatic coast. The highest point of this stage is 5m above sea level.

2nd stage: Ravenna-San Marino, 201km.

The first mountains of the race. The stage starts with 40 flat km, followed by 60km where 6 3rd category climbs have to be tackled. After 119km the 2nd category climb of Monte Benedetto (9.4km @ 6.1%) starts, immediatly succeeded by the 1st category Monte Carpegna (16km @ 6.4%). The next 30km are mostly descending, but the final 17km can provide some fireworks. A 3rd category climb (4.2 km @ 6.3%) is an ideal warm-up for the final climb (7.8km @ 4.5%) to San Marino.

3rd stage: Rimini - San Benedetto del Tronto, 188km. Some minor hills just after halfway, but the last 65km are pancake flat.

4th stage: Pescara - Lucera, 194km.

This stage follows the Adriatic coast for its first half and then turns inland to the rolling countryside of Puglia. It ends in the small town of Lucera, with two local laps that incorporate a 2.5km climb @ 4% to the finishline.

5th stage: Foggia - Lagonegro, 196km
This rolling stage crosses some of Italy's southern regions and is sparkled with about a dozen smaller and medium sized climbs, but none of them are difficult. The last one (3.6 km @ 4.3%) however, crests with just 7.5km to go, so it can cause some splits in the bunch. The finish isn't the easiest either, as just after the 1km to go sign there's a nasty 11% hill, albeit just 400m long.

6th stage: Sapri - Vibo Valentia, 194km. This is a genuine flat stage along the Thyrrenian coast, with the exception of the last 7.7km, that rise at an average gradient of 4.3%. Expect a reduced bunch sprint.

7th stage: Messina - Etna, 195km

The 7th stage in line will be the first real mountain stage. The climbing starts immediatly after the start, but the climb to Portella Rizzo from Messina is nothing but a gentle warm-up. The 35km on coastal roads will give a breakaway the chance to establish a significant lead on their way to the 2nd category Portella Mandrazzi (21.5km @ 4.5%). When crossing the top of this climb, one can already see todays finishing place: Mount Doom, errr... Etna. It will not be climbed once, nor twice, but thrice. The first climb starts from Castiglione di Sicilia with some smaller ramps, followed by a 14km long stretch at an average of 6.4%. The descent to Milo is fast and followed by the second climb (16.8km @ 7.4%) from Etnea. After 165 agonizing km the racers finally see todays finish, the rifugio Sapienza, only 1.5km further up the road. This will seem nothing more than a fata morgana as they take a swift lefthand turn and descend the via catania in the direction of Nicolosi. About 15 minutes later the final climb to Mount Etna will commence, finishing 13.5km @ 6.5% later.

8th stage: Catania - Agrigento, 191km

The 8th stage is a lot easier on the legs than the 7th, but the rolling roads will hurt some tired legs, that's for sure. After 177km the peloton will cross the finishline for a first time and will than contest the victory on a local lap similar to that of the 2nd stage of the 2008 giro, with the finish on top of a 4.3km climb at 5%.

The second monday of the race will be a rest and transfer day, back to the mainland.

 

[Eshnar]

This time I'm gonna do something different.
There's a (real) project for a one-day race on the Montello, a hill that some of you may know as the venue of the Worlds in 1985.
The particularity of this strange hill is its elliptic shape and its roads: one long (asphalted) road that travels from east to west, and 21 small roads from north to south, each of them called "Presa" and numbered from east to west.
These "Prese Del Montello" are awesome for a bike race: they have steep gradients, false flats, switchbacks...
but especially, many of these roads are unsurfaced! The sterrato they are covered by is quite unique in Italy, having a typical red color, hence the name "Terre Rosse" (red ground) for this race, which could start in 2015 (with a stage of the Giro promoting it).
This is a map of the hill:the roads marked in green are unsurfaced.

This is the route I chose (of course the real route will be different, but it's just to show what this race could look like), trying to include as much Prese as possible, in about 100 kms.

As you can see, there are at least 5-6 challenging climbs. Especially starting from the Presa 13 to the Presa 17 (between them I put Presa 14 and 16), that's a really nasty sequence. Consider that Presa 14 is full sterrato (many say it's the hardest Presa, 2 kms at 10% average, with the central km averaging something like 14%) and that Presa 13 and 17 have sterrato sections.
This is the zoomed profile of those Prese

You see? Now imagine a classic going there...

