Rate the 2012 Tour route

[Libertine Seguros]

rofl! What the hell is that? That road is one huge fail. I mean.. I'm just flabbergasted. This must be a joke?

I suspect it was included solely so that the French could laugh at the Belgians' road planning and feel a bit better about themselves.

 

[Luke Schmid]

North to Saint Jean Verges, across the river and then back to Foix

Do you mean they are going to Foix, then north to Saint Jean Verges then back to Foix?
Or are they doing something like, D15, D21, D221, D117, D11, D919 through Saint Jean Verges to Foix?

 

[roundabout]

I believe this is a pretty accurate description of the route even if the article was before the presentation

http://www.gazette-ariegeoise.fr/45...-de-Peguere-sera-t-il-le-clou-de-l-etape.html

So it' s pretty much north along the Ariege and then back.

 

[Luke Schmid]

I believe this is a pretty accurate description of the route even if the article was before the presentation

http://www.gazette-ariegeoise.fr/45...-de-Peguere-sera-t-il-le-clou-de-l-etape.html

So it' s pretty much north along the Ariege and then back.

Thank you for the help.

It seems to be a good way of ruining a potenially good stage.

 

[42x16ss]

Frank to crash. Odds?

I'm tipping Frank, Moncoutie and Menchov to crash in a fiery explosion attempting to ride through there

 

[craig1985]

Tour de France to pass "most absurd road in Europe"

On Tuesday, the route of the 2012 Tour de France was presented in Paris. The first three stages go through the Wallonie. In Wallonie, people were very surprised to find out the route actually includes "the most bizarre road in Europe" between Braive and Moxhe.

The remodeling of the "chaussée romaine", a historic road between Liège and Namur, sparked up a controversy in Belgium. Countless obstacles, bizarre speed limits and contradictory road signs had already angered the locals several months ago. Many accidents with heavy damage ocurred. One inhabitant made a video of the road and the belgian media ridiculed the work of the department for road safety.

The authorities reacted tensely and even had the youtube video banned. But it didn't help: the slalom road of Braives attained widespread attention. This is why not only the locals now ask themselves why the Schlecks, Cancellara and Evans now must take specifically this road out of all roads. The belgian media is already joking: "after the ITT and the MTF now a new discipline in cycling ... the slalom", wrote the internet site "lavenir.be" on Wednesday"

wort.lu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3xSEk5PFC4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0aNub27Adk&feature=related

Lol wut?


.

 

[gregrowlerson]

2007 is indeed also for me the proof of a balanced route and that's a how an edition of le tour should like overall
the perfect one of a grand tour i still think it's vuelta a espana 2003:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuelta_a_España_2003
perfect

As a fairly new fan to cycling GT's, I sometimes enjoy looking back on the past races and parcours on the autobus. I just checked out the '03 Vuelta and wow, that is indeed practically a perfect (well as perfect as one can get) GT parcours. So many ITT kms, and to throw in a MTT on the penultimate stage, and a category 1 climb near the end of stage 2, and consecutive mountain top finishers on stages 7-9, and then again on 15-16, and a fascinating descent finish on stage 19, and............

Which genius drew that all up?!

 

[roundabout]

What?

A load of 5-6% average finishing climbs for Nozal to plod up without losing too much time is now a perfect route.

 

[Descender]

We've got one more overly legendary climb, that will be honoured with two stages in next year's race. Its the Col du Peyresourde! I give to it a 4.

Are you suggesting the Peyresourde isn't a legendary climb? No offence meant, but how long have you been watching cycling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FsaN9uMo10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzC_1uHPjXc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1mfw9Ys24&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPsktl4T-S4

 

[airstream]

What?

A load of 5-6% average finishing climbs for Nozal to plod up without losing too much time is now a perfect route.

Huh! Its ok. Probably, 90% of the Vuelta top finishes has such characterictics, under 6.5% av.

I think the 09-11 TdF routes match to the current antidoping era the best way. Many MTF's doesnt affect so much as it was before. Glorius days of fearless mountain fighting stayed in past. The philosophy of almost all TdF riders now is not to be dropped. Climbers expect 2-3 km to go, to try to get away TT'ers pray for nobody to attack. Even Contador is not able to attack many times. I dont mind the TdF winner has be a good TT'er and this route would be perfect if ASO would include Pla-d'Adet instead of the Peyragudes and organize one more MTF in the Pyrenees. But given what we have. Do you understand WHAT Prudomme decided to balance? Its scary to think if Andy wont go there and Contador will be better than Evans in the 1st TT. It will be a dreadful Tour then.

