Tour de France Rate the 2022 Tour de France route

[houtdffan]

It think if they get in Tourmalet before a Portet finish it would probably be harder.

Pau to the Portet

Soulour, Tourmalet, Aspin, Val Louron-Azet, finish at Portet

 

[ice&fire]

No real Pyrenees stages and a couple of descent finishes in Massif Central and Vosges. Then I acutally prefer next year's route.

But there is a golden middle way. You could easliy do one or two more flat stages next year, at least one less MTF and still have a far better route overall if they did some other adjustments.

That weird no real Pyrenees is what we can expect on a route with a Grand Depart in the Basque Country. Get ready for 2023.

 

[VO2 Max]

After the Sestrieres stage in 1992, the tour then did Montgenevre, Galiber, Croix de Fer, and then Alpe D'Huez the very next day.

Not sure we'll ever see two queen stages back to back again in our life times. Of course, those were the only 2 high mountain stages of the entire tour that year

1992 is an outlier because of the 'Europeanisation' they were trying that time, and with a start in San Sebastian it would have been a very non-TdF formula to have had big Pyrenean stages right from the start. But there's a lot to be said for stripping back the mountain stages to a handful of proper epics - going into the Sestriere stage Chiappucci was already way back with nothing to lose and with no road distance to waste, so he attacked almost from the start and gave us one of the greatest stages of all time. Better that than day after day of waiting for the last few km of the last climb so as not to risk losing any time.

 

[OlavEH]

That weird no real Pyrenees is what we can expect on a route with a Grand Depart in the Basque Country. Get ready for 2023.

Could actually be really good if properly designed. Something like this:

• First stages in Basque country. One of these should be a medium mountain stage with some of these short and steep Basque climbs
• Continue into France and up the Atlantic coast. Do a ITT somewhere around stage 5-6.
• End the first week by going inland and doing a couple of Massic Central stages.
• Then go south, do for instance Mont Ventoux in the start of the second week.
• Have at least three tough Alps stages of which one should be a long MTF and one is a multi-mountain stage with a descent finish (or gentle climb after brutal penultimate climb)
• Start the last week with the second ITT.
• Last Thursday and Friday could be medium mountain stages in the Vosges.

 

[VO2 Max]

Could actually be really good if properly designed. Something like this:

• First stages in Basque country. One of these should be a medium mountain stage with some of these short and steep Basque climbs
• Continue into France and up the Atlantic coast. Do a ITT somewhere around stage 5-6.
• End the first week by going inland and doing a couple of Massic Central stages.
• Then go south, do for instance Mont Ventoux in the start of the second week.
• Have at least three tough Alps stages of which one should be a long MTF and one is a multi-mountain stage with a descent finish (or gentle climb after brutal penultimate climb)
• Start the last week with the second ITT.
• Last Thursday and Friday could be medium mountain stages in the Vosges.

Yes, remember in 1992 they were doing a big thing of trying to cover most of the countries in western Europe - they could have turned back south after the TTT and had some stages in the central Pyrenees but they transferred north instead to go through Benelux.

 

[houtdffan]

Could actually be really good if properly designed. Something like this:

• First stages in Basque country. One of these should be a medium mountain stage with some of these short and steep Basque climbs
• Continue into France and up the Atlantic coast. Do a ITT somewhere around stage 5-6.
• End the first week by going inland and doing a couple of Massic Central stages.
• Then go south, do for instance Mont Ventoux in the start of the second week.
• Have at least three tough Alps stages of which one should be a long MTF and one is a multi-mountain stage with a descent finish (or gentle climb after brutal penultimate climb)
• Start the last week with the second ITT.
• Last Thursday and Friday could be medium mountain stages in the Vosges.

Could even go back to the Pyrenees in week 3 for the big Pyrenean stages. 2020 set the precedent for multiple visits to the same mountain range, with 2 visits to the Alps and Massif Central

 

[Froome]

You want stages of 250 km with +60000 m climbing, but at the same time you want clean cycling. It doesn't make sense.

