Race Design Thread

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 8: Oloron Sainte Marie - Superbagneres (211 km)
The most difficult mtf of the tour comes pretty early. When I designed this tour one of my main objectives was to use climbs which aren't very common in the tour, in the last few years. While my penultimate climb, the port de bales, is almost overused in the near past, the climb to Superbagneres is an almost forgotten legend. First used in 1961 we now haven't seen this climb for 26 years. btw you might ask why I used the port the bales as the penultimate climb instead of the peyresourde because there are many more climbs you could use before the peyresourde. The answer is something completely personal: I just wanted to have a double HC combination in my tour.

To amount to the route, the stage starts in Oloron Sainte Marie. The biggest part of the stage is mostly flat with only some uncategorized bumps at the beginning an intermediate sprint and some easy climbs in the middle of the stage. there are exactly 3 of these easy climbs, two of them 4th category and a 3rd category climb, the col de Coupé. The first real challenge of the day is the already mentioned port de bales. This climb was paved extra for the tdf. It was used for the first time in 2007 and after that very regularly in 2010, 2012 and 2014. While the bottom of the ascent is very flat it gets steeper and steeper the nearer the riders come to the top of the climb.

The descent is pretty technical because of some serpentines and a narrow street. After the descent there is hardly any flat and the climbing starts again directly after the riders pass the city "bagneres de luchon". The climb to Superbagneres is definitely comparable to the port the bales because it also gets steeper and steeper. IMO a real challenge I would love to see in a tour de france again.

Superbagneres:

climbs:
Loucrup (4th cat.)
Couret (4th cat.)
Col de Coupé (3rd cat.)
Port de Bales (HC)
Superbagneres (HC)

 

[May0maniac]

Stage 4 Lebanon - Intervale; 182,9km

The stage starts in Lebanon and the first 70km are false flat, then we have 6,7km at 6% on the Sawyer highway.
The road is wide and the descent is your typical gentle descent on wide roads.
After 11km of false flat the next climb starts, Kancamagus Pass on the Kancamagus Highway, 12,9km at 3,8% but wuth 2km at 7,2%.
After the descent we have 50km of false flat, then the final climb of the day starts, the eastern side of Hurricane Mountain rd, 4,1km at 8,3% but the final 2,7km are at 11%.
The short steep descent takes place on a narrow road and shouldn't be underestimated, it's not a road with many hairpins but a steep descent on narrow roads can always create some problems.
The final 3km are false flat and will bring the riders to Intervale.
It's not the hardest stage in the world, but the final climb with the descent on narrow roads should create some gaps
Hurricane Mountain rd:

 

[May0maniac]

Stage 5 Jackson - Mount Washington; 247,1km

The queenstage of this race features the obvious monster MTF, it's a hard climb for a race like this one, but we still have a final ITT to balance things out.
The race starts in Jackson nh and after 2,6km we have the first short climb, 1,5km at 8% on the Glen Ledge rd.
After that the next climb is the Crawford Notch rd, 3,2km at 5% with 400m at 8%.
After that we have lots, of false flat, the riders will ride on the Owls head Highway
After 95km we reach Gorham, then the next climb on the White Mountain rd starts, mostly false flat but the final 1,6km are at 5%, but the final and we come very close to Mount Washington but we won't climb it right now, we'll ride southwards to Jackson and ride the whole circuit one again until we meet the Monster for the 2nd time.
After 235km of racing the agony starts, Mount Washington, the American Zoncolan, 12km at 11,9% with 22% steep ramps, this will be heaven for the lightweight climbers and torture for the rest.
After such a long stage we could see big gaps on such a hard climb, if you aren't a pure climber you have to climb such a monster at your own pace or you'll crack and loose way more time.
Mount Washington is also known because it's such a windy climb, hurricane-force wind gusts are observed from the summit of the mountain on average of 110 days per year. I know, that sounds a little bit extreme but it shouldn't be such a big problem durning the warmer months and we also climb Ventoux.
You also have to consider that most of the storms happen durning the winter early spring/late autumn, so it shouldn't be such a big problem for a bike race that takes place in the warmer months.
Mount Washington:

