Suggestions and Ideas for the Tour de France

[red_flanders]

Oh, I would also add:

6. Time bonuses for not only mountain-top finishes, but KOM.

 

[Eric8-A]

Regarding the TTT's, I think the clock should stop once every rider crosses the line, not the fifth. For the team classification, the times of all the riders should be used, not the top 3 or 4. They have team in the names for a reason. I don't know, it's something I have always thought about.

Someone mentioned that a GT should be an endurance test and I totally agree. Bring back the 300+K stages that were around when the Tour first started. How about a stage where you go from one end of France to the other? More TT kilometers. But have two different type of TT to really sort out the true contenders. One time trial that's flat, the other, make it a mountainous TT. Both occurring in the same day.

 

[The Hitch]

Yeah its one thing for riders to get leadouts or for their teammates to pull on the front, give them bottles, bring them back etc.

Its another for Vino to lose 20 seconds on his actual time, because Stajngeli wasnt strong enough.

 

[gregrowlerson]

1. Bring back time bonuses!!! Up to 30 seconds for the winner and maybe down to 5th place finisher.
2. Variety in stage distances sounds good. A couple 250+ and a couple 130-, like the Alp stage this year.
3. More ITT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In almost every TDF there should be at least 2 of these, and one should usually be a MTT, or at least be hilly. I think that there could be up to 5 TT's, but this wouldn't be as good for the television audience I guess.
4. 3 days each in the Pyrenees and Alps as the standard, but sometimes one may only have 2 or one may have 4 (in an extra special edition!).
5. I do not see a need for more high mountain stages (or MTF's). But there could be more than just the one or two medium mountain stages that they tend to have.
6. Include Mende every 2-3 years.
7. Include cobbles every 2-3 years, but don't make it as selective as 2010, so less than 7 sections of cobbles on the stage.
8. Have a TTT in week one of most years, but usually have it as less than 30 kms. It should never be more than half the amount of the ITT kms (as it most definitely was in '09).
9. Include the Venteoux about every 3 years, but have it towards the end of week 1, not at the end of TDF like in '09.
10. Bring back the Glandon (only used once, but a beast at 11.5 kms, 9.2%), Ju-Plaix and Romme.
11. Don't back end the TDF so much.
12. The TDF is not the Giro - and doesn't have to try to be. Mix up the MTF's and other significant climbs. For example, 3 of the classic finishing climbs are the Alp du'ez, Pladadet, Platteu De Beille - most editions should have 1 of these climbs. There should be one big climb followed by a descent to the finish - so Ju'plaix, Madelleine (epic in 2010), Romme-Columbierre. At least one MTF can be a long climb that is not as steep, such as Courchavel or Latessoire (the Landis crack). Another can be a shorter climb such as Ax-Domaines, Verbier, Arcallis, etc.

 

[Granville57]

Once every ten years: National Teams!

That should give everyone enough time in between to sort out and prepare for all the issues involving sponsors and overall finances.

Hey, at least is would be easier to identify team kits than what we have now.

 

[phanatic]

Have the ToC in July.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Have the ToC in July.

Destroy the ToC

 

[jens_attacks]

the lack of time bonuses is the stupidest thing ever.it's just disrespectfull."oh just leave the breakaway win this awesome mountain stage.there aren't time bonuses it's all good..."

make it way harder.there shouldn't be an edition without at least 80-100 km ITT.do something and get rid of those ridiculous flat stages,give us some bumps.

 

[Benotti69]

6. Have a different jersey for the rider who has spent the most time in breakwaways or alone out front but has not been successful This guy's a loser, but it would probably be a blast to recognize him... It's probably difficult to keep records of this, but?...


8. Have a special jersey for the 'Lantern rouge' This guy's also loser, but how loveable is he?...

you have warped sense of people. anyone good enough to ride the TdF is definitely not a loser. Please post your palmeres so we can judge you too are not, in your opinion, a loser

 

[RedheadDane]

Regarding the TTT's, I think the clock should stop once every rider crosses the line, not the fifth. For the team classification, the times of all the riders should be used, not the top 3 or 4. They have team in the names for a reason. I don't know, it's something I have always thought about.

Now that is a really awesome idea!

As for the TTT stuff, I'd say every team should have a clock each, just in case a team got split up so much some of the riders came in after riders from other teams. Could you imagine a clock on which you could enter how many times it should take, then when all the times were taken they'd be added up?

Actually... I still haven't quite figured out how the calculate the team classification...

