• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Race Design Thread

Page 31 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Sep 8, 2010
1,441
0
0
Visit site
Another_Dutch_Guy said:
By the way: the tour op Japan is epic!

Thank You. :)

Tour Méditerranéen I || Stage 1, Lodève - Sète, 143 km

34xhukp.jpg


The inaugural stage takes us on a loop from Lodève north around Montepellier and then over a small stretch of land between the Mediterranean Sea and some salt lakes, called étangs, to the city of Sète. For cycling fans this city is well known for its climb Mont Saint Clair. Of course this is not a ramp, but in early February you can deliver a serious punch here to your opponents. From the GPM they have 4k left to the finish line.

Climbs
Cat.3 // Mont Saint Clair (173m), 2,5k @ 6.9 %.

Lodève
8265874.jpg


Sète
th_20.jpg
 
2013 Tour de France Overview

Originally I made just three stages, using the Corsica start and finish towns. From now on it's purely my imagination (or what I've borrowed from others!), not what I think the towns/stages/overall route will look like. They will start their mainland journey from Nice, but that is coincidence, I'd already planned that before it was officially announced. As I said earlier, all the usual climbs are here, which is a prerequisite of most Tour routes and I don't think the 100th will deviate from this path. There are finishes at the top of passes, but they have done a few of these in recent years so these new ones do not seem completely implausible.

There are also some "Vuelta" stages with only one hard climb, but there is some method in this which should be obvious once all stages have been revealed. On the other hand there are three ridiculous mountain stages, simply one of these would seem excessive in an actual GT. For a more realistic feel, these stages could be toned down whilst remaining significant from a GC perspective. Part of my reasoning for doing some of the usual climbs is the frustration from seeing stages in the Alps, but mainly the Pyrenees which have large passes sitting in the middle of a stage where it is impossible to have an impact on the GC.

The course is designed within the UCI restrictions for length (max. of two stages >240km and avg length of 180km). I've struck a reasonable balance between descent and mountain finishes, I do not feel that one is superior to another so didn't feel a need to skew things in that sense. Three ITTs add up to around 150km overall, the difficult mountain stages needed these miles to balance the route up, although there is a little climb in one of the ITTs ;) . In all of this though there will still be six "Cav" stages, and a little on offer for the harder men.

I tried to keep the transfers somewhat realistic, however, starting in the South makes this a difficult task. The 2009 Tour from Monaco had this same problem, but I do cover more of the country than that edition.

Stage 1: Porte-Vecchio - Bastia 140km
Stage 2: Bastia - Ajaccio-Alata 152km
----- 72km Cat 3 Col de Belle Granaje 7km @ 5%
----- 84km Cat 2 Vizzavona 12.4km @ 4.1%
----- 144km Cat 2 Alata 7.4km @ 5.9%

Stage 3: Ajaccio - Calvi 156km
----- 17km Cat 3 Bocca San Bastiano 12.2km @ 3%
----- 56km Cat 2 Bocca a Lavu 10.6km @ 4.4%
----- 112km Cat 3 Col de Palmarella 34.4km @ 1.1%
----- 138km Cat 3 Bocca di Marsolinu 3.8km @ 6.7%

Stage 4: Nice - Toulon 148km
Stage 5: Toulon - Malaucene 248km
----- 55km Cat 2 Espigoulier 9.6km @ 5.5%
----- 171km Cat 2 Col de la Liguière 9.6km @ 6.4%
----- 193km Cat 3 Col de Notre Dame des Abeilles 8.4km @ 3.6%
----- 228km HC Mont Ventoux 18.7km @ 7.8%

Stage 6: Avignon - Mende 232km
----- 107km Cat 3 9.6km @ 3.5%
----- 149km Cat 2 7.8km @ 5.3%
----- 178km Cat 2 17.6km @ 3.5%
----- 215km Cat 2 Col de Montmirat 9.0km @ 5.1%
----- 226km Cat 3 Aerodrome de Mende - Brenoux 2.6km @ 10.4%