 

[OlavEH]

Could even go back to the Pyrenees in week 3 for the big Pyrenean stages. 2020 set the precedent for multiple visits to the same mountain range, with 2 visits to the Alps and Massif Central

I think it could be really good without using the high Pyrenees. Using the route I described above, you could do something like this:

• 3 MTFs. Mont Ventoux, one long and tough MTF in the Alps and one easier.
• Downhill finish in the Alps.
• Medium mountain stage in Basque country.
• Medium mountain stage in Massif Central/Vosges with uphill finish.
• Medium mountain stage in Massic Central/Vosges with downhill or easy uphill finish.

 

[houtdffan]

I think it could be really good without using the high Pyrenees. Using the route I described above, you could do something like this:

• 3 MTFs. Mont Ventoux, one long and tough MTF in the Alps and one easier.
• Downhill finish in the Alps.
• Medium mountain stage in Basque country.
• Medium mountain stage in Massif Central/Vosges with uphill finish.
• Medium mountain stage in Massic Central/Vosges with downhill or easy uphill finish.

could even add in a high mountain stage in the Jura

Cannot rule out an early high mountain stage though, given that 2020 had high mountain stages in the Alpes on stages 2 and 4. Could do a medium mountain stage on stage 2 and then a big Pyrenean stage on stage 3 and that be all for that range

 

[Red Rick]

I so forgot we had supposedly big mountain stage on stage 2 in 2020

 

[houtdffan]

I so forgot we had supposedly big mountain stage on stage 2 in 2020

The peloton rode piano that day, unfortunately, until the final 2 smaller climbs

 

[Red Rick]

The peloton rode piano that day, unfortunately, until the final 2 smaller climbs

It was stage 2. That was ALWAYS gonna happen, which is why the hype for that stage was just dumb.

 

[fbjim]

Those were always going to be scenic climbs, placed like 75k or something from the finish. It was a nice route for what it was.

 

[fbjim]

also honestly i think something like Morzine 1983 would tick people off if used now. Two HC climbs over 100km from the finish, with a large amount of valley in between? the Aravias/Colombiere/Joux-Plane combo again? Oh a finish in Morzine after Joux-Plane, how unpredictable!

 

[gregrowlerson]

It was stage 2. That was ALWAYS gonna happen, which is why the hype for that stage was just dumb.

Just do PDBF as stage 1 or 2. Seriously, that would work.

 

[OlavEH]

Just do PDBF as stage 1 or 2. Seriously, that would work.

Actually agree on this. If they are to have a early mountain stage, it would probably be better with a MTF or a medium MTF like Belles Filles than a stage with a descent finish, and where a long range attack is required for some action. The riders are more likely to attack on this kind of stage in the last part of a GT than in the early part. The Foix stage next year could have been an excellent final mountain stage if the stage (and total route) was properly designed.

 

[Red Rick]

Just do PDBF as stage 1 or 2. Seriously, that would work.

It was fine for a punchy stage. But it was sold as this high mountain stage with huge potential which was just dumb. ZOMG TURINI ON STAGE 2. It might have been interesting if they'd not done Col d'Eze twice and instead just finished 40km after the top of the climb. It still would stop solo attacks from happening but it would've made the actual climb a lot more aggressive potentially

 

[glassmoon]

A 10 too. WTF is happening????

Trolling level: Professional Road Racing Forum Thread

 

[glassmoon]

I'm suprised there are people actually rating this utterly mediocre route as high as 8. That's just weird!

expectations and bar were significantly lowered throughout the years...

 

[will-10]

You want stages of 250 km with +60000 m climbing, but at the same time you want clean cycling. It doesn't make sense.

How many km/metres climbing are we allowed for clean cycling?

 

[Red Rick]

How many km/metres climbing are we allowed for clean cycling?

What?

 

[gregrowlerson]

How many km/metres climbing are we allowed for clean cycling?

All I know is that clean cycling would remove the dirt ramp from PDBF; unfortunately it's protected by the powers that be.

 

[Netserk]

How many km/metres climbing are we allowed for clean cycling?

No climbing at all, 100 m distance. Doesn't get cleaner.

 

[glassmoon]

No climbing at all, 100 m distance. Doesn't get cleaner.

nah... even a marginal advantage is an advantage still

 

[Escarabajo]

You want stages of 250 km with +60000 m climbing, but at the same time you want clean cycling. It doesn't make sense.

How many times are they climbing mount Everest?