But the worst thing is Prudomme dared to exchange HC climbs for the Peyresourdes. Shame on him!

No offence meant, but how long have you been watching cycling?

I follow since 2004. Legendary, but it is not worthy to be decisive in the Tour and even more to be used twice. Tourmalet, Galibier, Peyresourde... Brilliant!

 

[guncha]

But the worst thing is Prudomme dared to exchange HC climbs for the Peyresourdes. Shame on him!

I don't think there is big difference between Pla d'Adet and Peyragudes as summit finishes. Pla d'Adet is 10.3km at 8.3% while Peyragudes will be climbed via 9.7km at 7.8% section of Peyresourde followed by small decent and small but steep ascent. It gives almost the same climbing difficulty with a difference that Peyragudes has decent section in last third of the climb.
However, Pla d'Adet stage would have been better because Azet would have been most likely included between Peyresourde and Pla d'Adet.

 

[McLovin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPsktl4T-S4

Thanks for those nice videos. Didn't know Ullrich fell on Peyresourde. I tought it was another pass.

 

[Descender]

Huh! Its ok. Probably, 90% of the Vuelta top finishes has such characterictics, under 6.5% av.

I think the 09-11 TdF routes match to the current antidoping era the best way. Many MTF's doesnt affect so much as it was before. Glorius days of fearless mountain fighting stayed in past. The philosophy of almost all TdF riders now is not to be dropped. Climbers expect 2-3 km to go, to try to get away TT'ers pray for nobody to attack. Even Contador is not able to attack many times. I dont mind the TdF winner has be a good TT'er and this route would be perfect if ASO would include Pla-d'Adet instead of the Peyragudes and organize one more MTF in the Pyrenees. But given what we have. Do you understand WHAT Prudomme decided to balance? Its scary to think if Andy wont go there and Contador will be better than Evans in the 1st TT. It will be a dreadful Tour then.

But the worst thing is Prudomme dared to exchange HC climbs for the Peyresourdes. Shame on him!


I follow since 2004. Legendary, but it is not worthy to be decisive in the Tour and even more to be used twice. Tourmalet, Galibier, Peyresourde... Brilliant!

What is the problem with that? Why do all tours have to feature one of the 3-4 biggest climbs as the last mountain stage? All you're favouring with that is that riders are even more conservative in the previous stages.

I don't understand your comment about doping. What do you mean?

If the philosophy is waiting and waiting and then attacking with some kms to go, why make it even easier for them by putting hard MTF after hard MTF??

 

[airstream]

What is the problem with that? Why do all tours have to feature one of the 3-4 biggest climbs as the last mountain stage? All you're favouring with that is that riders are even more conservative in the previous stages. I don't understand your comment about doping. What do you mean? If the philosophy is waiting and waiting and then attacking with some kms to go, why make it even easier for them by putting hard MTF after hard MTF??

I dont mind if may be 1 of 10-15 editions сan have the parcours like that, though its very disappointing. I think, the Plateau de Beille scenario, when 7-8 best climbers are prepared more or less equally and someone, who feels better, but is not stronger enough to get away, can happen again. It doesnt depend of the number of MTF's. Yeah, we need more MTF's so that the climbers have more possibilities to realize their advantage.

 

[Tank Engine]

I dont mind if may be 1 of 10-15 editions сan have the parcours like that, though its very disappointing. I think, the Plateau de Beille scenario, when 7-8 best climbers are prepared more or less equally and someone, who feels better, but is not stronger enough to get away, can happen again. It doesnt depend of the number of MTF's. Yeah, we need more MTF's so that the climbers have more possibilities to realize their advantage.

Watching the Plateau de Beille stage, Andy looked the strongest. He put in lots of little accelerations, but then gave up because somebody was on his wheel. It looked like he could have got rid of all but one or two riders in the front group (Evans was strong that day, but Bertie seemed to be below par). At that stage of the race, it would have been in his interest to have collaborated with one or two others to distance the remaining riders, but he seemingly choose not to do so (perhaps thinking that a Sastre type attack on Alpe d'Huez would be enough).