Stage 7: Millau ITT 48km
Stage 8: Carcassonne - Col de Pailhères 98km
----- 98km HC Col de Pailhères 14.9km @ 8.1%
Stage 9: Arreau - Uztarroz 256km
----- 14km Cat 1 Hourquette d'Ancizan 10.3km @ 7.8%
----- 48km HC Col du Tourmalet 17.2km @ 7.4%
----- 113km HC Col de l'Aubisque 30.1km @ 4.1%
----- 149km Cat 2 Col de la Marie Blanque 15km @ 4.1%
----- 192km Cat 1 Col de Labays/Col de La Pierre St. Martin 22.6km @ 4.7%
----- 235km HC Port de Larrau 15.3km @ 7.9%

Stage 10: Mauleon-Licharre - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port 180km
----- 15km Cat 3 Col d'Osquich 6.4km @ 4.9%
----- 106km Cat 2 Puerto de Otxondo 10km @ 5%
----- 126km Cat 3 Col d'Izpeguy 8.6km @ 4.3%
----- 145km Cat 1 Col d'Elhorrieta 8.8km @ 7.3%
----- 157km Cat 2 Banca Wall 4.2km @ 7.3%
----- 170km Cat 2 Col d'Urdanzia 7.2km @ 6.4%

Rest Day
 
Stage 1: Porte-Vecchio - Bastia 140km

Stage 11: Bordeaux - Poitiers 239km
Stage 12: La Fleche - Le Mans 57km ITT
Stage 13: Le Mans - Le Havre 230km
Stage 14: Dieppe - Valenciennes 223km
Stage 15: Strasbourg - Belfort 240km
----- 47km Cat 2 Col du Kreuzweg 13.2km @ 4.0%
----- 67km Cat 3 Col de Fouchy 8.7km @ 3.9%
----- 94km Cat 2 Col de Freland13.6km @ 3.5%
----- 123km Cat 1 Col du Calvaire 13km @ 5.6%
----- 183km Cat 2 Col du Hundsruck 9.5km @ 4.3%
----- 210km Cat 1 Ballon d'Alsace 13.2km @ 5.1%
----- 240km Cat 3 Fort du Salbert 4.8km @ 5.2%

Stage 16: Belfort - Geneve 231km
Stage 17: Geneve - Le Bourget-du-Lac 108km
----- 95km HC Le Mont du Chat 17km @ 7.4%
Rest Day
Stage 18: Morzine ITT 47km
----- 36km HC Joux Plane 11.1km @ 8.9%

Stage 19: Martigny - Col d l'Iseran 214km
----- 17km Cat 1 Champex 11.65km @ 7.2%
----- 54km HC Col du Grand Saint Bernard 25km @ 6.3%
----- 142km HC Col du Petit Saint Bernard 27.6km @ 4.6%
----- 213km HC Col de l'Iseran 48km @ 4.1%

Stage 20: Bourg Saint-Maurice - Les Deux Alpes 223km
----- 60km HC Col de la Madeleine 24.4km @ 6.3%
----- 138km HC Col du Galibier 34.9km @ 5.5%
----- 183km HC Col du Sarenne 12.8km @ 7.5%
----- 223km Cat 1 Les Deux Alpes 11km @ 6.5%

Stage 21:


A flat stage to begin with, only this one is shorter than the actual opening stage of the 2013 edition.

stage1map.jpg


stage1profile.png
 
Stage 3: Ajaccio - Calvi 156km

Once again this has been modified from its original form. This may be an exact replica of the official stage. Sevi has been removed, seen as unnecessary this early, and the finish is now on better roads just out of town, possibly the same finish as the official stage.

stage3map.jpg


stage3profile.png


stage3finale.jpg


17km Cat 3 Bocca San Bastiano 12.2km @ 3%
56km Cat 2 Bocca a Lavu 10.6km @ 4.4%
112km Cat 3 Col de Palmarella 34.4km @ 1.1%
138km Cat 3 Bocca di Marsolinu 3.8km @ 6.7%
 
Stage 4: Nice - Toulon 148km

A flat and rather boring day on the highway inside the coast. There are three right angle corners in the closing kilometres. This is one which the sprinters will need to take with both hands, as it could be a week before their next opportunity.

stage4map.jpg


stage4profile.png
 
Stage 5: Toulon - Malaucene 248km

The first mythical mountain of the race. There aren't many obstacles on offer on a direct route from the south, but there will be a lot of distance in the legs by the time they reach Ventoux. In this way it's somewhat similar to the Finestre stage of the 2011 Giro.


