Tour 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[thehog]

It was the 2004 Tour Méditerranéen, up the Mont Faron.

Thanks.....

 

[Gubby Allen]

A mountain or high cat climb at stage 3 or 4 and a mountain ITT.

General question - but will the final Sat-Sun format of ITT & laps of the C.E still be the final two stages in say 10 years time, or would that ever be tinkered with?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The final Sat was the Mont Ventoux climb 2 years ago.

That could be tinkered with.

I doubt the C-E sprint will change more than extremely rarely.

 

[jobiwan]

A mountain or high cat climb at stage 3 or 4 and a mountain ITT.

General question - but will the final Sat-Sun format of ITT & laps of the C.E still be the final two stages in say 10 years time, or would that ever be tinkered with?

Well in 2009, the ITT was on Thursday in Stage 18, but that was to set up for the Mont Ventoux "showdown". That obviously worked out well.

Unless Prudhomme goes awesome for 2013's big celebration and does the Versailles ITT a la '89, the final weekend format will probably stay the same.

 

[The Hitch]

Just read the Roubaix Velodrome ITT. Awesome idea. It'd be a good homage to the past with the velodrome finale and would be feasible if it's a TT. TTT would be even better

You do realise that a ttt over cobbles defeats the whole point of cobbles in the first place.

1) to make flat stages interesting by providing places where riders can attack.
2) to reward strongest riders.

A ttt does neither. You dont get the attacking because its the ttt, and strengh will count for little or nothing. In a normal ttt they can help the 5th rider on the team a lot more. Here if the 5th rider is hopeless. Cancellara, Hushovd, Boonen might as well be riding up the Muur du Hoy.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yeah, a cobbled TTT is plain stupid. A time trial however would be very interesting....

 

[Ferminal]

Pau finish = esijhiarfashiafrshfiashfdijasifasjidsajda

 

[jobiwan]

Pau finish = esijhiarfashiafrshfiashfdijasifasjidsajda

It's not really the finish in Pau; it's the finish in Pau for a "mountain" stage that's the problem!

If 2012 disappoints, then 2013 should be great. The same site that I linked says that after the stages on Corsica, the race will head straight into the Pyrenees!!!

But still, Prudhomme, 2012 better be good.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Andyand Fränk may not be happy with stage 3 TTT with Cobbles if Jobiwan link is correct, Samu either or Tommy V if fact most GC guys except Wiggins and Evans maybe.

if fact the only team that would be really Happy would be BMC and Sky if Wiggins rides be a great Stage if its 50-60 km as well.

the schlecks would probably do well on such a course. andy was one of the big winners last year, with spartacus on the team they should be fine.

Anyway regarding that sit I can't see Alpe D'Heuz happening again.

 

[jobiwan]

the schlecks would probably do well on such a course. andy was one of the big winners last year, with spartacus on the team they should be fine.

Anyway regarding that sit I can't see Alpe D'Heuz happening again.

I think that site probably got Alpe d'Huez from CN. Link
Article also says Tourmalet climbed, again. Don't know for sure.

October 18th is the big day. I'm hoping for a Mountain Time Trial.

 

[gregrowlerson]

No bonus seconds - it is the race about best time overall and not about seconds which were not earned.
No uphill ITT - usually there are less mountain stages because of that. It is more fun to watch 5 hour stage.
30km TTT + 50km ITT or 25km ITT + 45km ITT
Something like Mur de Bretagne in first week.
MTF in Vosges (preferably Champ de Feu - 11km and 7% )
La Toussuire in Alpes should be ok. Maybe downhill finish after Mont Revard the day before.
No Alpe d'Huez in 2012.
Transitional stage in Massif Central.
Pla d'Adet and La Pierre Saint Martin in Pyrenees should be ok. Stage with downhill could also be in Pyrenees.

Some decent ideas, but I'd like time bonuses as well as at least 100kms of ITT.

Thumbs up to La Toussuire and Pla d'Adet (something like '05 epic stage). Also time to bring back the Ju 'plaix and possibly the Romme-Columbier combo. Another MTF (Hautacam maybe) should just about do it.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

You do realise that a ttt over cobbles defeats the whole point of cobbles in the first place.

1) to make flat stages interesting by providing places where riders can attack.
2) to reward strongest riders.

A ttt does neither. You dont get the attacking because its the ttt, and strengh will count for little or nothing. In a normal ttt they can help the 5th rider on the team a lot more. Here if the 5th rider is hopeless. Cancellara, Hushovd, Boonen might as well be riding up the Muur du Hoy.

Also a flat in a TTT has bigger consequences than a flat in a ITT...

 

[simoni]

I think we can expect the northern alps to feature next year - surely we're due a finish in Morzine for example - they usually pop up every couple of years and we had Avoriaz last year. The Joux-Plane always goes down well with me.

