continuation of my fantasy 2013 tour de france route....
The peloton is nearing the flat(tish) northwestern part of France, so Christian Prud'homme will be thrilled to announce not less than four consecutive flat stages. Some of them even have a hill in the final!!!!!
Stage 10 runs from the Breton town of Saint-Brieuc to Norman Viré. There's an intermediate sprint near le Mont Saint Michel
Thereafter the course continues its flat ways, towards Mortain where the first hill awaits the peloton. The last 25km it's always up and down, but only the côte des Chasses can create some gaps.
The race will stay another day in Normandy. The 11th Stage finishes in Rouen, birthplace of the legendary Jacques Anquetil. Perhaps there are better ways to honor maître Jacques, but the finishline is drawn after a steady climb of 3km @4.5%. The real mass sprinters will have no chance on la route de Neuchâtel.
The 12th stage is the flattest of the whole tour. It starts in Beauvais, with its peculiar looking cathedral, crosses Compiègne -place where the armistice after the first world war was signed- and Soissons and will finish in Reims after 172km. The winner will perhaps receive his weight in champaign, as Reims is the capital of the Champagne region.
In the 13th stage the tour continues its easterly direction, towards the vosges. It's still, however a flat stage that has a small 3km long, 5% steep climb with 12km to go. Maybe it's enough to spice things up a bit, but it won't create big gaps.
The peloton is nearing the flat(tish) northwestern part of France, so Christian Prud'homme will be thrilled to announce not less than four consecutive flat stages. Some of them even have a hill in the final!!!!!
Stage 10 runs from the Breton town of Saint-Brieuc to Norman Viré. There's an intermediate sprint near le Mont Saint Michel
Thereafter the course continues its flat ways, towards Mortain where the first hill awaits the peloton. The last 25km it's always up and down, but only the côte des Chasses can create some gaps.
The race will stay another day in Normandy. The 11th Stage finishes in Rouen, birthplace of the legendary Jacques Anquetil. Perhaps there are better ways to honor maître Jacques, but the finishline is drawn after a steady climb of 3km @4.5%. The real mass sprinters will have no chance on la route de Neuchâtel.
The 12th stage is the flattest of the whole tour. It starts in Beauvais, with its peculiar looking cathedral, crosses Compiègne -place where the armistice after the first world war was signed- and Soissons and will finish in Reims after 172km. The winner will perhaps receive his weight in champaign, as Reims is the capital of the Champagne region.
In the 13th stage the tour continues its easterly direction, towards the vosges. It's still, however a flat stage that has a small 3km long, 5% steep climb with 12km to go. Maybe it's enough to spice things up a bit, but it won't create big gaps.