Tour 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[just some guy]

the 18 % wall sound like good viewing at the finish. then a ITT a couple of days later

Andy will be crying

 

[Lupetto]

They are taking abou a TT "royal" at Besancon. Whatever that means.

It means hilly and technical.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

wrong thread

 

[roundabout]

On one hand I am happy that Grand Colombier and Biche (it seems) will be finally used. On the other hand it's like a stage to Pau/Lourdes transplanted to the different part of France.

The way things seem to be right now Pyrenees will have to be pretty special because it's looking like a pretty **** course from the semi-confirmed bits.

 

[barmaher]

I am beginning to lose track. PSM is off the agenda; will the replacement stage be a mountain top finish?

It looks like just three MTF in the Alpes / Pyrennees, with one in the Vosges.

Made for an Evans repeat.

 

[jens_attacks]

I am beginning to lose track. PSM is off the agenda; will the replacement stage be a mountain top finish?

It looks like just three MTF in the Alpes / Pyrennees, with one in the Vosges.

Made for an Evans repeat.

it looks like chrono guys will have their chance in this tour.
menchov is ready for a good fight

 

[Mellow Velo]

3MTFs + 2ITTs = TURD TOUR.

 

[barmaher]

To be honest, if there are three or four good classics type stages (I believe the finish into Annonay may be hard, and the Ponterruy race apparently will be up and down all day), I will not mind too much.

It might even mean that the mountain races without a mountain top finish are contested like the way they should be. Two CLM's can make the climbers have to attack like demons.

 

[auscyclefan94]

http://www.lepays.fr/actualite/2011...-reve-en-franche-comte-et-dans-le-jura-suisse

Apparently there's hope for 2TTs.
They are taking abou a TT "royal" at Besancon. Whatever that means.

We said that earlier. Arc-et Senans to Besnacon. I actually made a possible route for the ITT. It is about 30km and rather hilly. Seems to be the most logical route. I may post it later.

I am beginning to lose track. PSM is off the agenda; will the replacement stage be a mountain top finish?

It looks like just three MTF in the Alpes / Pyrennees, with one in the Vosges.

Made for an Evans repeat.

Ooooooh! Imagine how intolerable I will become if he wins two!!!!!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Only 3 MTF's isn't necessarily so bad in the main mountains.

Take the 2006 route, which on the surface appeared to be easy as far as climbing went, with just the 5 high mountain stages, only one of which finished on a genuine difficult climb. But the best stage in the Pyrenees and Queen stage in the Alps (Le Toussiere) were very hard because of the multiple climbs that proceeded the relatively easy finishing one. Then there was the descent finish after the Ju'Plaix, which meant that we ended up with 4 fascinating mountain stages (it could be argued that this year we only had 2, even though there were 4 MTF's).

And 2 lengthy ITT's please

 

[auscyclefan94]

Arc-et-Senans > Besancon

http://www.bikemap.net/route/1275777/customize_widget

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

3MTFs + 2ITTs = TURD TOUR.

QFT.

blah

 

[42x16ss]

3MTFs + 2ITTs = TURD TOUR.

Agreed

Two good length ITT's (35-45 km) and 4-5 MTF's would be great.

I'd also like the Col de Iseran to make a comeback. Would make a nasty MTF!

 

[airstream]

Were any MTF's confirmed? It looks like typical TdF route with 3 uphill finishes. As far as I undertand, 4-5 MTFs were only in 2002 and this year. At least that's not 2x50km

 

[McLovin]

Were any MTF's confirmed? It looks like typical TdF route with 3 uphill finishes. As far as I undertand, 4-5 MTFs were only in 2002 and this year. At least that's not 2x50km

in 2001 there were 5 consecutive mtf. But the rest of Tour was just for zabel & co.

 

[bicing]

3MTFs + 2ITTs = TURD TOUR.

Normally I would agree, but we're talking about the TdF.........

There only ever ends up being 1 or 2 MTFs that make any differences to the GC order. My memory of past TdFs is shaky, but definitely 2011 was like that, with PdB neutralised and L-A and Ad'H not as decisive as they could and should be. I'm pretty sure 2010 was the same, 3 MTFs with only Tourmalet as epic. In 2009 we had Verbier and LGB but Andorra and Ventoux (!!!!!!!!) were not raced on.

Whether the riders are given two opportunities or eight, they will only race on a couple of climbs. If the ITT increases, it creates gaps and forces the climbers to use their MTFs in a more intense way. I haven't read the thread deeply but I did read one poster say there'd be many hilly stages. If that were the case it would be super, as there would be many 2-10 second time gap opportunities, like there was in the first week of this yera's tour. This was quite interesting/exciting if it werent for the crashes.

 

[Bavarianrider]

We said that earlier. Arc-et Senans to Besnacon. I actually made a possible route for the ITT. It is about 30km and rather hilly. Seems to be the most logical route. I may post it later.


Ooooooh! Imagine how intolerable I will become if he wins two!!!!!

A 30km TT would be apathetic joke

 

[Bavarianrider]

Arc-et-Senans > Besancon

http://www.bikemap.net/route/1275777/customize_widget

Way tooo short

 

[Richeypen]

When is the official route announced?

 

[auscyclefan94]

A 30km TT would be apathetic joke

They have had them in the past. It is a hilly tt so I guess that makes up for the short distance.

When is the official route announced?

18th of October.

 

[roundabout]

Only 3 MTF's isn't necessarily so bad in the main mountains.

Take the 2006 route, which on the surface appeared to be easy as far as climbing went, with just the 5 high mountain stages, only one of which finished on a genuine difficult climb. But the best stage in the Pyrenees and Queen stage in the Alps (Le Toussiere) were very hard because of the multiple climbs that proceeded the relatively easy finishing one. Then there was the descent finish after the Ju'Plaix, which meant that we ended up with 4 fascinating mountain stages (it could be argued that this year we only had 2, even though there were 4 MTF's).

And 2 lengthy ITT's please

No. 2006 was bad. Smaller than expected gaps in the first TT made the route seem better than it was. Landis was 2 minutes ahead of the rest with 2 mountain stages and a long TT to come. Sastre who was the best climber across all mountain stages gained about 2.30 on Klöden on the climbs but there was no way that he could have gained the remaining 1.40 on those stages.

 

[just some guy]

A 30km TT would be apathetic joke

Way tooo short

Km got nothing to do with it. Time of sustained effort is much more important.

50 - 55 min in a GT and let the course dictate the length. Ie hillier shorter.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Thomas Vergouwen (velowire.com) has said he will be able to publish the final version of the 2012 Tour de France early this coming week. For those of you who don't know, Thomas has been correct about the route the past two years so is a reliable source.

 

[McLovin]

this is another difference, my friend, between tour and other gt's. while there are a dozen of sites and forums where everybody tries to speculate the route of TDF based on press rumours, hotel bookings, declarations of Mayors etc, the Giro organizers publish profiles on twitter weeks before official presentation and vuelta presentation takes place in a perfectly anonymous. I think it's ok that Giro is more interactive, but loses charm and emotions regarding the route.

 

[airstream]

I think it's ok that Giro is more interactive, but loses charm and emotions regarding the route.

Definetely! I remember the Plateau de Beille was rumoured since the speculations had started, but the presence of the Luz-Ardiden became a great surprise in 2010. Hopefully, ASO will astonish us this time as well.