 

[Gigs_98]

Today my holidays started so now I have a lot of time for:
Tour de France stage 9: Bagneres de Luchon - Foix (194 km)

Am I the only one who still is angry on the ASO for the Limoux-Foix stage 2012? This extra lap around foix is still about the most stupid thing I have ever seen in a gt, especially because the col de peguere actually would be one of the most interesting climbs in france.
We start in Bagneres de Luchon. The first climb starts almost immediately after the start and is the col du portillon, the first 1st category climb of the day (by far not the last) and a link to spain. However the route wont be in the foreign country for a long time because the route heads northwards again to arrive at the bottom of the col de mente. This is maybe already the most difficult climb of the day because of its steepness. What is for sure is that the col de mente is the most famous pass of the day. After the steep 2nd category climb "Col de Portet d'Aspet" and a short flat section the longest, but also flattest climb of the day, the Col de la Core, starts. After the descent there is an intermediate sprint in Seix followed by some false flat which leads to the Col de Latrape, the next 2nd category climb of the day. After the descent the already 4th first category climb of the day, the Col d'Agnes starts. This combination of climbs from the Col de Portet d'Aspet to the Col d'Agnes was used in the exact same way in the tour the france stage 2011, which finished on the Plateau de Beille.

However at this point the route changes because the riders don't have to climb the port de lers, like in 2011. First there is a pretty long and at the end also flat descent leading to the city Massat. Then the climb to the Col de Peguere starts. As I already mentioned, I really really like this pass and that for several reasons. First of all, I like the scenario, with the very narrow roads in the middle of the wood, which is a little bit like the mortirolo. The second and more important reason is the steepness of the last 3 km´s of the climb, with almost 13% (!!!). However the long and flat descent to Foix might destroy the action on this final climb, which is a little bit sad, but still its the best possibility to use the col de peguere.

Col de Peguere:

Foix:

climbs:
Col du Portillon (1st cat.)
Col de Menté (1st cat.)
Col de Portet d'Aspet (2nd cat.)
Col de la Core (1st cat.)
Col de Latrape (2nd cat.)
Col d'Agnes (1st cat.)
Col de Peguere (1st cat.)

 

[Netserk]

So not only did my previous Tour have the exact same last 100km of stage 7, my stage 9 was 100% identical with your stage 9

I guess that says a lot about the Pyrenees that even the alternative routes are so similar.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

So not only did my previous Tour have the exact same last 100km of stage 7, my stage 9 was 100% identical with your stage 9

I guess that says a lot about the Pyrenees that even the alternative routes are so similar.

god damnit thats means that 2 out of 9 stages are already on this forum
Edit: Okay I searched for your race and found it. First of all, no more stages which have a strong similarity to your stages (except stage 21 but that shouldn't be a surprise). However I realized that there were 2 more stages in week one which are extremely similar to that race you designed: 1.) the stage to bordeaux is something you also created, with the only difference that mine is shorter and I choose another street at one point. 2.) You also created a stage, starting in Teste de Buch with almost exactly the same streets used as I did, with the only difference that you finished the stage in Bayonne, where I had an intermediate sprint.
I swear, coincidence

 

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 10: Toulouse - Gramat (204 km)

The end of my first week was extremely hard. So hard that I think its good that there firstly is a rather easy stage in addition to the rest day. Especially the first part of the day, after the start in Toulouse is very flat. The intermediate sprint in Montauban is probably the only highlight in the first half of the stage. The second intermediate sprint in Limogne en Quercy is also before the first categorized mountain but on a place where some bumps already were taken. However the first and most difficult challenge of the day comes 16 km later and it is the 3rd category climb to Nougayrac. After the descent there is only a short flat section before the second climb of the day to Gazals. After this climb the route first flattens out but becomes very hilly a little bit later on. However most of these little hills are too small for a categorized climb, with the exception of the "Grotte des Merveilles" only 8 kilometers before the finish line. These 8 k´s aren't that flat too, with a little bump shortly before Gramat.