Apart from that I'd like to see...a shortish hilly time-trial early on (imagine a TT finishing on top of the Mur de Huy for example?), another couple of curve balls in the first week in terms of short, sharp, uphill finishes and no more than 60-70km of TT overall (although, in terms of the overall its less of an issue than it was - the days of the simultaneous climber/TT specialist seem to be over (temporarily?))

Hopefully we'll see a bit of variation in the route - e.g. is was good having a couple of sprinter stages between the massif centrale and pyrenees this year - thankfully we seem to have moved away from the formulaic first week flat, mountains, transitional stages, mountains, final TT of Leblanc's later years.

And they still haven't sorted the KOM out. OK, Sanchez was a worthy winner but, at no point, did he focus on it. I wonder if that competition needs to be replaced with something else - if its not fought for then it doesn't matter if the winner is "worthy" or not. A jersey for combativity instead?

 

[jobiwan]

And they still haven't sorted the KOM out. OK, Sanchez was a worthy winner but, at no point, did he focus on it. I wonder if that competition needs to be replaced with something else - if its not fought for then it doesn't matter if the winner is "worthy" or not. A jersey for combativity instead?

It sure sounds like he was...

Still, Sánchez is pleased with the team's Tour so far, with a stage win to his name at Luz-Ardiden and the ever-present sight of the Basque team's orange kit in most of the breakaways.

"I think we should be very satisfied with the race we are completing, this remains a formidable Tour for us and that cannot be understated. We won a stage and we still have objectives in this Tour, like trying to win another stage or fighting for the King of the Mountains jersey," he explained. Sánchez is two points behind Omega Pharma-Lotto's Jelle Vanendert in the fight for the polka dot jersey and the pair are set for a showdown en route to Alpe-d'Huez.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sanchez-falls-away-from-possible-podium-spot-on-galibier

I'd say that the KOM changes worked very well. No need to replace one of the better competitions.

 

[jobiwan]

Spanish newspaper “Navarre Diary” is reporting that the Tour will have a stage from Saint Lary to the mountain top finish at Pierre Saint Martin. This would be a mega stage over Col d’Aspin, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Soulor, Col d’Aubisque, Col du Marie Blanque and the finishing climb to Pierre Saint Martin. The climb to Pierre Saint Martin is 20km at 6%.

Link

Same 2012 link with some new changes

 

[Nielsa]

And they still haven't sorted the KOM out. OK, Sanchez was a worthy winner but, at no point, did he focus on it. I wonder if that competition needs to be replaced with something else - if its not fought for then it doesn't matter if the winner is "worthy" or not. A jersey for combativity instead?

Adding to what jobiwan said; with the way points are awarded now, if you focus on winning mountain stages, then you'll have a good shot at the jersey. It has become a jersey for consistent mountain efforts until the finish line, I think that's a good thing.

 

[The Hitch]

Link

Same 2012 link with some new changes

Looks like the Tour organisers were watching Giro stage 15.

This would be absolutely epic. Hell if they put this stage in, i dont even mind if they make the other 19, bunch sprints.

The only problem is these Tour climbs are 20km while the Giro ones were shorter but steeper. The thing is, its a lot easier to attack on a 12k at 7%, ride 10k of descent and hit another sharp hill, then it would be to attack on a 16km at 5% then have to go it alone on a long long descent, and on the easy gradients that usually open up these Pyraneen mountains.

Either way i dont even see the Gruppeto trying on this. They would just accept they will be out of the time limit. Get together, and only the heads of state would make it in. Simply waking up on the wrong side of the bed on the day of this stage will translate into miniutes lost.

 

[Ferminal]

Link

Same 2012 link with some new changes

Sounds like what the 2010 stage from Bagneres de Luchon should have been last year.

The longest flat section would be from Marie Blanque to St. Martin.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Yeah, a cobbled TTT is plain stupid. A time trial however would be very interesting....

they included cobbles in 2004 TTT, it was an absolute farce.

 

[jsem94]

I'd rather see a cobbled ITT. A couple of minutes victory by Spartacus, but seeing how the GC guys go at it would be interesting.

And that mega stage 19 to Pierre st Martin makes me way too excited..

 

[richtea]

Didn't one race have an ITT on a course with a flat section and finished on a long climb - with innovation coming from the riders setting off in teams (like a TTT) and drafting permitted, making teams adopt a much more strategic approach than in your standard TTT? Any chance of seeing something like this again?

 

[Bavarianrider]

Those velopeleton routes have always been totally wrong the last years.

 

[jobiwan]

Tour to have a finish in Porrentruy, Switzerland (Translated to English)
Original Article

So we're at least going to get one stage in the Jura, and if the focus really is on medium mountains in 2012, this could be an interesting couple days.

 

[jens_attacks]

focus on the medium mountains,what a complete fail.
can't even comment on a such thing.

 

[jobiwan]

focus on the medium mountains,what a complete fail.
can't even comment on a such thing.

They're still gonna have the 6 days in the Alps and Pyrenees it looks like, but they replace a couple of the sprints for some days in the Jura, maybe.