stage5map.jpg


stage5profile.png


stage5finale.jpg


55km Cat 2 Espigoulier 9.6km @ 5.5%
171km Cat 2 Col de la Liguière 9.6km @ 6.4%
193km Cat 3 Col de Notre Dame des Abeilles 8.4km @ 3.6%
228km HC Mont Ventoux 18.7km @ 7.8%
 
Sep 8, 2010
1,441
0
0
Visit site
Tour Méditerranéen I || Stage 2, Béziers - Leucate, 129 km

10725o7.jpg


Second day of four, brings us further to the south. From Béziers the race hits the back country and goes round Narbonne. Here they will hit les Corbières for some smaller hills. There won't be much affect on the stage. But like yesterday the Mistral can attack the riders and blow the peloton to pieces. The race will finish in Leucate, which is a very small town. But I was there in holidays, so I chose it.

qp2a6s.jpg


Climbs
Cat.3 // Fond Bouriane (282m), 3,8k @ 4.9%.

Béziers
12368733.jpg


Leucate
37990037.jpg
 
Sep 8, 2010
1,441
0
0
Visit site
Tour Méditerranéen I || Stage 3, Le Barcarès - Cadaqués, 123 km

5jus9f.jpg


Today things will get more difficult and the finale of this stage will see two climbs. But first we start from the southern tip of Étang de Leucate in a small tourist village. Today we will stay near the coast for almost the whole stage. The windy roads might bring some M-Srm feeling to the riders. But it will be rough. Right before Banyuls-sur-Mer, few kilometers away from the Spanish border, a climb of eight kilometers is waiting. After reaching Spain, this stage will be decided with two climbs from the town of Vilajuïga. The finish will be in Cadaqués right at the Costa Brava.

2djz9xk.jpg


Climbs
Cat.1 // Coll de Tallaferro (421m), 8,8k @ 5%.
Cat.3 // Coll dels Belitres (146m), 3,3k @ 3.4%.
Cat.1 // Sant Pere de Rodes (496m), 7,1k @ 6.2%.
Cat.2 // Serrat de Conilleres (228m), 4,5 k @ 4.1%.

Le Barcarès
29667390.jpg


Cadaqués
11902991.jpg
 
Sep 8, 2010
1,441
0
0
Visit site
Tour Méditerranéen I || Stage 4a, Roses - Santuari de Rocacorba, 70 km

27yubtz.jpg


Since this race isn't televised live, but shown in a evening synopsis, it is no problem to have a mtf in the morning as a half stage. I'm a great fan of half stages - what you will see in my second Tour Med - and so I decided to bring up this shorty, which ends really hard. Rocacorba is used a lot by the Girona based riders and I really like this climb. To be honest, I really don't know, if it is possible to place a finish of a smaller bike race near the Santuari. Maybe Libertine knows? I hope so, because it's stunnigly beautiful.

1znyfio.jpg


Climbs
Cat.1 // Santuari de Rocacorba (977m), 11,2k @ 6.4%.

Roses
8278172.jpg


Santuari de Rocacorba
50324022.jpg
 
Sep 8, 2010
1,441
0
0
Visit site
Tour Méditerranéen I || Stage 4b, Girona (ITT), 9,1 km

231wfn.jpg


The last stage of this race will be a time trial. More precisely it is a loop over Girona's Montjuïc starting and finishing north of Girona.

1r4y6w.jpg


Climbs
Cat.3 // Montjuïc (206m), 4k @ 3,8 %.

Girona from Montjuïc
Montjuic-1.jpg
 
Stage 6: Avignon - Mende 232km

Mende is back, with a significant twist. It's a long day from Avignon with a few lumps, and instead of going into Mende and taking the usual climb, they will climb up to the airport from Brenoux. After the climb they face a flat unsealed road alongside the runway, before descending down Montee Laurent Jalabert and finishing in Mende.


stage6map.jpg


stage6profile.png


stage6finale.jpg


107km Cat 3 9.6km @ 3.5%
149km Cat 2 7.8km @ 5.3%
178km Cat 2 17.6km @ 3.5%
215km Cat 2 Col de Montmirat 9.0km @ 5.1%
226km Cat 3 Aerodrome de Mende - Brenoux 2.6km @ 10.4%
 