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

That sounds ace!

 

[SafeBet]

Looks amazing. Which part of Italy is it?

 

[Eshnar]

Looks amazing. Which part of Italy is it?

On the Piave River. North east of Montebelluna

 

[Netserk]

Have there ever been a worlds looping Pogio? Would love to see a 30*Pogio worlds

 

[SafeBet]

On the Piave River. North east of Montebelluna

Cheers.
I found it on MapMyRide and will have some fun tonite with all the different combinations.

 

[Eshnar]

Have there ever been a worlds looping Pogio? Would love to see a 30*Pogio worlds

You mean Poggio?
Never been I guess

 

[Eshnar]

Cheers.
I found it on MapMyRide and will have some fun tonite with all the different combinations.

We certainly know how to have some fun!

 

[rghysens]

I'll continue with my giro design. The second monday is a rest and transfer day. The peloton will be shipped from Palermo to Naples and then by car to Latina, a bit south of Rome, where the 9th stage will be held.

9th stage: Latina - Latina, 60km time trial.
This time trial is one for the specialists of the big gear. There are no hills, no descents and barely any sharp corners. The only possible difficulty is the wind blowing from the Thyrreanean Sea.

10th stage: Civitavecchia - Siena, 227km.
(The first 28km aren not on the profile)

Yes, I shamelessly copied a part of the Monte Paschi Eroica, but who cares. This 227km long stage incorporates 4 strade bianche sectors in the last quarter of the race.
Sector 1: km167 - km179
Sector 2: km180 - km188
Sector 3: km195 - km200
Sector 4: km207 - km220

After the last sector there's the uphill drag to the historical centre of one of the most picturesque Italian towns.

11th stage: Arezzo - Fiesole, 173km

We remain in Tuscany for most of the day, but the parcours will be totally different from yesterdays. Instead of rolling strade bianche we get the medium mountains of the Apennines. There are five climbs to be tackled, but none of them are really difficult. They will however sap the leg of the remaining racers after the previous stage. This terrain will probably favour a breakaway, but it is by no means an easy day for the contenders, as there's a nasty climb to the finish town with its summit 3km before todays finish. 5km @ 6.5% is no big deal, but it can be enough to take back or lose a couple of seconds.

12th stage: Lucca - Genova, 179km.

From Tuscany to Liguria this stage follows the Thyrrenean coastline and climbs some of the more inland climbs, like the well-known but not so difficult Passo del Bracco. Despite the rolling terrain a mass sprint is to be expected in this famous town.

13th stage: Savona - Ponte di Nava, 189km.
It's the third saturday of the race, and the second real mountain stage awaits the tired peloton.

This stage starts quite gently, with a 80km long flat run-in. A few kilometres after Imperia, the peloton will leave the coastal way and head for the Ligurian Alps. The first climb is the 1ste category Colle di Oggia (15.5km @ 6.5%). A fast descent to Badalucco brings us to the foot of the second climb, another one of first category: Monte Ceppo (23km @ 5.8%). The following descent leads to Molini di Triora, beginning of the last climb of the day, the hors category (18km @ 7.3%) Colle Garlezzo, partly on gravel roads.

14th stage : Cuneo - Briançon, 196km.
This hard mountain stage is the second one that finishes in a non-Italian town.

This is the second consecutive mountain stage without a mountain top finish, but it probably is the hardest stage of the whole giro. It includes four HC clims, evenly spread out over the stage.
Colle della Fauniera (2511m, 24.7km @7%)
Colle di Sampeyre (2284m, 16.2km @8.2%)
Colle d'Agnello (2744m, 22.4km @ 6.5%)
Col d'Izoard (2361m, 15.9km @ 6.9%)
Making this stage a worthy queen stage of any grand tour.

 

[icefire]

Nobody says it is not allowed to race on such tires. Maybe there can be bike switches.

On this website is a summary of the biggest Beach race in Holland. It is 36 KM long. As you can see, they go pretty fast.

But I agree, I'm a little insane!

I'm dissapointed. If it doesn't include sections on frozen canals is not insane enough.