Gramat:

climbs:
Nougayrac (3rd cat.)
Gazais (4th cat.)
Grotte des Merveilles (4th cat.)

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

So not only did my previous Tour have the exact same last 100km of stage 7, my stage 9 was 100% identical with your stage 9

I guess that says a lot about the Pyrenees that even the alternative routes are so similar.

god damnit thats means that 2 out of 9 stages are already on this forum
Edit: Okay I searched for your race and found it. First of all, no more stages which have a strong similarity to your stages (except stage 21 but that shouldn't be a surprise). However I realized that there were 2 more stages in week one which are extremely similar to that race you designed: 1.) the stage to bordeaux is something you also created, with the only difference that mine is shorter and I choose another street at one point. 2.) You also created a stage, starting in Teste de Buch with almost exactly the same streets used as I did, with the only difference that you finished the stage in Bayonne, where I had an intermediate sprint.
I swear, coincidence

It is bound to happen when so many stages are designed. I remember how I thought my Biche/Grand Colombier/Clergeon/Rumilly combo was a great innovation, only for later to find out that rghysens had done the exact same before me :O

 

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 11: Aurillac - Station Mont Dore (207 km)
There are many reasons why I don't like the last tdf routes. They use the same climbs too often, they use too many mtf's and one of the things I hate the most: They use the low mountain ranges extremely poorly. To be honest the way they used the vosges last year was great and they also had a very good jura stage 2012 (no not the grand colombier stage I mean the other one) but you can count the number of good central massive stages of the last 10 years with one hand (at the moment there isn't one single stage coming to my mind) and thats a pity. The area of the central massif is huge and the number of good climbs there seems to be endless, the only problems there are the lack of really difficult climbs (although there would be enough they just aren't as near to each other as the high alp/pyrenees passes) and the fact that there are also some areas in the massif central which don't have that many climbs (although thats not really a problem IMO). However I think this stage shows how great tdf stages in the massif central could be.

The start of the stage is in Aurillac. The first few kilometers are already uphill but the first categorized climb, the Col de Légal, comes not until 26.3 km´s. There is hardly any flat on the next 60 kilometers and there are also 3 categorized mountains on this section of the stage, but I am just too lazy to talk about all of them. The first flat section is about 13 km´s long and ends with the start of the climb to Mérgiot. On the next 40 k´s after this climb the riders mostly have to face a long false flat section. This part of the race stops with the Col de la Geneste. (which is mostly the more famous climb to Super Besse) On the descent of this climb there is the only intermediate sprint of the stage, located in Picherande. As soon as this long descent finishes the hardest part of the day starts. Peubret is the first climb in this section, which is pretty flat but still at least 3rd category. The descent from this climb is completely irregular and with some bumps which will surely hurt the riders. When the riders arrive in the valley the rest of the stage is completely up and down. The Col de la Croix Monard and the Col de la Croix St. Robert come directly after each other and the second one, the Col de la Croix St. Robert is the most difficult climb of the day. Once again there is no flat after the descent because the easy mtf to the Station Mont Dore starts. This climb wouldn't create huge time gaps but if there is gc contender in troubles on the penultimate climb the time differences still could be very big.

