Race Design Thread

[rghysens]

Stage 13: Digne-les-Bains - Montélimar, 183km, flat

After 5 consecutive stages in the (medium) mountains, it's sprinters' time again, with a flat stage through the Provence.
It would be very easy to make this stage a lot hillier, but I didn't do so on purpose. I think sprinters should have some chances in GT's (5 or 6), but I'd like them to be in the 2nd and 3rd week rather than in the 1st. A well designed first week of a GT should have opportunities for every kind of rider. Let there be a cobbled stage (or strade bianche), an ardennes like stage (or even two), a TT,... Everything, but not five or six dead flat stages.
Anyway, this is a featureless flat stage. You know what it means: an hour racing at full speed, break of the day establishes itself, rides on the front until 5km to go, mass sprint.

Climbs:
Col de la Peyruergue: km103.5, 4km @ 4.3%, 4th cat
Côte de Série: km161.5, 4.8km @ 3.5%, 4th cat

Intermediate sprint: Sisteron, km38

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

After a well deserved rest day, it's time to continue this Giro. As you may have noticed, the first week provided a lot of medium-mountain stages. I believe that in the first half of the race, such stages are generally more entertaining than high mountains stages. But the route will become harder...

Stage 10: Grosseto - Pisa (167 KM)

Slowly, but steadily the route brings us further to the North. Today's stage loosely follows the Tuscany coast to end up in Pisa. After a local round the sprinters may contest the victory.

 

[rghysens]

Stage 14: Montélimar - Aubenas, 44.5km, TT

After an easy interlude, another important stage awaits the contenders for GC. This is not the longest TT that featured in the tour, by far. But it is not one to be underestimated. It starts flat, but on the way there are some nasty false flat section that brake the rythm of the pure tt'ers. The finish is after an uphill section of 2km. If you take the difficult course and the exhaustion of the previous days into account, one can expect huge time differences.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

Stage 11: Lucca - Abetone (174 KM)

Finally, it's time for the first real mountain stage! Today's course provides no less than 4 climbs, with one being the hardest so far. After leaving Lucca, the race heads to Viareggio at the Tirrenian coast. Again, the route follows the coast to the north. But after 60 kilometres of soft pedalling, the coast will be redeemed for the Appenines!

Luckily, today's first climb (the Foce il Cuccu) is not that hard. After 8,7 KM at 7% the riders have already reached the top. However, after another small bump (2KM at 6%), it time for more serious climbing: the Passo del Vestito. Despite that the climb is not steep, 20 kilometres of climbing will hurt. Still, it's only a minor hurdle in comparison to the third climb of the day: San Pellegrino in Alpe

14 Kilometres long, 8,7% average, and the last 3 kilometres around 12%. This climb is a real beast. Probably, it's one of the hardest climb of the Appenines. Together with the Abetone, the climb forms one of the legendary stages of the giro. And off course, I will respect the tradition. This stage will climb the Abetone as well. A welcome bonus is that this leads to a stage with a penultimate climb which is superior to the final one. So early attacks may be expected!

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

By the way: I really like your Tour the France, rghysens. You've added a lot of climbs I would love to see in the Tour, like the Salève and the Col du Buis. It also seems that you share my preference for medium mountain stages.

 

[rghysens]

Stage 15: Aubenas - Mende, 188km, medium mountains

If the contenders' legs didn't hurt after the previous stage, they sure will today. It is labeled as a medium mountain stage, but mainly because of the relative low altitude of the climbs and the gentle gradients of most. In reality it has more elevation gain than many high mountain stages in GT's and it counts no less than seven labeled climbs, good for a grand total of 69km of climbing.
In fact, the only flat part of the day are the first 25km. After that it's either uphill or downhil, untill the 4km to go sign.


Climbs:
Montée de Peyre: km38.5, 12.4km @ 5%, 2nd cat
Col du Mas de l'Ayre: km72, 15.5km @ 4.3%, 2nd cat
Col du Pré de la Dame: km95, 15.1km @ 5.9%, 1st cat
Col de la Croix de Berthel: km128, 6.8km @ 6.2%, 2nd cat
Col de Finiels: km148, 11.6km @ 5.7%, 1st cat
Col de la Loubière: km171.5, 4.7km @ 5.5%, 3rd cat
Montée de la Croix Neuve: km184, 2.8km @ 9.6%, 2nd cat

Intermediate sprint: Genolhac, km111

This stage is followed by a well-deserved rest day.

 

[rghysens]

By the way: I really like your Tour the France, rghysens. You've added a lot of climbs I would love to see in the Tour, like the Salève and the Col du Buis. It also seems that you share my preference for medium mountain stages.