 

[Descender]

That Briançon stage is orgasmic.

 

[Eshnar]

Despite the rolling terrain a mass sprint is to be expected in this famous town.

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 15
Surabaya - Surabaya, 225.4 Km

And third week it is.
Coming from a rest day involving a massive transfer from Central Java to Surabaya, a 300+ km journey on dirty roads, unless you have budget to get a plane (in that case, make sure to avoid the blacklisted Merpati), riders will face a long but apparently easy stage.

There is nothing even resembling a climb here, but last 100 kilometres roll along the coast, so echelons might form and cause damage. Surabaya is a huge city with overwhelming traffic, but for one day I'll make sure cars won't hit the road.


Surabaya

 

[SafeBet]

Tour of Java - Stage 16
Mojokerto - Batu, 241.8 Km

Climbs:
Km 103 (Cat. 2) - 20.3 Km @ 3.9%
Km 190 (Cat. 1) - 17.4 Km @ 4.7%
Km 213 (Cat. HC) - 12.2 Km @ 8.7%

Tuesday was for sprinters. This should be for the break.
Longest stage of the Tour takes place in the middle of last week and it's not an easy one.

After 100 flattish kms we turn east and start looping around a group of big and silent volcanos. The long climb towards Gunung Butak won't hurt anybody since it's largely at 2-3%. We then keep heading north for 70km more.

At km 190 we hit the highlight of the day: the twin volcanos of Arjuno and Arjuna. Brother is the more approachable of the two, with a first half at 6-7% which gets way easier in the final kms. Sister is stiffer though with slopes at 14% in the first couple kilometres.
Some GC action might take place here and the battle could continue on the descent. First part is technical with narrow roads while the last 9 kms are basically a highway where peloton could hit the 100km/h threshold.

 

[Descender]

OK, so here's an idea for a Vuelta a España.

Some overall info:

- I have considered logistical issues, and I've tried to place the start and finish in places that would be likely to be able to pay for them.

- I have kept some of the Unipublic spirit, including several short, sharp uphill finishes and only four stages over 200km (two of them flat ones).

- There are:

5 high mountain stages with 4 MTF. One of them is a HC (La Pandera), two 1st Cat climbs (Ermita de Alba, Velefique), and one 3rd Cat (Monte Naranco). To them we'll have to add 4 short uphill finishes at La Alhambra, Burgos, Ávila and San Lorenzo del Escorial.

There are 7 HC climbs and 8 1st Cat climbs.

3 ITTs, with a total of 96kms.

6 hilly stages, including the Totana one.

7 flat stages, including the one finishing in Burgos which features an uphill finish.

And without further ado...


Stage 1, Saturday. Castellón de la Plana ITT (17kms)

Short individual time-trial.

Stage 2, Sunday. Benicassim-Valencia (192kms)

Flat stage.

Stage 3, Monday. Valencia-Alcoy (192kms)

Hilly stage, with no overly hard climbs but with hardly a flat kilometre until the finish in Alcoy.

Stage 4, Tuesday. Alicante-Totana (150kms).

Same finish as in the 3rd stage of last year's Vuelta, which Lastras won and where Menchov lost 3 mins.

 

[Descender]

Stage 5, Wednesday. Lorca-Guadix (210kms)

Hilly stage, a chance for a breakaway perhaps.

Stage 6, Thursday. Guadix-La Pandera (144kms)

First mountain stage, single-climb a là Unipublic.

Climbs:

Alto de la Pandera, HC (23kms at 5,2%)
http://www.altimetrias.net/Jaen/Pandera1.gif


Stage 7, Friday. Jaen-Baza (160kms)

Flat stage.

Stage 8, Saturday. Baza-Alto de Velefique (182kms)

High mountain stage finishing on top Velefique, with two long, alpine mountain passes leading to it.

Climbs:

Calar Alto, HC (33kms at 4,5%)
http://unavueltamejor.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/tijola.png?w=550&h=380

Alto de Venta Luisa, HC (19,6kms at 6,4%)
http://fotos.subefotos.com/62d56ca9152540e2aa59114e18bd62cao.png

Alto de Velefique, 1st Cat (11,5 kms at 5,5%)
http://www.ramacabici.com/altimetrias/almeria/velefique01.PNG