Tour 2012: Route Rumours / Our wishes

[The Hitch]

So that's Madeleine, Croix-de-Fer and Toussuire on stage 11

Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde on stage 16

Portillon, Mente, Ares(?), Bales, Peyresourde/Peyragudes on stage 17

The **** part is that 2 of them are U23 length

What, they go over the Tourmalet AGAIN!!!!

And the Aubisque

 

[Descender]

So, the mountain stages will probably look like this:

7. Tomblaine - La Planche des Belles Filles 199 kms

10. Macon - Bellegarde sur Valserine 194 kms, with Grand Colombier-Biche-Richemont.

11. Albertville - La Toussoire 140 kms, with Madeleine-Croix de Fer-Mollard-La Toussoire

14. Limoux - Foix 192 kms, with Pailheres-Port-Peguere.

 

[Descender]

16. Pau - Luchon 197 kms, with Aubisque-Tourmalet-Ancizan-Azet-Peyresourde.

17. Luchon - Peyragudes 144 kms, with Portillon-Mente-Ares-Balès-Peyragudes.

 

[LugHugger]

Well, I'm liking the possibility that the traditional climber-contenders are actually going to have to race rather than mark if they want to make up time on the rouleurs. I don't want to see this every year, but a parcours like this might make the race incredibly tense. Especially if stages 2 and 3 throw in some cobbles

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Christ, what a dreadful route. Hopefully this is a hoax.

 

[The Hitch]

To be honest apart from Contador, Evans and Wiggins/Froome the rest might well not bother

Umm Menchov??????

Also since there is a descent finish and he might be able to hang with the climbers on all the mountains.

And hes no shabby tter.

There is hope for Sammu yet

 

[roundabout]

So, the mountain stages will probably look like this:

I see 13 HC, 1 and 2 climbs in the Pyrenees when there should be 11. Even if Ares is ignored it's still 12.

 

[patrick767]

Yawwwwwwwwwwn... I hope this leaked route is a mistake. The Giro is looking better and better.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I'm glad people keep saying that hate it and are looking forward to the Giro.

Would hate that rare perspective to be missed.

 

[El Pistolero]

Giro route leaked is in the Giro thread as well by the way.

 

[The Hitch]

Bell Filles actually has an average of 8.7% and is 5.6km. That's not an easy finish at all.

If Contador rides, and gets his top form, I think he will win it here.

Verbier like attack on this will be enough, and only Menchov might beat him in the tt.

 

[jens_attacks]

Poor John Gadret.

he's a giro freak

again i'm totally for the 100 km of itt,it's a beautiful thing.respect for that.but....

...how the hell on earth will the climbers take those 6-7 minutes on froome?where?this tour lacks another 2 big mountainous stages that's all.unfortunately "all" means a lot here.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

If Contador rides, and gets his top form, I think he will win it here.

Verbier like attack on this will be enough, and only Menchov might beat him in the tt.

Only Menchov? You seem to be living 3 years ago, when Denis still performed, and we hadn't see Bertie fail in a long TT.

If Alberto has a 2010 style day on the TT bike, and Cadel or Brad has a real flyer, I could believe him losing a minute on the 52km TT.

He should just be thankful that 38km isn't a TTT. Although will Saxobank be allowed to ride if they can't field a full 9 man team?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I'm glad people keep saying that hate it and are looking forward to the Giro.

Would hate that rare perspective to be missed.

Would you prefer a thread dominated by a few fools saying that they actually approve of this kind of tedium?

Brits or Australians might like it for purely nationalistic reasons, but no rational cycling fan could like it for entertainment reasons.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The good thing is, when this turkey fails to fly,
it'll be a long while before the ASO come out with anything this crap, again.
You would have thought they would have learned from their Paris-Nice borefest,
this March, but then again, the TDF route was probably already being set into stone.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Would you prefer a thread dominated by a few fools saying that they actually approve of this kind of tedium?

I just don't understand people who agree with a concensus and think anyone needs to hear them restate exactly the same thing everyone else has already said.

People like that prolong meeting unnecessarily, so I tend to think of them as tools.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

The good thing is, when this turkey fails to fly,
it'll be a long while before the ASO come out with anything this crap, again.
You would have thought they would have learned from their Paris-Nice borefest,
this March, but then again, the TDF route was probably already being set into stone.

Nah.

This route will help keep the GC undecided until the final TT, and there are enough mountain stages to give us as many mountain stages that were actually raced as this year, with an added TT incentive to make sure they are raced.

If the 2 MTFs are raced hard (and they have to be for weaker TTers) and the race is decided in a 52km TT, the ASO will be perfectly happy, and there'll be as much action as there was this year, when lots of weirdos claimed it was amazingly exciting by recent standards.

 

[hrotha]

Would you prefer a thread dominated by a few fools saying that they actually approve of this kind of tedium?

Brits or Australians might like it for purely nationalistic reasons, but no rational cycling fan could like it for entertainment reasons.

I think they might be trying to force the climbers to move for once.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I just don't understand people who agree with a concensus and think anyone needs to hear them restate exactly the same thing everyone else has already said

It's actually reasonably important that there be a constant and loud chorus of fan disapproval if you want it to sink in over at ASO head office that nobody wants this kind of dullness.

Not because anyone with decision making power is likely to be reading any given internet discussion but because unremitting hostility on blogs and message boards will be reflected in the cycling media. The story becomes not "ASO unveil new route" but instead "ASO unveil new route to fan anger".

If that irritates or bores you, fair enough, but I'd prepare to be bored and/or irritated all the way from now until the 2013 course is announced if I were you.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I think they might be trying to force the climbers to move for once.

The top few places will be filled by a host of grimly dull time triallists, with the exception of Contador. The climbing stages simply aren't hard enough for a climbing specialist to make up time on any time triallist who can climb better than Tony Martin, no matter how much they "move".

 

[The Hitch]

Poor John Gadret.

lol i was thinking the same.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

one good thing about this route is how f'n in your face this is to andy schleck. any reaction from him yet? and that pig bruyneel?

 

[hrotha]

The top few places will be filled by a host of grimly dull time triallists, with the exception of Contador. The climbing stages simply aren't hard enough for a climbing specialist to make up time on any time triallist who can climb better than Tony Martin, no matter how much they "move".

That's a bold prediction. I'm going to give this route the benefit of the doubt because I realize something has to be done about 95% of mountain stages becoming a 5-km showdown.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Anyone familiar with the area of stage 3 and 4. Is there a chance for some significant cobles?

 

[El Pistolero]

Anyone familiar with the area of stage 3 and 4. Is there a chance for some significant cobles?

No cobbles in Tournai I'm afraid

There's some hills around there, but I doubt they'll use them.