Thanks!
Indeed, I like my high mountain stages really high. And if not, I'd rather design a good medium mountain stage.
But what cycling really needs is steep climbs, no mather how long or short. The days that you could grind your competitors to dust on 5-6% climbs seem to be long gone. Nowadays attractive cycling only seems possible on steep climbs, so I try to include some of them in the finale of my tour stages, but I also take notice of the necessities of the tour.

 

[BigMac]

Volta à Região Norte - Tour of Northern Portugal

This is basicly a 1 week Fantasy Race I imagined for Portugal. It takes place in CenterNorth - North regions of the country, only. (Not related to the Volta a Portugal)

- Summer Time

Prologue: Figueira da Foz - Figueira da Foz _ 9.44km

Profile:

Prologue both starts and ends in Figueira da Foz, small city in Central/North coast of Portugal, know as holiday destination due to its famous beach(s). Small Hill Summit.

Edit: Image of location. Finish should be in the hills spoted in the background

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fantasy Giri d'Italia (Eshnar's all mountains editions)

Giro d'Italia (all mtns edition): Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13 Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Stage 20 Stage 21 (Eshnar)

Giro d'Italia (2nd all mtn edition): Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13 Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Stage 20 Stage 21 (Eshnar)

Giro d'Italia (3rd all-mtn edition): Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13 Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Stage 20 Stage 21 (Eshnar)

More will be added here as they are posted. All library posts are linked from the original post in the thread.

 

[BigMac]

First Stage: Lousã - Castanheira de Pêra _ 196.90KM

Medium Mountain Stage with two 2nd category climbs. Should be O.K for a bunch sprint or even a breakaway. Nothing interesting should really happen here, just for riders to check their feelings for the upcoming mountains.

Profile:

Route:

Climbs:
2nd Cat - 22km to 36km
2nd Cat - 121km to 126km
3rd Cat - 184km to 190

Sorrounding Area Landscape:

PS: Please let me know if images or post itself are too big.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Stage 15: Aubenas - Mende, 188km, medium mountains

If the contenders' legs didn't hurt after the previous stage, they sure will today. It is labeled as a medium mountain stage, but mainly because of the relative low altitude of the climbs and the gentle gradients of most. In reality it has more elevation gain than many high mountain stages in GT's and it counts no less than seven labeled climbs, good for a grand total of 69km of climbing.
In fact, the only flat part of the day are the first 25km. After that it's either uphill or downhil, untill the 4km to go sign.


Climbs:
Montée de Peyre: km38.5, 12.4km @ 5%, 2nd cat
Col du Mas de l'Ayre: km72, 15.5km @ 4.3%, 2nd cat
Col du Pré de la Dame: km95, 15.1km @ 5.9%, 1st cat
Col de la Croix de Berthel: km128, 6.8km @ 6.2%, 2nd cat
Col de Finiels: km148, 11.6km @ 5.7%, 1st cat
Col de la Loubière: km171.5, 4.7km @ 5.5%, 3rd cat
Montée de la Croix Neuve: km184, 2.8km @ 9.6%, 2nd cat

Intermediate sprint: Genolhac, km111

This stage is followed by a well-deserved rest day.

Quality stage. Pré de la Dame deserves more love.

 

[BigMac]

Second Stage: Peniche - Pombal (Trough Caldas da Rainha and Marinha Grande) _ 198.41km

Probably the only stage completely suited for sprinters troughout the entire week. Stage starts in the fishers small town of Peniche, heading north trough Caldas da Rainha, Marinha Grande and finishing in Pombal. The finish line, altough quite long, has lots of roundabouts, making it difficult for teams to setup their trains. 90% of the stage will be made near the sea, providing a nice landscape.

Profile:

Route:

Peniche:

 

[roundabout]

Hmm, that's quite similar to one of my ideas

http://tracks4bikers.com/tracks/show/132180

Identical it seems from Les Vans to Mende but with Chabrits and Goudard tacked on for a finish in Marvejols

 

[BigMac]

Third Stage: Viseu - Monte Farinha (Senhora da Graça(Mondim de Basto)) _ 158km

First Mountain Stage with two second category climbs and one first category summit finish at Mt. Farinha - Exiting quite hard climb.

Riders leave from the town of Viseu and head North to Mondim de Basto.

Route:

Profile:

Monte Farinha Climb - Average 6% ; Max 12% : 12km

Monte Farinha:

 

[BigMac]

Stage 4: Guarda - Serra da Estrela (Torre) _ QueenStage _ 178km

Queen Stage starting in Guarda and heading south to the all-mighty Serra da Estrela, trough Seia and Sabugueiro till the Torre summit finish. This is the most famous climb in the country.

3 1st Category climbs, the last two on the Climb from Seia do Sabugueiro and from Sabugueiro to Torre.

Route:

Profile:

Torre:

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

Stage 12: Pistoia - Forli (165 KM)

After the hard stage of yesterday, today will be much easier. Despite that this stage crosses the Appenines, it would not make sense to make it very hard. As I've said, the previous stage was designed to encourage early attacks. So it would be stupid to scare them for today.

