Race Design Thread

[jsem94]

Tour of the Great Lakes | Stage 4: Detroit - Detroit, 17.4km (ITT)

The race needs an ITT, and it needs to hit Detroit. Just an hour up the road from Toledo is the third largest metro area in the megaregion that is the Great Lakes. The urban sprawl is massive, but there is a great historic downtown core that was sadly bulldozed for motor vehicles. Ironically, Detroit had a fantastic tram system up until the 1950's despite being the Motor City (as a caveat: there is a new tram line in Downtown since 2017). Either way, the home of the GM, Ford and Chrysler was of course the first city to build a highway right through the city. This did help initially with congestion, but as we are all too familiar with - the long term effects include induced demand, splitting neighborhoods apart, removing walkability etc. Metro Detroit has been an absolute monstrosity for the past half century, to which the effects of de-industrialization and the financial crisis of 2008 didn't help. The City of Detroit lost hundreds of thousands of residents and even went bankrupt in 2013. Despite all of the setbacks, Metro Detroit has continued to grow.

Downtown Detroit

Because of the enormity of Detroit, the many highways passing through the city, and the recently added tram tracks - deciding where to host the TT was a tougher decision than I would necessarily like to admit. I contemplated having the start on the Canadian side of the border in Windsor, but didn't want to hassle of having to close a bridge for the vanity of a cycling race, which would be wildly impopular - it being the second busiest international crossing in North America. I also wanted to avoid using highways, so I settled on what I think is quite a beautiful and non-disturbing location.

Cullen Plaza & start line

The start and the finish are both a stone's throw away from each other at the Cullen Plaza, one of the many highlights of the Detroit Riverwalk, voted the best riverwalk in the country in 2021. While the Street View images don't do it justice, we will be beginning on what is a very narrow walkable path for about 600m before turning right and eventually ending up on East Jefferson avenue before turning right again onto the MacArthur bridge. After crossing the bridge, we do a counterclockwise lap around most of Belle Isle. This is what we want to highlight the very most.

Belle Isle

The settlement of Detroit was founded as part of New France in 1701, and Belle Isle was colonized sometime the same century. It has gone through periods of being more or less an estate with livestock to eventually becoming a park in the 1880s. It has long been an area for recreation, and hosts an aquarium, a botanical garden, a golf course and fountains among other things. It will make for some great helicopter shots. After finishing the loop, the riders head back nearly where they started, ending with a two 90-degree turns in the last 500 meters to keep the speed down a bit yet finishing near the same park and parking complex as the finish.

Finish line

Is it a particularly challenging ITT in any way? No. Does it need to be? Also no, imho. It's perfectly OK to have a more or less pan flat one, just not an absurdly long one in what is approx. a week-long stage race.

 

[jsem94]

Tour of the Great Lakes | Stage 5: Bay City - Grand Rapids, 206.8km

While we could have begun our next stage in Flint, the town infamous for its decade-long water crisis only recently overcome, we opt to take a bit of a longer drive to our next start town: Bay City. The reason is quite simply - I want the start location to be closer to Lake Huron, and this town is located just upriver on the Saginaw River from the Saginaw Bay, a more than 1000 square-kilometer bay on the southwestern part of the lake .

Bay City, MI

The city, at about 30,000 inhabitants, is not even in the top 50 most populous "cities" of the state - though many fall into Metro Detroit where it just feels ridiculous to consider Dearborn or Southfield its own cities. It is however, no slouch as it, along with the towns of Saginaw and Midland form an acute triangle of settlements with somewhere in the magnitude of 375,000 inhabitants. The site was at first merely a log cabin, but grew to a town in the 1830s. Eventually, it was the site of several sawmills and shipyards - which peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. As is the case with so many of the towns we've passed, the decline has been pretty steep since. Bay City has lost about two fifths of its peak population, and it isn't expected to rebound. It's ticking along with what's remaining of the industry.

Neutral start location & map

Regarding the cityscape, it looks pretty typically North American to me. Wide roads, the stereotypical grid-like pattern. I did however find a pretty nice neutral start point at Wenonah Park, the pretty much only suitable candidate in the town even if Veterans Memorial Park on the other side of the river might have been a decent fit. From here, the riders only have 3km until the proper start and we're in for quite a long stage.

Pretty much the first 95km are pretty smooth sailing, mostly passing through Central Michigan. We do pass the aforementioned town of Midland, though not for a sprint - that has to wait until we have taken a pretty narrow and pretty country road along the Pine River and we head past Saint Louis into Alma, 20km after which we actually reach the first real obstacle: our first gravel sector of the stage. There are a total of six, but I will not be using the French convention of naming them backwards.