Col de la Croix St. Robert:

Station Mont Dore:

climbs:
Col de Légal (3rd cat.)
Salers (3rd cat.)
Veysset (3rd cat.)
Leybros (4th cat.)
Mérgiot (3rd cat.)
Col de la Geneste (4th cat.)
Peubret (3rd cat.)
Col de la Croix Monard (3rd cat.)
Col de la Croix St. Robert (2nd cat.)
Station Mont Dore (3rd cat.)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

So not only did my previous Tour have the exact same last 100km of stage 7, my stage 9 was 100% identical with your stage 9

I guess that says a lot about the Pyrenees that even the alternative routes are so similar.

god damnit thats means that 2 out of 9 stages are already on this forum
Edit: Okay I searched for your race and found it. First of all, no more stages which have a strong similarity to your stages (except stage 21 but that shouldn't be a surprise). However I realized that there were 2 more stages in week one which are extremely similar to that race you designed: 1.) the stage to bordeaux is something you also created, with the only difference that mine is shorter and I choose another street at one point. 2.) You also created a stage, starting in Teste de Buch with almost exactly the same streets used as I did, with the only difference that you finished the stage in Bayonne, where I had an intermediate sprint.
I swear, coincidence

It is bound to happen when so many stages are designed. I remember how I thought my Biche/Grand Colombier/Clergeon/Rumilly combo was a great innovation, only for later to find out that rghysens had done the exact same before me :O

And of course, many combinations are known to long-term traceurs, and route ideas are of course not infinite! I once designed what I thought was a really nice stage in Andalucía, going south from Granada climbing Collado Canseco (extremely inconsistent), descending to the coast and climbing Haza del Lino (legit HC), descending and then having the easier (10km @ 5,5%) Alto de Conjuros before descending into Motril to finish. I posted it as stage 12 of the 2nd of my many Vueltas to date in this thread... and not long after discovered an absolutely identical stage in a Vuelta designed by Viskovitz (an occasional poster here, but a long-term contributor to APM, PRC and other related traceur resources in Spanish).

 

[Netserk]

Especially when we often share the same idea of what a good route is and try to optimize it for those criteria.

 

[Brullnux]

Sorry for the two week delay - we had just gone over to Oropa, before that we had Lanzo Torinese and Sestriere.

STAGE 16: VARESE - PIAN DELLE BETULLE 182.1km -- MOUNTAINS & MTF
Stage 16 starts off in the city of Varese, before heading to our final excursion out of Italy, a very short one to Mendrisio in Switzerland. After 40km we head through the narrow roads of Como, crashes will be possible and positioning here is key. It is a very flat start to the stage, and so the breakaway will probably be weak.
A lovely scenic route alongside Lago di Como, opposite George Clooney's house, precedes the first climb of the day - Colma di Sormano. This climb is better known for coming up the other way, and the Muro di Sormano in the Tour of Lombardy. This will create a very, very tricky descent taken at a very slow speed until Sormano, when it is less steep and wider.

Colma di Sormano:

Now we reach Lecco, the other of the two branches and there we stay right next to the lake again until we reach Varenna, and head up the Esino Lario. The climb is actually pretty easy until you reach the town, then stiffens out at over 10% for the last km or so, and that is what makes it a 1st category climb. A long winded descent comes next, taking us into a parallel valley before moving the riders back to the lake, to the town of Bellano. Here we climb the Alpe di Paglio. However, I have split it up into two distinct parts. The climb to Narro is a second category climb, the the climb to Pian delle Betulle another. In the latter we pass Paglio, but keep going. The first art is irregular, long but easy. Not steep, only reaching 12% in some places. This could be the launch pad to some attacks, but it is unlikely. The next part is beastly. After the descent it is straight up for 7.km at 9.4%, including a 2.7km stretch at 12.7%. I'm not huge fan of big MTFs but I believe it is important to have at least one, and this is it for this Giro (there were a few easier ones before and one easier one to come, as well as an MTT). Anyway, I think this stage will provide plenty of entertainment, especially after such a hard Giro already.

Profile:

Map:

Finish:

 

[Gigs_98]

the descent from the colma di sormano is certainly not easy but the famous steep ramp which was used in the giro de lombardia is a little street beside the normal street, so I think the descent wont be as slow as you think.