After the start in Pistoia the route heads to Prato, from where on the Appenines will be crossed on the way to Forli. I've chosen for one of the easier routes, thus leading to two 2nd category climbs in the first half of the stage. From there on, there is a long downhill until 35 Kilometres before the finish. So time enough to return to the front of the race. Hopefully, everyone succeeds; because with three small climbs the finale is tailor-made for a great battle between the sprinters and the puncheurs!

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

Stage 13: Ravenna - Venice (179 KM)

Well, if you want to cross from the Appenines up to the North, there is no way to avoid the pancake flat Po Valley. I've tried to make the best of it. Most of the route follows the coast, and the last kilometres are even on a dike. So hopefully the wind can create some echelons on the way to Venice.

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

Stage 14: Treviso - Monte Bondone (189 KM)

It's weekend again, so time to tackle the Dolomites! One of my favourite climbs is the Monte Bondone. It's long (20 KM) and steep, but not to steep (7,5% average). It is definitely possible to create big gaps on this climb, but you need to time your attack well. Next to this; it's a true Giro classic. And despite that I feel the need for being creative, I can't ignore that every Giro needs their historic climbs.

But before the riders can even start climbing this beast, they have to tackle the 170 kilometres between Treviso and Trento. Thise route is spiced up with two climbs: Halfway, the not so difficult Passo Carbonare (12KM, 5,5%), and closer to the finish the steep climb to Vetrolio (11,7 KM, 9%). After a long decend it's time for the Bondone! Who will earn a place in history next to Charly Gaul and Ivan Basso?

 

[Another_Dutch_Guy]

Giro d'Italia

Stage 15: Trento - Tesero (158 KM)

Reading the CN Forum can provide some nice insights. I can't remember who deserves the honour, but one of the members suggested a great idea to ensure that both weekend stages create proper action:

-The Saturday stage doesn't need to be that hard since the riders will propably want to spare themselves for the coming day. Thus, the only way to create action on this stage is a super hard MTF.

- Since the riders will be tired from yesterday, and Monday is most times a rest day; Sunday should be a key stage. Make it hard, and provide a lot of opportunities for early attackers.

I've decided to live up this idea. Yesterday's stage was not that hard, but ended with a great MFT. Tomorrow will indeed be rest day. And today's stage will be very ugly...

After starting in Trento, things start relatively easy. The first 40 Kilometres are only slightly uphill, and also thePasso del Mendola shouldn't lead to big problems. However, after 90 Kilometres things will change with the climb to Refugio Prati di Kohl. This climb doesn't only have a wonderful name, it is also very steep (11,5 KM, 10%). Still, things will become worse...

We all like double climbs. For example the Télegraphe - Galibier, the Tonale-Gavia and the Romme-Colombiére. Well, all those combinations will pale in comparison with the one I've discovered: the Obergummer - Pampeago. Only 20 Kilometres after reaching the top of the terrible Prati di Kohl, the riders will have to tackle this combination of two genuine HC Climbs. The Obergummer averages 8,3% over 12,3 kilometres and peaks to 16%!

After only 6 kilometres of decending the second part of the combination will only be worse. The Passo di Pampeago averages 8,6% over 13,5 kilometres and peaks to 23%! I couldn't find a profile of the climb, but it follows the last 8 kilometres of thisclimb, and then continues with 5 kilometres around 9%. The way up isn't the only good thing about this climb. The crazy decend to Tesero (10 KM, 9%) will be spectacular as well!

 

[WKA311]

So now this is gonna be my first try to do somewhat of a decent race.

The Tour of Cyprus

First of all this is, after a quick look through the library, i think the first attempt to do a race there. That was really a surprise to me as Cyprus offers excellent conditions to host a (mountainous) race.
Well there was a problem for me, as i didn't know the climbs i just gave them the names of the villages/citys nearby. Sometimes there weren't any, so i haven't got a name for two or three climbs. Furthermore there are many dirt roads in the mountains, i tried to avoid them and i shouldn't have included any but maybe one is hiding somewhere
And as you will notice this isn't really a Tour of Cyprus but a Tour just through the south part. I'm not familiar with the political situation down there at the moment, so i decided to do it just through one part and that is the south.
But now let's start this 4-Day Tour

Prologue: Limassol - 5.5km

Let's start off with a short Prologue, with just 5.5km and it's pan flat charachteristics this is between the sprinters, puncheurs and tailor made for a guy like Cancellara. For the time trial specialists like Tony Martin its probably too short and with its 12 90 degree corners also too technical.
The Climbers shouldn't lose to much time and will be already looking forward to tomorrow.

