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Race Design Thread

Page 152 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Stage 3 Ayr - Sterling - 192km

After a long transfer the peloton arrive in west Scotland, like yesterday it's another hilly stage however there are some tougher climbs today. The climbing starts almost straight away with the 7% Highgrove House climb. The riders will head north-west and climb Fairlee Moor Road which is the first Cat 3 of the race. The final test before the finish if the New line road hill, it is less than 6% however does have a 8% section so a late oppotunist could try something here with only 10km's to the finish. I expect a reduced bunch sprint if it does all come back together. Riders like Matthews and Degenkolb would be favourite.

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Climbs:
9km Highgrove House 1.4km @ 7%
49km Fairlee Moor Road 2.9km @ 7.7%
88km Gleniffer Braes 3km @ 5.5%
132km Campsie Fell 3.3 @ 6.5%
154km Tak me Doon 2km @ 5.5%
183km New Line Road 1km @ 5.7%
 
Stage 4: Perth - The Lecht ski station - 213km

A stage which should have the first big GC shake-up as we head up the triple climb to the Lecht ski station, the most northern point of the Tour. Before that we have 3 short Cat 4 hills in the first 62kms of the route as the riders begin to head north. At 131km's lies the big test of Cairn O'Mount, a 3.3km climb which averages almost 10%.
With around 28km's to go the peloton head up the first of 3 climbs which get progressively steeper and are very irregular. The 2nd climb is given Cat 2 status and averages 5% for it's 5km but the climb is steeper than that as it features a short descent half way through. The final climb averages 6% but also has a descent at the half way point, there are regular 15% ramps in the final 5km's.

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Climbs:
25km Balthayock 1.5km @ 5%
42km Abernyte Hill 4km @ 5%
64km Emnock Hill 1.1km @ 6%
131km Cairn O'Mount 3.3km @ 9.7%
201km The Lecht 5km @ 5%
213km The Lecht ski station 4km @ 6.5%

Final 28km's:
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@rghysens nastyyy!

@Pricey Awesome stuff there.

__

I may actually put my Tour of Va to a hold as I was having fun yesterday with a fantasy Tour de Suisse and am really liking the result, so will post it before. On top of that, I think I'll extend the duration of Virginia so yea.
 
Transalp stage 7: Tirano-Bormio ITT (38 km)
The only TT of my tour through the alps starts in Tirano. The following 38 kilometers to bormio are almost completely uphill but they only have so low gradients that I would rather call it false flat. The two time checks are in Grosio and in Tola (after 14/31 km´s)
Bormio is a famous winter sport area which is also pretty famous in cycling because the stilfserjoch and the passo gavia both start there. In regard to alpine skiing there were 2 skiing world championships held (the last one in 2005) in bormio and the downhill slope in bormio, which is called the stelvio, is probably one of the most difficult downhill slopes at all. In the near past until last year the downhill in bormio was the last race in the old year normally only a few days before New Year´s eve. Sadly there won't be any more races there in the near future because the costs for the organizers are too big.
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Bormio:
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Stage 5: Glasgow - Dumfries - 195km

The final day in Scotland before we head down to England should give the sprinters another chance to shine. With just 9km we reach East Kirkbridge and the first of the sprints which will lead to a hectic start. The only climb of the day is the long drag up Mennock Pass however it only averages just over 5% so should pose no real threat to the fast men. The GC riders will want an easy day today though, as the next 3 days could really shape the race.

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Climb:
119km Mennock Pass 4km @ 5.5%
 
Stage 6 Workington - Kendal - 197km

The first day in England a really tough one as we weave our way through some of the great climbs of the Lake district including Honister Pass, Hardknott Pass and Kirkstone Pass all up to and over 10% in gradient.
With less than 5km to the finish we reach the final hill of Brigster Brow, another punishing climb of over 10%. If a rider puts in a strong attack here he could go solo to the finish which is just 3.8km from the summit after a short descent.

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Climbs:
12km Fangs Brow 1.1km @ 7.2%
32km Honnister Pass 1.6km @ 11.7%
117km Hardknott Pass 2km @ 14.4%
138km Kirkstone Pass 3km @ 9.5%
164km Gunners How 1.5km @ 11.3%
176km Tow Top Road 1km @ 11.4%
193km Brigster Brow 1km @ 11.3%

Final kms:
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Stage 7 Richmond - Norland (Halifax) - 197km

We head to Yorkshire for another brute of a stage, the riders only have around 4800m of climbing to do today! There is very little flat in a stage that goes up and down for almost 200km's, We have 3 Cat 4 climbs before we reach the longest tests of Buttertubs and Fleet Moss just before the halfway point. They continue to head south towards Keighley with the climbs continuing to come thick and fast.
What is sure to be a very reduced bunch will reach Halifax and 2 steep final climbs in the final 10km's. The finish is up at Norland and the hill averages 8.4% for its 1.7km.

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Climbs:
9km Marske 2km @ 6.7%
28km Kirby Hill 1km @ 9%
37km Hard Stiles 1km @ 9.3%
67km Buttertubs Pass 3km @ 6.5%
82km Fleet Moss 5.7km @ 6%
97km Kidstones Bank 2km @ 5.5%
142km Bloomer Hill 1.6km @ 8%
154km Thwaites Brow 1.1km @ 11.4%
160km Well Lane 1km @ 9.5%
181km Norcliffe Lane 1.3km @ 5.7%
188km Beacon Hill 1.2km @ 9.7%
197km Norland 1.7km @ 8.4%

Final 2 km's:
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Stage 8 Chester - Bwlch Y Groes - 174km

We start in Chester and head towards some tough climbing in North wales on todays stage. The climbing is very constant and includes the 11% Bwlch Pen Barras early on. The 2 toughest climbs come in the final 18km's with the Abercywarch climb (i couldn't find a name with it so used local maps) and the steep climb up to the summit finish on Bwlch Y Groes which averages over 12% for 3kms and will provide a stern to test for riders with serious GC ambitions here.

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Climbs:
29km Bryn Glyndwr 1.6km @ 6.8%
42km Bwlch Pen Barras 1.7km @ 11.2%
80km Ffynon Eidda 1km @ 9%
93km Bryn Du 2km @ 6%
112km Pale Hill 1.7km @ 9%
134km Hirnant 1.6km @ 5.7%
162km Abercywarch 3km @ 7%
174km Bwlch Y Groes 3km @ 12.5%

The final 18km's:
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Stage 9 Stoke on Trent - Nottingham - 177km

The final day before our rest day comes as we east towards the busy city of Nottingham, it's a day that screams 'breakaway' as we head over some of the steep hills of the Peak district during the first half of the stage. The final 55km's of the stage are flat though so any sprinters that haven't been dropped may fancy this one. However after the previous days the GC teams will want to take it easy and have an early rest day.

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Climbs:
22km Thorncliffe hill 1.8km @ 8.8%
36km Gun Hill 1.6km @ 8%
44km Barlow Hill 1.5km @ 6.9%
100km Monsal Head 1.5km @ 8.4%
122km Rowsley Bar 2km @ 10%
 
TransAlp stage 8: Mals-Garmisch Partenkirchen (146km)
The penultimate as well as flattest stage starts in Mals. Directly after the start the climb to the famous Reschensee starts. After this climb the next obstacle of the route, the Fernpass, comes over 100 km later. In the flat section between these climbs there are two intermediate sprints in Landeck und Nassereith. The finish is in Garmisch-Partenkirchen one of the most famous winter sport towns of the world.
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Garmisch-Partenkirchen:
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climbs:
Reschensee (3rd cat.)
Fernpass (3rd cat.)
 
Re:

Pricey_sky said:
@BigMac and Lemon cheesecake thanks, yeah they really ruined the chance of a great route. There are some great hills around there and I could have made it harder but wanted a transition stage.

Will post the rest of my race tomorrow.
To be honest I didn't know that you can make such great stages in great britain.
 
Re: Re:

Gigs_98 said:
Pricey_sky said:
@BigMac and Lemon cheesecake thanks, yeah they really ruined the chance of a great route. There are some great hills around there and I could have made it harder but wanted a transition stage.

Will post the rest of my race tomorrow.
To be honest I didn't know that you can make such great stages in great britain.

Yeah there are so many great climbs in Britain, it's a shame that many very rarely get used in the Tour of Britain. South Wales, Exmoor, Lake District and Yorkshire are my favourite regions, absolutely full of great climbs.
 
GIRO STAGE 8 : JESI -RIMINI 127km -- FLAT STAGE
An easy stage for the sprinters so that the GC guys can rest a bit. First we head east towards the Adriatic coast. A long flat stretch on the SS16, a road that just does most of the Adriatic on the coast. Winds on the Adriatic are pretty low, so echelons will probably be avoided. The riders will encounter a technical section in Pesaro, our 2nd TV, before the only section where the gradient exceeds 3% on the whole stage. It reaches 105 at one point, actually, but it is so short that it won't bother even Kittel. Some technical parts of the descent might be tricky if wet, but otherwise we continue to Rimini where we finish on the Lungomare with a pretty safe ending.