 

[Brullnux]

the descent from the colma di sormano is certainly not easy but the famous steep ramp which was used in the giro de lombardia is a little street beside the normal street, so I think the descent wont be as slow as you think.

Oh right my bad, I didnt know that, thanks. That's probably a good thing, descending at 25% is f***ing dangerous. 10% less so.

 

[Gigs_98]

the descent from the colma di sormano is certainly not easy but the famous steep ramp which was used in the giro de lombardia is a little street beside the normal street, so I think the descent wont be as slow as you think.

Oh right my bad, I didnt know that, thanks. That's probably a good thing, descending at 25% is f***ing dangerous. 10% less so.

no problem, great stage by the way

 

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 12: Clermont Ferrand - Autun (216 km)

After the "hill top finish" on stage 11 there is another central massif stage on stage 13. However this one is by far easier also because the first 170 km´s are almost completely flat. The start of the stage is in Clermont Ferrand, with the almost mentioned 170 flat k´s following. There are two intermediate sprints in this part of the stage, the first one in Vichy and the second one in Bourbon Lancy. the first climb of the day goes up to "le Foudon". This climb is pretty flat but long enough to be 3rd category. After the top of the climb there is only a short descent because of a little bump interrupting the downhill section. However, when the descending finally stops, there is a short flat section before the second and final climb of the day starts. The climb to Marmentux is probably not difficult enough to create time gaps between the gc contenders but it should be difficult enough to cause attacks out of the peloton, with the goal to prevent a bunch sprint. Maybe its even more likely that this climb is reason enough for many sprint teams to just let the stage go to the break. After a very technical descent the stage finishes in Autun.

Autun:

climbs:
Le Foudon (3rd cat.)
Marmentux (3rd cat.)

 

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 13: Autun - Bourbonne les Bains (188 km)

Stage 13 and one of the last flat stages of this tour. This time I will make it short. The start is in Autun, the finish in Bourbonne les Bains. On the way to the finish line there are hardly any climbs, only two fourth category climbs to Rue St. Leger and Coiffy le Haut, the rest is pretty much completely flat. There are also two intermediate sprints in Annay le Duc and Villegusien le Lac. This is definitely a classical sprint stage. The second climb comes only 5 km´s before the finish but I think even that climb isn't difficult enough to prevent a sprint although it could make the finish more interesting.

Bourbonne les Bains:

climbs:
Rue St. Leger (4th cat.)
Coiffy le Haut (4th cat.)

 

[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 14: Bourbonne les Bains - Guebwiller (198 km)

The next mountain stage and the next stage in a low mountain range. This time the route goes through the vosges. The first 80 km´s of the stage are almost completely flat with the intermediate sprint in Luxeuil les Bains as the only highlight. The first categorized climb of the day is the 3rd category Col des Croix, after 92 km´s. Btw the actual Col des Croix gets passed before this little downhill section, you can see on the profile. I actually don't know how the top of the climb is really called. After the descent there is an intermediate sprint in Le Thillot on a false flat section before the next pass. This next pass is the second most difficult one of the day, the Ballon d'Alsace. This is a climb which was used in the first mountain stage of the tour the france history. After the descent there is again a part which is pretty flat. However as soon as the Col du Hundsrück, (btw how many of you knew that Hundsrück translated into german means dogback ) the penultimate climb of the day, starts, there is hardly any flat until the finish line. The reason for that is the Grand Ballon, which starts directly after the descent form the dogback pass. IMO the Grand Ballon is like the Tourmalet of the vosges because it is the highest pass of the mountain range (I know the tourmalet isn't the highest pass of the pyrenees but the highest one in the overused tdf area) and it lays very central. I categorized the Grand Ballon with HC although I think it actually is a 1st category climb. However I think the border between 1st cat. and HC is blurred and a HC climb grades the vosges up, a little bit. The descent from the grand ballon is very irregular and it flattens out at the end. However attacks by gc contenders are absolutely possible. The finish is located in the beautiful town Guebwiller.

