the tour - making of

[McLovin]

I red in a magazine an interview with Jean Louis Pages, the man who actually draw the route of le Tour. He said that 2012 Tour is allready finished, and that his Bberry has folders for 2016 inclusive, and some ideas for 2018.
I had no idea that they are makin the route so early. Also, I tought Proudhome is the one in charge.

 

[roundabout]

http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/COURSE/us/comment_seconstruit_letour.html

It says here as well that the route is known about a year in advance.

 

[Pilgaard]

Besides the official announcement of Liege as the starting point next year, are there any rumors circling around regarding the route ?
I presume it's going to be the Alps first, and then the Pyrenees, but I'm wondering which mountains or interesting stages are going to be used.

Interesting to see where the focus is this year, now that the Pyrenees was central for 2010 and the Alps this year (though the Pyrenees are more or less as hard as the Alps).

 

[Jamsque]

There are patterns that are usually followed. The race tends to go clockwise one year (Alps then Pyrenees) and anti-clockwise the next. The Grand Depart tends to alternate between a French city and somewhere outside of France. Legendary mountains are seldom used two years in a row, so 2012's route will probably not feature the Galibier and certainly won't feature Alp d'Huez, but might include the Ventoux.

This year there is no prologue and a TTT, so next year there will probably be a prologue and no TTT. I'd guess that because of the lack of time trial kilometres this year we'll see more next year, perhaps a prologue, a mountain TT (haven't had one of those in a while) in the second week and then the traditional long flat-ish TT the day before Paris.

 

[greenedge]

A mountain TT would be great maybe up Ventoux???

 

[screaming fist]

Rumors usually pop up when hotel room are being booked. I'm not very sure on this but I think those rumors popped up during or shortly after the Tour the last years.

 

[Finn84]

I would really love to see mountain TT next year. There were some rumours about Grenoble-Chamrousse TT for this year (and would have been another long TT somewhere else) but instead there's just TT which starts and ends in Grenoble.

 

[craig1985]

We haven't had a MTT at the Tour since 2004, I think next year would be great to include one, whereas the Giro should give this a rest for a year or two.

 

[Pilgaard]

Just wondering whether there has been some rumors about the 2012 TdF-route here in the last part of the current Tour - I have only read some English-language sites, which doesn't really have anything particular about the route so far.
Perhaps some have read rumors from other language sites ?

 

[Anonymous]

so next year there will probably be a prologue

there is a prologue., 6.1km

 

[The Hitch]

there is a prologue., 6.1km

Its the same one as 2004 i think, in that major cycling city that is Liege.

 

[laziali]

21 flat stages. Letting Cav take the Cannibal's record in one hit

 

[Magnus]

There are patterns that are usually followed. The race tends to go clockwise one year (Alps then Pyrenees) and anti-clockwise the next. The Grand Depart tends to alternate between a French city and somewhere outside of France. Legendary mountains are seldom used two years in a row, so 2012's route will probably not feature the Galibier and certainly won't feature Alp d'Huez, but might include the Ventoux.

This year there is no prologue and a TTT, so next year there will probably be a prologue and no TTT. I'd guess that because of the lack of time trial kilometres this year we'll see more next year, perhaps a prologue, a mountain TT (haven't had one of those in a while) in the second week and then the traditional long flat-ish TT the day before Paris.

Both Galibier and Alpe d'Huez has featured two years in a row (actually Alpe d'Huez was in the tour every year from 86-92).

Considering it's 50 years since Alpe d'Huez had its debut in the tour I would be surprised if it isn't in the route next year.