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Rimini
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GIRO STAGE 9: FORLI - FIRENZE 163.2km -- MEDIUM MOUNTAIN
A stage that someone could really blow apart, or one that will be raced very conservatively and in a break or reduced sprint. Nay stage with 6 categorised climbs has the ability to be a race-changer. This stage includes the same combo (Fiesole + Via Salvati) used in the 2013 WCRR at the end. Before that, a 1.2km muro occurs to soften the legs. Three 2nd cat climbs precede that, all difficult and all irregular, as are most climbs in that region. There is a really technical descent to Pratovecchio and very steep gradients exceeding 10% throughout. This will be a fun and interesting stage, especially as some may want a headstart going into tomorrow's TT...

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Florence:
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San Fransisco World Time Trial Championships: Fishermans Wharf - Golden Gate Heights 34.0km

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Time Splits:
Hamilton Recreation Center
Sutro Heights Park
Twin Peaks Climb

For the TTT World we start in the city on Pier 29. They will head up The Embracadero before a going back on themselves by Pier 35. They will head onto Broadway Street. This has a short rise punctuated by flat sections for streets that crossover. They will then fump onto the diagonal road of Columbus Avenue. This is followed by the rise on Bay Street. Another 90 degree turn is negotiated to get onto the Van Ness Avenue. They will then wiggle for a bit before joining Geary Boulevard. During the wiggly bit they will then ride up Haight Street. The second Split follows at Sutro Heights Park (in the bottom left corner). They will then follow the coast for a bit before a left hand corner leads them up a slight rise and onto a straight road (Lincoln Way) that takes them along the edge of Golden Gate Heights. They will then head south towards the Twin Peaks for the third split, which casts views across the whole city. This is followed by a short descent into Golden Gate Heights for the finish, however the road does narrow with 1k to go before widening for the rest of the kilometre.

San Fransisco:
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Stage 10 Cambridge - iTT - 21km

The first stage after the rest day see's us in the cycle-friendly city of Cambridge. The course is pan flat and not technical at all. Riders who are good against the clock should be able to put some decent time into the the poorer TT'ers here which could see some changes up on GC.

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Stage 11 Milton Keynes - Hereford - 216km

The peloton hit the road again with a long flat stage taking us back towards Wales. There are 2 short climbs and 2 sprints towards the middle of the stage which should be swept up by the break. The first sprint is in the beautiful town of Stratford-upon-avon where of course Shakespeare was born. With this the last chance for the fast men before the final day it will surely come down to a bunch finish in Hereford.

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Climbs:
74km Edge Hill 1.1km @ 8.5%
126km Snowshill 1.3km @ 6.7%
 
Stage 12 Monmouth - Merthyr Tydfil - 188km

We return to Wales for stage 12, this time the South for the start of 3 key stages which will finally decide the winner of the Tour. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice this is very similar (but with a different finish) to a stage I designed last year, but its an area I love and there are some great climbs here. The first sprint of the day comes before the long drag up the Tumble. From there the climbing is fairly regular as we zig-zag our way around the the south of Wales and the national park of Brecon beacons.
The riders do a loop around the 13% climb of Mountain Row which is climbed twice before the riders head North-East towards Merthyr Tydfil. Before we get there there is the 9% climb of Hoelgerrig with the summit just over 4km from the finish. It promises to be an exciting stage if raced hard.

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Climbs:
37km The Tumble 5km @ 6.8%
68km Llangynidr Mountain 5.5km @ 7%
83km Manmoel 1.3km @ 12.2%
136km Tonypandy 3km @ 6%
148km + 170km Mountain Row 1km @ 13%
161km Maerdy Road 2.4km @ 9%
183km Hoelerrig 3km @ 8.9%

Final km's:
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Stage 13 Weston-Super-Mare - Porlock - 201km

The queen stage of this years Tour with over 4300 metres of climbing and the hardest summit finish up to Porlock which averages over 9% for over 4km's. Before that the riders start in seaside resort of Weston and immediately start climbing with some tricky hills in the opening km's. The bunch head west and ride over the Elsworthy and Brendon hill climbs which serve as a warm up for the whats to come. With around 46km to go we reach the base of Porlock for the first time which will surely soften up the riders legs. We the loop around and take on it's neighbour the Dunkery Beacon which i have split into 2 categorised climbs as there is a small descent in the middle. The first 2.5km's of this climb average 10%. Following the beacon we hit Porlock again for the final time. A bad day here and a riders GC ambitions could be blown apart.