Grand Ballon:

Guebwiller:

climbs:
Col des Croix (3rd cat.)
Ballon d'Alsace (1st cat.)
Col du Hundsrück (3rd cat.)
Grand Ballon (HC)

 

[cellardoor]

Sorry, I realise that is probably the wrong thread but not sure where else to put it. Something from yesterday got me thinking....someone mentioned that one of the teams had lights on their bikes for some sort of marketing reason. Would it be feasible to have a nighttime non-technical time-trial of a similar length to yesterday's? Has anything like that every happened? I remember there was a Vuelta stage a couple of years ago that was in the evening, which was quite good, but what about a full-blown afterdark stage where the riders have got to have lights? It would be like scenes from Le Mans. I appreciate there's a safety issue, but if it's a non-technical time trial I think it could be minimised.

 

[Netserk]

IIRC the TTT in the 2010 Vuelta was pretty damn close to being at night. If there isn't a restday the day after, it doesn't make any sense to have it any later than that.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I have a new project prepared for after this Giro, but it's not the right time to post it I guess. It's something different to pretty much everything I've posted in here to date. I've just got to choose which version to go with or to post both back to back. Back to the Giro for week 2 though.

Stage 10: Termoli - Caserta, 197km

GPM:
Boccà della Selva (cat.2) 15,9km @ 4,7%
Muro di Squille (cat.4) 0,9km @ 14,0%
Caserta Vecchia (cat.4) 6,9km @ 4,3%

The first day after the first rest day is a tricky one, but is mostly designed for the breakaway, rather like the Imola stage this year that was won by Ilnur Zakarin. It's rumbling and hilly but I don't expect too many GC moves here, though the final climb being just 11km from the line may tempt some peripheral contenders to see if they can gain anything.

This stage sees us hit our southernmost point in this Giro (yes...) as we traverse the ankle of the boot from the Adriatic toward Campania. The first half of the stage is pretty much consistent slight uphill as we head up through the valleys, the most notable geographical feature being the Lago di Guardialfiera - we will be riding those bridges. The main obstacle for the day is Boccà della Selva/Sella del Perrone, a long but relatively uncomplicated climb adjacent to the Campitello Matese climb that has hosted a number of MTFs in the Giro's history.

This is unlikely to be decisive other than perhaps removing some of the less adept climbers from the breakaway. The second half of the stage features a number of small climbs and rolling slopes, but only a couple are categorized. After passing through Castel Campagnano I have categorized the short but incredibly steep ramp up to the Centro l'Oasi in Frazione Squille - the "Muro di Squille". It's not an especially well-known cycling road but this is ungodly steep. Very short, not typical for the Giro to categorize this kind of ascent, but given the Aia-like gradients it justifies it. The intermediate sprint has been located at the top of another short but less steep ascent, in Caiazzo. Then we have the final climb, where moves for the stage win from the break are likely to be made. The overall statistics being around 7km at a little over 4% make it seem less threatening than it is; it's actually about 4km @ 6%, then a flattened out period before a final ramp of a kilometre at around 7,5% into the medieval hilltop town of Caserta Vecchia; we then descend fairly gradually but technically into Caserta proper with its legendary palatial grounds to finish. Could a GC rider give this a go? Maybe, in view of the stages to come, but they aren't likely to spend their energy chasing a non-threatening GC break here... maybe it's a day for the break to take the maglia rosa for a bit with a reasonable punchy type rider but not one likely to threaten in the huge climbs?