 

[rghysens]

Stage 16: Saintes - Bergerac, 157km, flat

This will be considered by many as the second consecutive rest day. Only the sprinters' teams and the guys in the breakaway will have a busy day. There's not even one single climb on the course.
If ASO want to stretch things a little it can broadcast the whole stage, as it will likely take less then three and a half hours to compete.

Intermediate sprint:
Montguyon, km79

 

[rghysens]

Stage 17: Villeneuve-sur-Lot - Pau, 176km, flat

Third consecutive rest day for many. I already said I don't mind a few flat stages in a GT, but I'd like them in the 2nd and 3rd week. Well, here they are. I'd rather watch the short thrill of a mass sprint than a breakaway contesting the stage 15' in front of the peloton at this part of the race.
The terrain can be described as rolling at best, so no climbs today either.

Intermediate sprint:
Cazaubon, km90.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fantasy Tours de France (users H-O)

Tour: Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13 Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Stage 20 Stage 21 (Libertine Seguros)

Tour (2nd): Prologue Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Stage 9 Stage 10 Stage 11 Stage 12 Stage 13 Stage 14 Stage 15 Stage 16 Stage 17 Stage 18 Stage 19 Stage 20 (Libertine Seguros)

Tour: Entire Parcours (luckyboy)

Tour: Stages 1 & 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 (Mayomaniac)

Tour: Entire Parcours (netserk)

Tour: Entire parcours (netserk)

Tour: Entire parcours (netserk)

Tour: Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 (netserk)

Tour: Whole parcours (OK93fin)

More will be added here as they are posted. All library posts are linked from the original post in the thread.

 

[WKA311]

Tour Of Cyprus

Stage 1: Limassol - Peyia 128km

So the first road stage here in Cyprus. It's not very long, just 128kms but it is not the easiest with a Cat 2 climb just before the finish.
The stage starts in Limassol where the prologue was held yesterday and crawls its way to the little town of Peyia.
After just 15km they have to tackle a 2nd Cat ascent, a good place for a breakaway to ride away. This is then followed by two 3rd Cats before the road turns back to the flat coast. With just 30km reamaining the important part of the stage starts. The riders have to deal with another 2nd Cat climb. It will be interesting to see if the GC contenders go all out already, there is just one other stage for them, or if the breakaway will be able to hold on. With conservative racing there is also the chance of a rider like Sagan or Meersman to win the stage.
The descent has technical parts and with just 2km of flat road, a good descender could hold on to his lead when he comes first over the top.

Climbs:
Km 13: 2nd Cat Pano Kividhes 9.3km at 5.2%
Km 36: 3rd Cat Arsos 3.2km at 6.3%
Km 49: 3rd Cat Arminou 3.4km at 6.3%
Km 103: 2nd Cat Kotrikas 10km at 6.5% max 17.7%

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'd argue that in almost any short stage race of that kind of length, 10km at 6,5% is very much 1st category and you'd expect a bit more attacking in a short stage race than you might get in the same stage in a GT.

I was challenged a few pages back to produce a Tour de Suisse. To tell the truth, I've shied away from the Tour de Suisse for a similar reason to the reason I've not produced a Giro to date - far too many options to produce something that I'm happy with, because I'll put a route together and then I'll discover a new climb or a new stage finish, or be reminded of one I wanted to include, and try to crowbar it into the existing route or rip it up and start again to try to make the parcours fit together with the parameters of the race (rest days, no super-long transfers, key stages placed for maximum audience).

Now, however, I have a Tour de Suisse to post. This was put together using the scraps left over of previous abandoned attempts and a couple of new ideas, and has been put together very quickly to attempt to ape the formats that the Tour de Suisse uses but with a mixture of classic and unconventional locations. This was literally thrown together over a couple of hours earlier today, but much of the ideas were already in place, and I am pretty satisfied that the outcome would fit the criteria for a worthy Tour de Suisse and also for an exciting race.

Stage 1: Schaffhausen - Schaffhausen, 5,1km (Einzelzeitfahrt)

The town of Schaffhausen sits at the base of a little mushroom-shaped protuberance in northern Switzerland that stabs a small Swiss hole in the south of Germany just to the west of the Bodensee, and will be well known to the cyclingnews forums for producing one of the most crazy threads of all time, for 'twas here that the 2011 Tour de Suisse held its decisive final ITT, where evil (in the form of Levi Leipheimer) triumphed over good (in the form of Damiano Cunego) and the forum duly went berserk.

That time trial was over 32 kilometres; this one is barely a sixth of the length, serving as a prologue beginning and ending in the Vorstadt. That means running through attractive cobbled streets to begin with, before a kilometre of uphill, mostly false flat but ramping up to 7% on Pestalozzistraße before a flat power drag on Alpenstraße, then a gradual descent with no technical challenges, before running back to the city centre on the picturesque banks of the Rhein. This will allow the pure time triallist to perhaps gain some time back as the last couple of kilometres are very straight until the very end of the route.

Schaffhausen: