Rate the 2018 Tour de France route

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

Better than: '09, '12, '15 & '17, I think. So for a modern Tour, I guess it'll end up around 4-5.

Is it confirmed that there are no ribon?

There is gravel on stage 10 and stage 17. It doesn't look like they use more if it for now.

 

[Chrispol]

Re:

La Rosière. Under 110km. Finishing climb of under 6%. Ha. Haha. Hahahaha

They'll use a little road from Montvalezan with 6km à 8% in it.

And come on Bisanne + Pré, I had wet dreams for that combo !

The stage is good in itself, the best short stage designed by ASO I'd say. Problem is the Alpe d'Huez monster stage the next day who could kill the action.

The Alps are VERY hard for the first mountains.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

A bit more too add...

Auchy-lez-Orchies is really critical. It's not easy at all and it's long. If you can split the peloton here, this will become a brutal race. And then comes a short part of Mons-en-Pevele. Which is still hard.

 

[Alexandre B.]

This Tour has clearly been designed with Meintjes in mind.

 

[Sestriere]

Re:

This Tour has clearly been designed with Meintjes in mind.

Looking forward to seeing him launch his sprint out of Sagan's slipstream after having hung onto the field-destroying Quickstep-train unnoticed during the whole Roubaix stage.

 

[Climbing]

One has to wonder why endurance has left the sport…

Unless Nibali comes to the Tour, it rains on the cobbles and he gains time there, it will be another procession, and I don’t mean just Froome/Sky.

 

[jsem94]

5/10. Some excellent things and some rubbish things in this route. 65km stage is a OK I guess, but where's the 240km stage to balance it out?

35km TTT is horrendous though.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I very much like the Alps. 3 good stages, but in wrong order, unfortunately. In isolation all 3 stages are great for Tour standards IMO, even the short one.

The Pyrenees are more meh, but that finishing climb looks brutal. Too bad it ruins the thing for me its that short. I like the last mountain stage.

Will rate when I look at the other stages, but so far not too bad I guess.

 

[Tonton]

Stage 1 and 2: sprint.
Stage 3: I don't like TTT that much, but since there's not enough ITT in this design, why not?
Stage 4: sprint.
Stage 5: I like that one, ups and downs and murito.
Stage 6: MdB times 2. I like it.
Stage 7: sprint.
Stage 8: Dreux-Amiens on the 14 de Juillet...you gotta be kidding me. Arnaud, please win that one and save the day.
Stage 9: yummy! But no velodrome finish...
Stage 10: complete waste of the Col des Glieres, too far from the finish. Good first mountain stage profile though.
Stage 11: La Rosiere is not a proper MTF, no way to attack Sky, but Dumoulin will like it.
Stage 12: Kim K. is back. Nice stage.
Stage 13: Bordures? Sprint.
Stage 14: Pinot or Bardet better win that one...
Stage 15: on a Sunday, I would have expected better. Sagan, GVA, Kwiat ftw.
Stage 16: not too bad.
Stage 17: I hope it achieves what it was designed to achieve...if so, fireworks, maybe a stage for the ages.
Stage 18: meh. BOD takes it.
Stage 19: on the paper, not pretty, but looking closer, there're are possibilities for a good climber-descender to attack and take some time. Maybe a good surprise here.
Stage 20: Dumoulin, Froome at 40".
Stage 21: hopefully a French or Dutch winner.

For the Tour, not a bad design at all. The first week won't be completely meh, but Bastille Day and week-end stages are underwhelming (except Stage 9). I'll go with my usual 8 .

 

[Breh]

8 for me. I really like it.

I would've liked a sprint stage somewhere in the 3rd week. And a flat ITT.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

8 for me. I really like it.

I would've liked a sprint stage somewhere in the 3rd week. And a flat ITT.

Pau?

 

[markene2]

Better than this years route thats for sure, i like that a stage with cobbles returns, hope for carnage

 

[Breh]

Ah yes, ofcourse.

 

[Valv.Piti]

What are we looking at, 7-8 sprinter stages? Does anybody have the profiles of the intermediate stages between Alps and Pyrenees? And how about those ribons, where are they at if they are at all?

 

[Tonton]

Re:

What are we looking at, 7-8 sprinter stages? Does anybody have the profiles of the intermediate stages between Alps and Pyrenees? And how about those ribons, where are they at if they are at all?

L'Equipe only mentions le Plateau des Glieres.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

What are we looking at, 7-8 sprinter stages? Does anybody have the profiles of the intermediate stages between Alps and Pyrenees? And how about those ribons, where are they at if they are at all?

8 stages for the Kittels: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 13, 18 & 21.

 

[Red Rick]

I am still awaiting Libertine's assessment.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

I am still awaiting Libertine's assessment.

Aren't we all?

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

The stage to Quimper actually looks like a pretty good hilly stage, normally I would be happy with it, but because of the strong rumours of unpaved roads on that stage I'm now disappointed with it

 

[Simurgh]

I like the first week (Quimper and Mur de B) and the fact, that the cobble-stage isn't placed in the first week of racing. I thought that my glasses were dirty and that the Bagneres du Luchon stage was 165 km and NOT 65 km...that's a joke! Voted 7 in the end

 

[Red Rick]

One thing I'm wondering right now is how many riders will actually want to take a look at dem cobbles in April?

 

[Nirvana]

The first week is very good but the mountains stages are meh, and the TT a joke also this year.
Anyway it's hard to give a vote with no complete profiles.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

The first week is very good but the mountains stages are meh, and the TT a joke also this year.
Anyway it's hard to give a vote with no complete profiles.

Funny, I dont really think the first week is good, a couple of hilly days, a team time trial and and cobbled stage. Thats still 5/9 sprinter stages. Lets hope one or two of those will have echelons..

On the contrary, I think the mountain stages of the Alps are some of the best designed mountain stages I have seen from ASO. In isolation. The Pyrenees are very much meh.

 

[Netserk]

Cobbles are great, especially the amount of them. Only downside is the stage length, but I still think it will cause a real selection. The other 8 stages before the first restday can be tossed (more or less). The hilly stage is less hilly than the Longwy stage of this year, I think. MdB*2 is fine, but that's that.

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

I am still awaiting Libertine's assessment.

Not even LS can write a novel in an hour.