Sector 1: N. Dunfield Road, 95.8-97.4km, 1600m **

Nothing too insane, but gets two stars. Some loose gravel. This was merely an appetizer though, as the longest sector is 20km up ahead.

Sector 2: Cedar Lake Road, 117.1-121.9km, 4800m ***

Not as much loose gravel, but the length and the softness of the road make it a drag and worthy of three stars. Once again, there's quite a bit of paved road, among which is through the tiny town of Sheridan (pop. ~700), before we hit the next sector.

Sector 3: Wise/Ferris Road, 137.2-140.9km, 3700m **

Another two star situation. This time, the next sector is less than 3km away.

Sector 4: N. Backus Road, 143.4-145.7km, 2300m **

The gravel is finer, but there are some holes in the road which does mean I will rate it two stars.

I'm not sure these sectors are decisive enough to create gaps. I hope they are, because the final two sectors are shorter and we'll have to ride on paved roads for a while to get there. Before then, we do pass the town of Greenville. With a population of slightly below 9000, it's no heavyweight - but it does have the oddity of being the home of a Danish heritage festival, celebrating the large history of Danish settlers in the area from the mid 19th century. It's a proper fit for the second sprint.

Sector 5: Tiffany Avenue, 171.6-173.3km, 1700m **

Not the longest of affairs, but the significant amount of loose gravel place it at two stars. Less than 9km separate this sector from the next, and final sector - being located right next to a great recreational area in West Michigan, being named after the town we pass right before - Cannonsburg. We will ride along 5 Mile Road, with a State Game Area to our left and a ski resort to our right, and the sector looks a bit like this:

Sector 6: 5 Mile Road, 182.3-183.5km, 1200m ***

The gravel here is definitely nastier, and is worthy of three stars. It's narrow, bumpy and softer with the mix of rough gravel. It's not the longest sector though, so I'm not sure how much damage it will do.

At this point, we're about 23km from the finish in Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan. The city proper only houses about 200,000 inhabitants, but as is the case with urban sprawl, the metro area houses more than a million. While the town used to be primarily known for its furniture manufacturing, it has since diversified with the healthcare sector being one of the largest employers.

Grand Rapids, MI

Back to the race: If there are gaps here, maybe a sprint team could bring it all back together, but there are still opportunities in town. We do have a short climb starting about 7km from the finish, that being Ball Ave. 540m at 5% isn't all that much, but it's something. The run in afterwards is very straight-forward, not really technical at all sadly. However, finish does ensure it won't be just a flat bunch sprint.

Ball Ave.

The final 1.5km sees us hit the riverfront before turning left at 620m to go for a final kick of 6.4%, with the nastiest bit being above 10%.

Michigan Ave. and the finish line location

What to expect: Maybe an attritional classics-type stage due to the gravel, especially if the weather turns sour. Maybe a nothing-burger and an uphill sprint at the end? It depends.

 

[jsem94]

Tour of the Great Lakes | Stage 6: Ludington - Traverse City, 164.6km

Climbs:
Onekama M22 (cat.4), 2.2km @ 5.3%
Arcadia Scenic Highway (cat.4), 1.2km @ 7.8%
Great Dunes (cat.4), 1.9km @ 4.5%
Grace Road Climb (cat.4), 1.2km @ 4.7%
Eden Hill (cat. 4), 1.4km @ 5%
Barnes Road (cat.4) 1.4km @ 4.9%
Hickory Hill (cat.4), 2.7km @ 3.9%

Gravel sectors:
1. Higgins Road ** - 1.6km
2. Moss Road * - 1.1km
3. State/Fewins Road *** - 4.9km
4. Oakley/Bronson Road *** - 5.4km
5. Mud Lake Road **** - 2.4km
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Despite the many categorized climbs, the stage doesn't even crack 2000m of elevation and isn't all that difficult looking at just the climbs. Because of the lack of proper mountains, I feel obliged to include even these types of bumps as categorized climbs. However, we have managed to squeeze in more than 15km of gravel roads on the course. Hopefully, this stage will not end in a bunch sprint.