I think the 2012 parcours is intriguing, because each rider knows that he will have to gain time in several of the stages that favour them. It's impossible to bet everything on one all out ride. Also, many of the stages are hard enough to make a real difference in the GC, but often there is no one obvious place to attack and team tactics are likely to be very important (like in the Galibier stage where Monfort and Posthuma were part of the break to help Andy before the final climb). Having said that I do think the last stage in the Pyrenees should be a real "queen" stage, with the first half being harder (the finish of one very hard climb, a relatively short descent and then the final climb looks great) and one other high MTF would not be amiss. However, overall it looks pretty balanced with both tactical nouse and pure mano a mano strength being required.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Are you suggesting the Peyresourde isn't a legendary climb? No offence meant, but how long have you been watching cycling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FsaN9uMo10



i hate ridiculous music on cycling videos in youtube. Descender i am not saying its ur fault or anything.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What?

A load of 5-6% average finishing climbs for Nozal to plod up without losing too much time is now a perfect route.

I assume you mean Noval?

Either that or you know something I don't. I would have thought Isidro Nozal was too tainted for anybody to pick up now, and even then he hasn't exactly been firing on any cylinders since 2005, even with the EPO he tested positive for with Liberty Seguros in 2009.

That 2003 Vuelta when he led for two and a half weeks only to lose it to Heras in the final ITT was crazy though.

 

[jens_attacks]

i talked to grande isidro, he wants to comeback in 2012.i hope he will find a decent team and someday we will see the forbidden duel on the mountains of spain:
isidro nozal vs christopher froome.

it will be like a dream for you libertine

 

[luckyboy]

I assume you mean Noval?

Either that or you know something I don't. I would have thought Isidro Nozal was too tainted for anybody to pick up now, and even then he hasn't exactly been firing on any cylinders since 2005, even with the EPO he tested positive for with Liberty Seguros in 2009.

That 2003 Vuelta when he led for two and a half weeks only to lose it to Heras in the final ITT was crazy though.

I think he was referring to the previous poster who said that the 2003 Vuelta had a perfect route.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I think he was referring to the previous poster who said that the 2003 Vuelta had a perfect route.

OK, I thought they were suggesting that Nozal would be plodding up those 5-6% climbs if they had that kind of route now. Hence I assumed they must have meant Noval, domestiquing for Contador and allowing his team to control the race.

 

[dsut4392]

Tour de France to pass "most absurd road in Europe"

wort.lu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3xSEk5PFC4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0aNub27Adk&feature=related

I can't believe I watched those videos. End of term project from "videography for self-righteous old farts 101"? Yeah, the road is ridiculous, but cry me a river if those are the worst social injustices in that part of the world.

 

[Descender]

Are you suggesting the Peyresourde isn't a legendary climb? No offence meant, but how long have you been watching cycling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FsaN9uMo10



i hate ridiculous music on cycling videos in youtube. Descender i am not saying its ur fault or anything.

I know... and I don't really get why people do it. Don't they know people who watch that video are interested in the commentary and not in listening to music?

But I couldn't find anything else.

 

[ferryman]

Finally got round to voting. Gave it a six with the proviso of Contador being there, drops to a slugfest 4 if not.

 

[guncha]

It is interesting to compare results of TDF12 and TDF11 polls:

TDF12 TDF11
10-7.50% 10-4.35%
9-6.88% 9-7.83%
8-18.75% 8-25.22%
7-16.88% 7-29.57%
6-18.75% 6-13.91%
5-8.75% 5-7.83%
4-8.75% 4-6.09%
3-5.63% 3-1.74%
2-0.63% 2-2.61%
1-7.50% 1-0.87%

To me it is not surprising that TDF11 route is rated higher than TDF12 route.
But still 50% of respondents gave 7+ score for TDF12 (67% of respondents gave 7+ to TDF11).
IMHO, it is unexpectedly good result for TDF12 which clearly lacks high mountain stages for GC.

 

[catmiles]

Mediocre stages this year i think.

I kinda liked no prologue this year felt like we just got straight into the Tour instead, but im not surprised it has returned.

They could do with a few more mountainous climbs in my opinion and only 1 with a summit finish! :O

Should be interesting with 2 individual time trials aswell.

6/10