Tour 2014 Route Rumours

[Eshnar]

Imo the Vuelta has shown that shorter mountain stages are often much better than the long ones, which often get dead-locked with a break.

What do you mean?

 

[fauniera]

Imo the Vuelta has shown that shorter mountain stages are often much better than the long ones, which often get dead-locked with a break.

I strongly disagree. These short mountain stages are a joke. Again there is not a single good mountain stage in the entire Tour.

Good bye Pescheux and thanks for nothing.

 

[Ferminal]

What do you mean?

Maybe Stage 9 this year, it was probably 50km too long.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Good cycling is also a thing of the past sadly.
For the record, 2014 will be the first year the Giro doesn't have one of those. So they aren't heading in that direction for a while...

Not exactly true. This year's Tre Cime stage (as designed) had a loooong flat run-in. The key 2012 stages werent super hard AND long either. No monster stages there, either.

Last super hard Giro stage was Gardeccia in 2011.

 

[Eshnar]

Not exactly true. This year's Tre Cime stage (as designed) had a loooong flat run-in. The key 2012 stages werent super hard AND long either. No monster stages there, either.

Last super hard Giro stage was Gardeccia in 2011.

the Tre Cime stage as designed was still 4000+m of altitude gain and >200 kms, which is what I mean with "hard and long". The super hard stages like Gardeccia were never meant to be each year.

 

[barmaher]

I think having one short punchy stage is a good idea. But having a 125km and then 145km stage at the climax of the greatest event in cycling is too much, in my opinion.

I like the idea of a flat day before the ITT.

I wonder what the medium mountain stages will look like. But overall I am a bit disappointed. Alps were always going to be a bit weak, but they really should have gone to town on one epic Pyrenneen stage of 230km with lots of climbs and a HC finish.

 

[Ferminal]

Not exactly true. This year's Tre Cime stage (as designed) had a loooong flat run-in. The key 2012 stages werent super hard AND long either. No monster stages there, either.

Last super hard Giro stage was Gardeccia in 2011.

I still consider Gavia+Stelvio+Val Martello a pretty brutal stage. If you are going to make a short stage then that is what it should look like (either that or just an easy run into an MTF).

 

[Bexon30]

Thanks for the ITT length. 50+ km is long enough at that point of the race for HUGE time gaps. Would've liked a MTT up a steep climb earlier on. Oh well when are the profiles released?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I still consider Gavia+Stelvio+Val Martello a pretty brutal stage. If you are going to make a short stage then that is what it should look like (either that or just an easy run into an MTF).

Yes, the brutal stages are just shorter nowadays, or have a flat run-in. Agnello - Izoard - Galibier also comes to mind (even though they should have went with Granon as the MTF)

 

[McLovin]

Yes, the brutal stages are just shorter nowadays, or have a flat run-in. Agnello - Izoard - Galibier also comes to mind (even though they should have went with Granon as the MTF)

Granon it's a great climb but how to celebrate the centenary of Galibier on Granon (a climb used only once)? It's like singing Happy Birthday to the people next door.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Looks like we are in for a long day....

But the '13 recap was very nice.

 

[fraserhughes]

Looks like we are in for a long day....

Guess that explains the early start!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Guess that explains the early start!

Gotta say from the pictures, next years start could be even better than the Corsica one..

 

[fraserhughes]

Gotta say from the pictures, next years start could be even better than the Corsica one..

I think it should be ... could only have been better if they'd come to Edinburgh

 

[Ferminal]

What is the line for how many profiles we get? +/- 8.5? 6 mountain stages, 1-2 hilly and maybe the cobbled.

 

[Ferminal]

Carrefour de L'Arbre!?!?

Edit: Just Gruson I think...?

 

[Eshnar]

9 sectors confirmed.

 

[fraserhughes]

Carrefour de L'Abre!?!?

... ...

 

[Eshnar]

Gerardmer stage looks good.

 

[Ferminal]

Gerardmer stage looks good.

Yeh I like that, missed the names of the climbs though.

 

[Eshnar]

LPDBF stage very, very good.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stage 10 looks very, very good.

Rolland FTW.

 

[McLovin]

Nice stages even before Alps.

 

[rghysens]

Yeh I like that, missed the names of the climbs though.

Croix des Moinats, Grosse Pierre, hilltop finish La Mauselaine.
Really good stage, indeed.

 

[Ferminal]

"Painful Finale" looks like the same one Viviani took the cake on...