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Climbs:
4km Bleadon hill 2km @ 5%
23km Cheddar Gorge 2km @ 7.3%
41km Old Bristol road 3.3km @ 6%
113km Elsworthy 2km @ 9.2%
127km Brendon Hill 5km @ 6,2%
158km + 201km Porlock 4.2km @ 9.4%
179km Cloutsham Farm 2.5km @ 10%
185km Dunkery Beacon 5km @ 5%

Final 48km's:
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Stage 14 Exeter - Dartmouth - 206km

The final tough stage of this years Tour and its a hilly one around Dartmoor. Again the peleton will be spending the day constantly ascending or descending around some tough little hills of the South-west of England. Officially there are 10 categorised climbs however there are many ramps that are not given official status including Pork Hill, Borrington Hill and Ridge Road all with 10% ramps. There final 50km's features almost no flat at all. If a rider is feeling strong and chances his arm there could be some great racing here, especially if the weather is awful too. The final 7km's feature the 11% climb of up to Newlands farm followed by a descent in to the coastal town of Dartmouth. The final 600 metres of the day go up the Old Mill Lane which is over 14%.

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Climbs:
9km Bickham House 2.1km @ 6.8%
26km Haytor 3.6km @ 7.8%
49km Bowden Hill 2.3km @ 8%
57km Top Tor 1.3km @ 12.1%
80km Waterford Road 3km @ 6%
85km Hexworthy 2km @ 8.2%
171km Orchard Hill 1.7km @ 5.6%
189km Gara Bridge 1.1km @ 6%
201km Newlands Farm 1km @ 11%
206km Old Mill Lane 600m @ 14%

Final 8km's:
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Stage 15 Eastleigh - London - 184km

The final stage of the Tour and it won't be the usual procession into London as the riders head through the hills of Surrey. Instead of using the overhyped Box hill I've gone for some better hills that are nearby with Leith Hill, Boar hill and Pebble hill. None are overly testing however after 2 long weeks it may be a struggle for the sprinters teams to keep a lid on the break. It could be set for an exciting finish into the capital.

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Climbs:
68km Tyndalls Wood 1.4km @ 5.6%
116km Boar Hill 1.7km 6.3%
125km Leith Hill 1.2km @ 8.4%
143km Pebble Hill 1.5km @ 5.3%
 
TransAlp stage 9: Innsbruck-Kitzbüheler Horn (217 km)
The last stage of this tour is a real killer. After the start in Innsbruck the first 40 km are flat with an intermediate sprint in Schwaz as the only little highlight. The first climb of the day is the Kerschbaumer Sattel (which is much steeper than 6.5%, who knows what is wrong with cronoescalada) and after a descent on a narrow road the two most difficult climbs of the day start. The Zirmstadl and the Melchboden both are part of the Zillertaler Hochalpenstraße, both are pretty long and both are extremely steep. The descents are very difficult as well because the street is very narrow. The next climb is the Gerlospass, a pass with a long flat section in the middle. However the beginning is pretty steep so the climb is still very hard. Before the penultimate climb there is a flat section within an intermediate sprint in Wald im Pinzgau. The penultimate climb itself is the Pass Thurn which isn't very steep and moreover the descent is long but flat which means that attacks here would be difficult and very risky. I know thats not great but:
1. I just had to finish this stage in Kitzbühel
2. A finish in Kitzbühel itself wouldn't work because of the flat between the gerlospass and the pass thurn so I had to use the Kitzbüheler Horn to make the stage more interesting
This climb to the Kitzbüheler Horn is extremely difficult (zoncolan steepness) which means the time gaps might be huge also because the riders already have a crazy amount of climbing in their legs. Sadly its not possible to finish at the top because there isn't ennough place for a finish so the finish line is located at the alpenhaus.
Kitzbühel is famous for the most famous alpine downhill slope, the streif. The Hahnenkamm rennen is the most famous and probably also the most dangerous skiing race (not the most difficult because the difficulty of the streif is way overrated) of the world and so I just had to finish this race there (anything else would be high treason in austria)
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(sorry this was the biggest size I could post in this forum)

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Kitzbüheler Horn:
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Streif:
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climbs:
Kerschbaumer Sattel (2nd cat.)
Zirmstadl (HC)
Melchboden (HC)
Gerlospass (1st cat.)
Pass Thurn (2nd cat.)
Kitzbüheler Horn (HC)
 

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