Termoli:

Caserta:

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Stage 11: Caserta - Anzio, 179km

Traguardo Volanti:
Terracina, 119,5km

What can I say about this one? Not a great deal. This is the penultimate real sprinter's stage of the Giro, though the more durable ones may have something to say about a couple of other stages; the stage has been placed all along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the hope that crosswinds may affect it but the weather would need to play ball; if not, it's a straightforward flat stage to give the riders some respite as they head into the middle of the race. I know the Giro normally likes to have a tricky transitional stage on stage 11, but I think with some tough mountain stages having been used early in the race, it's important for balance that we throw a bone to the rouleurs here - the second week is not mainly about mountains in this route, as I'm trying to spread them out. Therefore there's zero transfer from yesterday's stage, and a finish on the coast south of Rome in the city perhaps best known for being the landing point of a major Allied amphibian military operation in 1944. Until then... at least the roads will be scenic, since we all love a bit of Italian coastal scenery, right?

Anzio:

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Stage 12: Civitavecchia - Assisi, 188km

GPM:
Sella di Viepri (cat.4) 7,8km @ 3,8%
Assisi (cat.4) 4,0km @ 4,8%

Traguardo Volanti:
Foligno, 169km

It is widely agreed by cycling fans that the 2012 Giro is among the absolute dirt worst Grand Tours ever raced. Right up there with the 2009 Tour, in fact, an absolute travesty of a race where nobody wanted to win until they had already lost. However, it is also widely agreed by cycling fans that one of the few good things about that appalling Giro was the stage finish in Assisi, a double-stepped climb which featured scenic churches, Roman architecture, pavé, hairpins and gradients up to 15% - more or less anything you could want from a short climb, Assisi gave you a bit of it, spread over two separate ascents.

The race was won, rather predictably, by Joaquím Rodríguez, at that point the pre-eminent puncheur in the world, with Gilbert struggling to recapture his world-beating form of 2011 (and not racing the Giro anyway). Relive the stage (if you dare to wish to remember the 2012 Giro) here. The gaps were not huge, but then they don't have to be. I've split the race up more than they had in 2012 by this point by virtue of the ITT, Monti Pallidi and Monte Petrano stages (not to mention Chieti), so perhaps racing can be more aggressive, and if not you still get an exciting and beautiful finale. My stage is an almost complete carbon copy of the 2012 stage, save for slightly shortening the run from Foligno to the final climb, and moving the intermediate sprint to Foligno, much closer to the finish, to tempt people into a bonus second battle. Otherwise it's the same - week 2 therefore so far has had an intermediate stage aimed at the break, a flat stage and a puncheur stage for GC guys to think about small time gaps. There's plenty more of interest to come, but here the GC racing can be kept to a relatively short period.

Civitavecchia:

Assisi:

 

[Brullnux]

GIRO D'ITALIA STAGE 17: SAN PELLEGRINO TERME - APRICA 198.5km -- MOUNTAIN &MTF
The penultimate mass start mountain stage of this Giro. As you might've guessed from the finish town, we are going over the Mortirolo today , as well as some other bumps as well. The Mortirolo is definitely not over-used in my opinion, once every couple of years is perfect. I wanted to make a Giro with all pf the hardest famous climbs in the final week. he first couple included less well known ones, for example Partenio and the side of Catria from Caprile I used which frankly barely exists, but in the final week I have used more well known ones like Agnello, Finestre, Bielmonte, Izoard, Oropa (unusual side, but still), Sormano (unusual side once again) and some still to come tomorrow and on Saturday.


The day starts off in the small town of San Pellegrino Terme, before going straight up the fantastically named Passo di Zucca Trinita. Not that steep, it is 10km at 6%, it is enough to get the legs going and sort out a strong break. The march west continues through the valley between the Alpi Orobie and the Alto Sebino. Our second test of the day comes almost 50km into the day up the Passo Presolana. 10km at about 6%, it is very similar in difficulty to the first climb, and should not be that selective. This is not the side used in 2008, but the easier side from Rovetta. However the steep descent is on pretty wide roads (relative to the alps) and is very untechnical.