 

[Bavarianrider]

More time trial kilometers! Every Tour de France needs 2 TT of 55km+. The Tour de France is about finding the best allrounder not just the best light weight climbers. Furthermore time trials spice up the race as they force climbers to attack.
Paves just be included regularly too. But not just a few km but 25-35 km in the final of a stage.
Mountain TT shpuld be included on a regular basis too.
"Natural rodes" like in the Giro strade Bianche or Colle delle Finestre should be included too.
More uphill sprint finishes like we see them a lot in the first week of the Giro.
If there are TTT then they have to be of a decent lenght (50km+) A 22 TTT is a pathetic joke. The argument that those riders with a strong team benifit too much is a joke. In the mountains those GC riders with strong teammates beefit a lott too, so it would only be fair to have a TTT
Get rid if TT bikes. They are so expensive. I think it's unreasonable to spend so much money on them.

 

[McLovin]

10. Bring back the Glandon (only used once, but a beast at 11.5 kms, 9.2%)

I think you're thinkin' at Granon, near Serre Chevalier.

 

[McLovin]

the lack of time bonuses is the stupidest thing ever.it's just disrespectfull

I think it's more fun without time bonuses. Maybe since Contador won one beacuse of them.

 

[Eric8-A]

I don't like time bonuses.

 

[Mambo95]

I don't like time bonuses.

Me neither

 

[Boeing]

everyone gets the same dope and dosage

 

[Boeing]

I don't like time bonuses.

ideologically no. sure it is pure and all about the fastest rider etc. but the 19 day group tempo rides and 3 days of climbing is what you get instead

 

[Ferminal]

Time bonuses mean working harder to catch the break on the MTFs. If you feel you're the strongest climber that day you want to be able to try and secure the extra 20s. Also if Contador is riding to a summit finish with Valverde, he's more likely to attack, further out from the line to prevent the seconds going to Valverde.

So, in my entirely subjective view, I prefer them as they seem to add something to mountain days.

Also you get crazy things happening like Evans marking Vino on a slightly uphill sprint finish.

 

[Martin318is]

Time bonuses mean working harder to catch the break on the MTFs. If you feel you're the strongest climber that day you want to be able to try and secure the extra 20s. Also if Contador is riding to a summit finish with Valverde, he's more likely to attack, further out from the line to prevent the seconds going to Valverde.

So, in my entirely subjective view, I prefer them as they seem to add something to mountain days.

Less likely to get Contador and Schleck 'Best Friends Forever' finishes on the big climbs with a decent time bonus. Would Contador be so happy to finish side by side if one of them was going to get a 30second advantage over the other one?

 

[gregrowlerson]

I think you're thinkin' at Granon, near Serre Chevalier.

You are right. I read from someone else (may have been Luckyboy) about it, and that they have only raced it once - in '86 from memory. It's statistics show that it's nearly as tough as the toughest climbs in the Giro. I think that to bring this back would be great for the TDF.

 

[ultimobici]

Time bonuses mean working harder to catch the break on the MTFs. If you feel you're the strongest climber that day you want to be able to try and secure the extra 20s. Also if Contador is riding to a summit finish with Valverde, he's more likely to attack, further out from the line to prevent the seconds going to Valverde.

So, in my entirely subjective view, I prefer them as they seem to add something to mountain days.

Also you get crazy things happening like Evans marking Vino on a slightly uphill sprint finish.

Time bonuses should see GC contenders having to stay alert all race long, whether the terrain is flat, undulating or mountainous. When was the last time we saw GC riders up at the sharp end of the race in the final kms? Pre-1990's IIRC with Hinault, Fignon & Lemond etc. Once they dispensed with the bonuses the main contenders only had real time to play with. It didn't matter if you finished 2 places ahead of the jersey, as long as you were in the same group you got the same time.

Now that we don't have the crushing TT performances of Indurain, 30 second bonus awards might be make all the the difference and animate the GC guys throughout the race.

Remove the race radios at the same time and revert to conventional communication and there would have to be a shake up of tactics & strategy.

 

[luckyboy]

The Mont du Chat near Chambery is an underused hard climb in France - doesn't go under 10% for the last 7km.

Was in the 1974 TDF, Merckx won the stage.

They should go into Switzerland and do the Rionda near Morzine.

 

[hrotha]

Maybe they should get rid of the whole flat week + mountains + hilly/flat transition + mountains formula.

 

[Ferminal]

The Mont du Chat near Chambery is an underused hard climb in France - doesn't go under 10% for the last 7km.
.

Nice one.

Both sides are tough

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Le-Mont-du-Chat&MountainID=6926

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Le-Mont-du-Chat&MountainID=6925

 

[personal]

Smaller teams and more of them.