Stage 7: Millau ITT 48km

I've always wanted to see the Viaduct in action, my idea though has always been as a short prologue, either Giro 2005 style or a rapid up and back solely on the bridge. The way of the route has however given me perfect opportunity to design a full TT at Millau. They will head out of town for 6km at around 4% up to the A75, from there they cover the full span and then some, turning around at an off ramp on the other side and coming back. The descent back into the finish in town is much the same as the original climb.

stage7map.jpg


stage7profile.png


(Ignore the chasm in the profile, it's just the bridge messing with the elevation data)
 
Stage 8: Carcassonne - Col de Pailhères 98km

The first full MTF of the race, which also happens to be a short one climb stage. I felt that by Stage 8 an MTF was needed, but at the same time didn't want to make this stage too difficult with what is to come tomorrow. Also I didn't want to use Bonascre in a repeat of the 2010 stage, still got nightmares from the trackstands. Pailheres is a very difficult climb though and should not be underestimated.


stage8map.jpg


stage8profile.png


98km HC Col de Pailhères 14.9km @ 8.1%
 
Stage 9: Arreau - Uztarroz 256km

In paper terms of distance covered and altitude gained, this is the hardest stage of the race. 3 HC, 2 Cat 1 and a Cat 2 could see some earlier retirees. Hopefully the early leg breakers will be enough to force the issue by the time Labays comes around. The finale over Larrau will see them finish across the border for the first and perhaps only time this race.

stage9map.jpg


stage9profile.png


stage9finale.jpg


14km Cat 1 Hourquette d'Ancizan 10.3km @ 7.8%
48km HC Col du Tourmalet 17.2km @ 7.4%
113km HC Col de l'Aubisque 30.1km @ 4.1%
149km Cat 2 Col de la Marie Blanque 15km @ 4.1%
192km Cat 1 Col de Labays/Col de La Pierre St. Martin 22.6km @ 4.7%
235km HC Port de Larrau 15.3km @ 7.9%
 
Stage 10: Mauleon-Licharre - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port 180km

These medium stages are the most difficult to make. Especially when you don't know the area at all. Originally I planned for this stage to be an "out" stage with a flat finish to the north. However, as the last elevated terrain for a long time, something decent needed to be done. But at the same time given the difficulties of the race so far, I didn't want it to be excessively difficult. A nice stage in the general direction is the one roundabout created to Saint-Jean-P-d-P.

The final 40km is contested mainly on narrow roads, but I did try and make sure they were good enough to race on, and keep them at the end where things should be splitting up anyway. It would be a nice area for an AGR style classic, mazing all over the place.

There are some reasonable ramps over the final few climbs, so I wouldn't discount some GC action occurring.

stage10map.jpg


stage10profile.png


stage10finale.jpg


15km Cat 3 Col d'Osquich 6.4km @ 4.9%
106km Cat 2 Puerto de Otxondo 10km @ 5%
126km Cat 3 Col d'Izpeguy 8.6km @ 4.3%
145km Cat 1 Col d'Elhorrieta 8.8km @ 7.3%
157km Cat 2 Banca Wall 4.2km @ 7.3%
170km Cat 2 Col d'Urdanzia 7.2km @ 6.4%
 
Jul 27, 2009
496
0
0
Visit site
Taiwan?

This thread is terrific fun, and thanks to everybody who has contributed a race. Lupetto's Tour of Japan parcours was just beautiful, for instance!

But I don't think we've come close to exhausting the possibilities. One I'm particularly interested in - does anybody know Taiwan well enough to do some designing?

The island has at least one truly gargantuan mountain pass, He Huan Shan. 2700 metres of climbing, topping out at 3275 metres. The last 10 are the steepest. The queen stage pretty much designs itself, at least.
 
Stage 12: La Fleche - Le Mans ITT 57km

The second ITT of the race, this one is longer and flatter than Stage 7. This is the major opportunity for the men who are good against the clock to cease control of the race. The closing stages are on the back half of Circuit de la Sarthe, finishing on the home straight.

stage12map.jpg


stage12profile.png
 

TRENDING THREADS