Passo Presolana

After the descent comes another climb, Passo del Vivione. This climb starts at Dezzo di Scalve and I ranked it a 1st category climb, mainly because it is 20km long. The asphalt here is pretty poor and the road is narrow, so the climb is much more selective than numbers might suppose. The first 4.8km are at 6.7%, before a 7km long false flat, which rises very little, and even includes a descent. The last 8km, however, stiffens up and reaches 12% straight away before going through 14 hairpins on a road that is uncannily similar to the Mortirolo, narrow, through the woods, just less steep. Having said that, the last 8.5km average 9%.

The climb

Then we done, then Aprica were the last reaming domestiques will try to position their leaders as well as possible before the Mortirolo. Then, all hell breaks loose for the riders. nothing goes right from now on. Will there be a fantastic ride like Contador's this year up it, or will the main contenders suffer like Aru as the gradient reaches over 18%. A mythical climb will seem like it never ends for the riders up it's narrow wooded road.With plenty of climbing in their legs already, over 4000m, this will be even harder.

Mortirolo

The riders will go over it completely empty in groups of 2 or 4, maybe the descent will join them up if they are going solo. An intermediate sprint will greet them at Edolo, and a few bonus seconds with it, although they will feel like nothing compared to the gaps at the end of the hard stages of this Giro. The final 18km false flat to Aprica is the only thing between them and the next stage. Attacks on this are hard, but possible, like Landa showed. After 5600 meters of climbing, which is 2000m off the top for this Giro on stage 13, the legs will be tired. But the Giro continues for a beautiful stage in the dolomites tomorrow.

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[Gigs_98]

Tour de France stage 15: Mulhouse - Yverdon les Bains (235 km)

The longest stage of the tour as well as one of the most difficult with not less than 10 categorized climbs. The start is in Mulhouse a town which was used several times in vosges stages. The last time mulhouse hosted a stage was last year when tony martin won with an impressive solo ride. The first kilometers are rather flat, however that changes after 35 km´s when the first climb up to Ferette starts. The next one to Brochritti follows directly and after a short descent another uncategorized bump begins. The next two climbs, the Col des Rangiers and Montenol are the first 3rd category climbs of the stage. Again after the descent the next climb starts immediately. Montfaucon is not only the first 2nd category climb of the stage it is also a classical jura climb: First the ascent, then a flat section on the top and then the descent. And (what a surprise) after the descent the next climbs start immediately. I wrote climbs because the descent between "Les Joux Derríere" and the beginning of the climb to "Fontaines" is only a few kilometers long and hardly worth mentioning. After the descent from Fontaines there is the only intermediate sprint of the day, which is located in Neuchatel. After this intermediate sprint the hardest test of the day starts. The Col de la Tourne maybe doesn't have the highest average elevation gain but it is pretty long and has some steep sections so it is the only 1st category climb of the day.

The descent of this pass is pretty strange. First there is a short downhill section, then a short flat section followed by a little ascent which again is followed by a long descent. Between the end of this descent and the start of the next climb is a little bit of flat. However the beginning of the ascent up to Creux du Van is really steep and difficult. Unluckily the climb flattens out at the top but it still is 2nd category. The next descent is by far the longest one of the stage and it is again followed by a flat section. The final climb of the day goes up to Fontanezier. The ascent is short so it is only 3rd category which means I wouldn't expect attacks by gc contenders. Before the riders arrive in Yverdon les Bains there is another flat section, which again could prevent attacks by gc contenders, but however that wouldn't change the fact that guys who just want to win stages could make a fireworks on this day. I think this is one of the classical "you cannot win the tour on this stage, but you can loose it" stages. Probably the stage would go to the break, and I would really love to see the battle in the break for the stage win (and probably also the fight for the polka dot jersey)

Yverdon les Bains:

climbs:
Ferette (4th cat.)
Brochritti (4th cat.)
Col des Rangiers (3rd cat.)
Montenol (3rd cat.)
Montfaucon (2nd cat.)
Les Joux Derriere (2nd cat.)
Fontaines (3rd cat.)
La Tourne (1st cat.)
Creux du Van (2nd cat.)
Fontanezier (3rd cat.)