Ludington, MI

An hour an a half northwest of Grand Rapids is the quaint town of Ludington. With a population under 8000, it wouldn't be notable at all if it weren't the Michigan port of SS Badger, one of the passenger and vehicle ferries across Lake Michigan operating between Ludington, MI and Manitowoc, WI from May to October. An excellent marina to boot, it is all possible thanks to a pair of breakwaters built in the 1870s, not to mention the already existing natural harbor they were blessed with. The start location is visible in the shot above, right next to the marina. 3.7km later, we're waving the flag.

Manistee, MI

The first 60km or so are quite uneventful in terms of the racing. We do pass a few stunning spots already for the potential helicopter in Manistee, with its isthmus between the smaller Manistee Lake and Lake Michigan itself. Just before the man made channel between the next lake, Portage Lake, and Lake Michigan, we head around the lake and join the M22 into the tiny settlement of Onekama before tackling our first climb. 2.2km at 5.3% isn't all that bothersome, but it is the first of the many obstacles.

Onekama, MI and Portage Lake. In the distance, the canal between Portage Lake and Lake Michigan is just about visible.

This part of the M22, in Northwestern Michigan, is part of the Pure Michigan Byway system, a series of highways designated as scenic. Much like other known scenic routes, like California's Scenic Highway, this scenic route takes us mostly along the coast of the lake. This particular section was voted by readers of USA Today in 2015 as the best scenic autumn drive in the country. Continuing along, we eventually reach the town of Arcadia, where we have our first sprint. As with the previous two towns, this one also has its own lake in Arcadia Lake, with a dredged channel connecting it to Lake Michigan. It is after passing the town we find ourselves at our second climb, Arcadia Scenic Highway, ending near Arcadia Scenic Turnout, a popular overlook.

Arcadia Scenic Hwy

We leave the scenic route after our next climb, Great Dunes, and head east up Grace Road after which we enter our first dirt road.

Sector 1: Higgins Road, 94.8-96.4km, 1600m **

A pretty easy sector, but two stars because of the topography - this will go pretty fast as a it will be partly downhill. An uncategorized climb, not steep enough to register, does follow, and we do enter the town of Beluah before going up Eden Hill. The next sector comes pretty soon after.

Sector 2: Moss Road, 106.4-107.5km, 1100m *

While the gravel is similar to the first sector, the length just makes this a one star affair. We now find our do a near 180-degree turn and head north towards the main road with a sprint in the town of Honor, with a population slightly above 300m, with a claim to fame being the only drive-in theater left in the state. A few kilometers later, we leave the main road US 31 onto a proper lengthy sector.

Sector 3: Moss Road, 116.2-121.1km, 4900m ***

We're on proper country roads now, but the dirt is in pretty good shape for the most part. The real difficulty is in the fact that less than 2km separate this from the next sector, heading east keeping the private Lake Ann Airport to our left.

Sector 4: Moss Road, 122.8-128.2km, 5400m ***

The quality varies throughout the sector, hence the three stars. The road is quite wide as well, despite the surface being varied. Continuing east into the Green Lake Township, we eventually enter Mud Lake Road, the most difficult sector in the race.

Sector 5: Moss Road, 132.3-134.7km, 2400m ****

The road is way narrower, the surface poorer. Had this road been longer, five stars could have been warranted. Despite turning into asphalt after two and half kilometers, the road stays quite narrow and passes both recreational and residential areas in the county. This is truly a lake-heavy part of the state with tourism being the main economic engine.

Green Lake Township, MI.

Past the lakes, we're race-wise in a bit of a dead zone until we hit the two climbs leading up to the finish in Traverse City. Neither of climbs are particularly hard, but could work to hamper a potential bunch sprint depending on the race situation. The first half of Barnes Road does average about 7%, and Hickory Hill also has section at around 8%, but not for long enough to be decisive. After finishing the climbs, we head into town as fast as possible down Route 72 finishing by the lake shore. Because of a divider, the finish line is quite narrow - so I would really hope the race has been split.

Finish line, Traverse City.

Speaking of Traverse City, the town is definitely one of the more well to do places in the state. The town itself only has about 15,000 residents, but punches well above its weight. It hosts the National Cherry Festival bringing in about half a million visitors annually, as the area is one of the primary cherry growing regions of the world. It is also the home to a part-time symphony orchestra! The name, Traverse City, alludes to the the long journey the 18th-century French explorers embarked upon when canoeing the mouth of the bay, as it is split in two parts - two "arms". Looking at a map, it is quite evident why tourism plays such an important part of the economy.

Traverse City, MI and the Grand Traverse Bay.

What to expect: Plenty of attacks, but not certain anything sticks 100%. Either complete carnage, or a reduced bunch sprint.