Tour 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[Lupetto]

Time for an equal Thread to this.

As usual, Prudhomme didn’t reveal any secrets about the route of the 2012 Tour de France, which is due to start from Liège in Belgium, although he did note that “it will be an edition of surprises.” The launch is scheduled for October 18 in Paris. After two editions celebrating the centenary of the race’s entry into the high mountains (2010 in the Pyrenees and 2011 in the Alps), and with the one hundredth edition of the Grande Boucle to follow in 2013, the 2012 Tour is rumoured to be built around climbs of medium difficulty.

Jean-François Pecheux confirmed today that there will be a mountain time trial. It looks like there will be visits to Switzerland and Spain, maybe Italy as well.

What route do you wish for 2012? Any rumours you want to share or come true?

Grand Départ

Early leak of route

 

[Richeypen]

Cobbles, Multiple long TTs and some early mountains. Plus a blanket ban of Liggett and Sherwin

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Mont du Chat or Errozate, or both. Maybe Grand Colombier too.

A proper French Basque climbing stage.

No Tourmalet.

A mountain stage or an ITT of reasonable length before stage 12.

Some GC relevant stages in the first two weeks - I quite like the idea of the Grand Tours being 3 week races, rather than single week events.

A good climbing stage and a long ITT in Alpes-Maritimes and the Provence area - many great climbs around there never used because it's too difficult in March with Paris-Nice, but they are busy using overused climbs elsewhere in July.

A transition stage to Lyon with a finish at the Basilique on the Colline de Fourvières. just over a kilometre at about 10%.

An early Ardennes stage that doesn't get neutralised.

If we're going to wait an age for the first Alpine or Pyrenean stages like this year, a really good, challenging stage in the Vosges mountains to break things up.

 

[jens_attacks]

two itts,one of 40 km.the other one of 55 km flat
harder route,mountains to come a lot earlier than stage 13.at least 7 hard mountains stages,this year were just 4.

it will be a joke if le tour will be decided on climbs of medium difficulty,i've heard that too.it seems pla d'adet will be on the queen stage damn this will be another failure route by aso.they never learn.thanks god for il giro

 

[jobiwan]

More Alpe D'Huez please!! Maybe THAT'S the Mountain TT!

And a prologue, some cobblestones, a tough first week stage in the Jura or the Vosges, and one stage like the Agnel-Izoard-Galibier stage this year!

 

[Swede1]

Is there a possibility for a Tour of Flanders-like stage?
I think there will be 2 time trials. Probably one hilly/mountain one, and one flat one. Not going to be so many brutal mountain stages, and probably a lot of medium mountain/hilly stages that are relevant to the GC.

 

[Zoncolan]

Prologue
1 lumpy ITT ~35 km
1 flat ITT ~ 50 km
6 sprinter's stages
4 MTF, one should be a massive stage, with 3 + huge cols (5,000 m of climbing)
1 big mountain stage with a technical downhill
5 intermediate stages (good chances for escapes), 2 of which ending with a short steep climb
1 flat stage with cobbles (Arenberg)

That would be a well balanced course IMHO.
It's always the riders who make the race though. If they were to race next year like they did in the last week here...

 

[Franklin]

More Alpe D'Huez please!!

More loonies? Only if they put gendarmes every ten yards.... Alpe D'Huez is overrated and riders can't even attack because of the throngs.

No thanks.

 

[AtletiSK]

I´d love to see mountain TT introduced again and some steeper hills on the route than usual

 

[Cobblestones]

More Alpe D'Huez please!! Maybe THAT'S the Mountain TT!

And a prologue, some cobblestones, a tough first week stage in the Jura or the Vosges, and one stage like the Agnel-Izoard-Galibier stage this year!

They did the Alpe d'Huez ITT once and decided never again.

Otherwise, cobbles, Ardennes, a windy stage at the coast, two ITTs, stages with small climbs in the end (+descents).

 

[Pilgaard]

First regarding the rumors. I have read about a MTF on Pierre Saint-Martin, which I find very interesting, if only because it is new to the race, instead of the usual suspects. Pla d'Adet could be excellent as well, as it links up well with the other Pyrenean mountains. There have been some huge mountain stages in the past, finishing on Pla d'Adet (see 2001 and 2005). It really gives the opportunity to attack before the last climb.
Cyclingnews posted an item about La Toussuire as well, which could be excellent as it implies either Galibier (not likely after it being used twice this year), Croix de Fer (the most likely) or perhaps Madeleine beforehand. Especially the Croix de Fer->Touissuire is interesting because there is no flat between the two mountains.
I would rather not see the Alpe d'Huez, since it has a tendency to "overshadow" the other mountains in the Alps. I think that the TdF-organisers won't insert it in 2012, but will use it to celebrate the 100th edition in 2013.
I really can't figure out whether the TdF management will scale back the mountains this year, because they want to return to the more normal recipe, or this years excellent race will ensure that they continue to make a quite mountainous Tour.

Then regarding the wishes for the Tour. I think that the stages this year with a descent before the finish has proved useful. The Tour could to that once more this year, with some medium stages in the Vosges or the Massif Central. Overall, I think the Tour has gone in the right direction the past few years, but I would like two short ITT (both 20-25 km), with one being the traditional the day before Paris, and the other at the end of the first week, before the Alps.
I think 4 MTF is quite apropriate, through this year has been quite unusual because all the mountains has been HC, where it's usually divided between HCs and cat 1s.
Lastly, the single best thing about the TdF 2011, which I hope will be continued in 2012 is the "uneven" flat stages in the beginning of the Tour, like the Mont des Alouettes and Mur de Bretagee. It creates some excitement in the first week, so we dont have to see HTC and Cavendish win 80 % of the flat stages. I really hope they'll continue down this path next year.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

A very very hard ardennes stage in the beginning, followed by a long ITT.
Some more uphill finishes on 'flat' stages
I always like the Mont Ventoux.
I don't think it's possible anymore, but i'd love to discover a new big climb!

 

[jsem94]

Puy de Dome

 

[kuoirad]

Puy de Dome

Wasn't that the one that P&P talked about when the race went past it as not being used anymore for conservation concerns?

 

[Magnus]

Possible merge with this?
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=14350

 

[Magnus]

Wasn't that the one that P&P talked about when the race went past it as not being used anymore for conservation concerns?

There's a bit of info here:
http://www.planetepuydedome.com/discover-the-puy-de-dome/puy-de-dome-volcano-117-2.html

 

[mastersracer]

bring back one of the most epic stages ever: the 1987 ITT up Ventoux...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

A very very hard ardennes stage in the beginning, followed by a long ITT.
Some more uphill finishes on 'flat' stages
I always like the Mont Ventoux.
I don't think it's possible anymore, but i'd love to discover a new big climb!

Don't think the Tour's ever been up Errozate (10,1km @ 9,6%), and seldom uses Grand Colombier (18,3km @ 6,9%) or Mont du Chat (14,3km @ 8,9% from Bourguet-sur-Lac and 17km @ 7,4% from Yenne).

For easier climbs, when was the last time we saw Cirque de Troumouse or Cam Basque? Mont Agel climbing from Nice or Monaco perhaps?

 

[ElChingon]

Wish: Hope they will just keep the race in France for a change, I hate these wild opening stages in now Quatar! Why! Its le Tour de France, so keep it in France. Quatar wants to get a good race on they need to build up to their own proper Tour not latch on at some other race's name. (Yes I know about the Tour of Quatar, the sprinters tour) Then, there was the New York attempt, I hope they don't do it. Hope the French nationalism forces them to keep it in France.

 

[ElChingon]

Then another wish (which was blocked by the mods in another thread)

A downhill TT

 

[The Hitch]

Most important thing. COBBLES!!!!!


They start in Liege so presumably they come into France from there meaning they go near the Arenberg region. Hell they could go North into Flanders and hit some famous little cobbled climbs there. Would be epic.

Also i would like to see the following mountains, avoided.

Tourmalet. Aubisque, Solour. Luz Ardiden. Galibier. Iozard.


I hope the "mountain tt" is like the Nevgal tt, with flats, and not ruining a hc climb for a tt where we cant see attacks.

Unless its Alpe d huez cos then it brings out the fans.

I want to see as many mountain stages as this year. We had 4 hc mtfs of which 3 had a hc right before it. Same number

But I want to see one of those stages have a descent finish rather than a mt one. Hopefully not too much flat between that and the finish, because if Samu rides it hell end up getting screwed in nomans land again.

And if they go into Italy, I want to see an MTF finish on one of those super Giro climb. And im not talking about Terminillo or Grappa or even Marmolada. I mean one of those climbs where 12% reffers to the average not the maximum.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Alpe d'Huez fans can rest easy - it's in the Giro next year so you won't have to go a year without the only climb Phil Liggett has ever heard of.

First regarding the rumors. I have read about a MTF on Pierre Saint-Martin, which I find very interesting, if only because it is new to the race, instead of the usual suspects.

Pierre Saint-Martin isn't new per se, but it is perhaps new as an MTF.

 

[jobiwan]

Jean-François Pecheux confirmed today that there will be a mountain time trial. It looks like there will be visits to Switzerland and Spain, maybe Italy as well.

The last time the Tour went to Spain, Switzerland, and Italy in the same Tour, it was 2009, and we all know how that turned out!

I don't know what they'd do it Switzerland, maybe a finish in Geneva??

The way the Tour is going through France, maybe the Annecy TT in the early 2nd week??

If it's going to Spain, I hope the Barcelona 2009 finish comes back, just with better weather.

Hopefully Andorra Arcalis doesn't follow it though!!

 

[Magnus]

It would be nice if they used some of the steep ascents in the Vosges. Like Grand Ballon from Bitschwiller.

Edit:
Also since it will be the 50'th anniversary of Alpe d'Huez in the tour wil they make celebrations like Tourmalet, Galibier?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

If they're finishing in Pierre St. Martin there could be some useful climbs in the Navarra-Aragón area being appended to it.

For Switzerland, maybe they'll have a finish in Crans Montana or something silly like that. I'd love a repeat of the Vallorbe finish from the 2009 Tour de Suisse though, or the Lausanne ITT that Romandie sadly has abandoned.

Hitch - for less overused climbs and Samu specialities, would a stage from Embrun looping down to La Thuile, then going over the Col d'Allos (17,5km @ 6,3%), Col des Champs (12,0km @ 7,1%) and then the Col de la Cayolle (20,5km @ 6,3%) before descending to a finish in Barcelonnette suffice? It uses an area of the Alps not as overused, moves southward to suggest a following stage in my beloved Alpes Maritimes, and features a 30km downhill finish...