Tour 2014 Route Rumours

[penzos]

That's true.

I don't understand why some people think sprinters are not worthy of wearing the leader's jersey. They have as much right as the others. To them, it's most of the times a one in a lifetime oportunity.

The best of the best in any aspect of the sport deserve to get the opportunity to wear the Yellow jersey.
Cavendish is, also, third by stage victories on the TDF's all time list, so - definitely deserves the decoration.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

1 - poor, characterless opening
2 - more than makes up for it, by far the best opening weekend stage in years
3 - the absolute drizzling s***
4 - very dull
5 - should hopefully be good fun
6 - again, lame
7 - nice run in, tough enough to get some attacks while not so tough it totally eliminates sprinters as not many climbs beforehand. Should be good.
8 - really nice run-in
9 - a real shame they couldn't finish in Cernay. One for the break
10 - probably the best mountain stage of the race and two stages in the Vosges?! Wow.
11 - definitely a potentially very interesting stage
12 - probably not
13 - ok stage, nothing special
14 - hopefully tempts some interesting racing from far out with a rest day to follow but Izoard's probably just too far out
15 - a flat stage on a weekend, when there's nothing but mountain stages surrounding. This is the third or fourth year in a row they do this. Poor pacing.
16-18 - f*** the Pyrenées in this race. The Luchon stage isn't so bad but they did this very recently, the other two stages can go die in a fire.
19 - worthless flat stage
20 - really tough TT, thank goodness they remembered the damn ITT exists finally
21 - Paris parade, no comment necessary.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That's true.

I don't understand why some people think sprinters are not worthy of wearing the leader's jersey. They have as much right as the others. To them, it's most of the times a one in a lifetime oportunity.

sprinters are subhumans, and it is bottom-feeding to pander to them.

 

[Jspear]

sprinters are subhumans, and it is bottom-feeding to pander to them.

I don't think I've ever met someone who dislikes sprinters to that degree. Care to enlighten me as to why you think they are subhuman?

 

[BigMac]

But, but... Cav is godlike.

 

[fauniera]

The first week is great, the second and third week are a disaster. Alps and Pyrenees are totally wasted. The Bergerac-Perigeux time trial will wake me up again.

 

[Broth3r]

That's true.

I don't understand why some people think sprinters are not worthy of wearing the leader's jersey. They have as much right as the others. To them, it's most of the times a one in a lifetime oportunity.

The honor in donning the yellow is in defending it until you drop dead. Sprinters can do this too, of course. Matthews in this giro, Hushovd in the '11 Tour. Valiant rides.

"Pure" (read: those who should stay in the track, THERE they're spectacular) sprinters, however, are simply not prone to this. See: Kittel last year. I really don't want a repeat of that.

 

[HSNHSN]

The first week is great, the second and third week are a disaster. Alps and Pyrenees are totally wasted. The Bergerac-Perigeux time trial will wake me up again.

Interesting. I'd just thought that except stage 2 the first week didn't look that interesting. The peloton will probably break on the cobbles and some will lose time. After that it really seems to get interesting with quite a lot of non-HC climbs in total. The concept of the race seems really nice. It's just extremely lacking in TT kilometres.

I also like how all the english hills/mountains become 'Côte de ...' I mean, how can one not like a name like 'Côte de Blubberhouses'?

 

[el_angliru]

I love the route. It seems like every stage has big potential. Could be a great 1st week!

The first week is great, the second and third week are a disaster. Alps and Pyrenees are totally wasted. The Bergerac-Perigeux time trial will wake me up again.

I'm quite satisfied with the Alps and (especially) the Pyrenees. Stage 16 is very long and ending with a descent. Nothing wrong with that (although it doesn't have the potential of last year's stage 9 which was very exciting at the beginning and turned into a brutal stage for the domestiques. But it was still some kind of borefest among the GC riders). This year's stage 17 & 18 looks fine to me:

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Stage 16 has the problem that with two consecutive MTFs after it, it is likely to be raced more conservatively. Then you have two stages going through the exact same area, with absolutely zero creativity shown. The Pau-Hautacam stage makes me want to kill babies. Never anything new or interesting in the Pyrenées, huh? Yea, I know there are loads of interesting and seldom-used or unused climbs, but we can't go without using the same freaking climbs every year, now, can we?

The Tourmalet would be a great climb if it weren't used at least once every single year. Instead, I now want to see them tear the mountain down and donate it to the Japanese to build a city at sea on. The continuity on stage 17 is fine, but the stage is stupidly short. Again, like the Alpe d'Huez stage in 2011, that could work... if it were the last stage of the three. Instead, nobody's going to go from afar, because there's the godawful stage 18 to come. I'd honestly rather a Unipublic special to Hautacam.

 

[Netserk]

Are you saying you would prefer an Aubisque-Hautacam combo? They could make that a <100km stage

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Are you saying you would prefer an Aubisque-Hautacam combo?

Genuinely? Yes.

I'm not saying I wouldn't find that to be similarly dull and safe, but at least it wouldn't be Tourmalet. Also, run stages 16-18 in reverse order, and they become far better. The toughest mountaintop is on the first stage, so even if riders race conservatively there will be some gaps; you then have a short stage but with a lot of continuity of mountains in the second half, and then you have a descent finish, but off arguably the toughest climb of the lot, as the last chance, which would mean attacking would need to take place further out, with a day of rest on the bike (featureless flat stage 19) before the ITT.

You could argue that geographic concerns make them do it the way they are doing it, but realistically all these stages are in the same département in exactly the same area, and they all more or less brush up against each other, so there's no reason they couldn't shuffle the order around a bit.

God I wish that there were some more parts of the Pyrenées willing to pay for the Tour.

 

[Netserk]

How would you use Tourmalet? (If you had to and it hadn't been used the two previous Tours)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

How would you use Tourmalet? (If you had to and it hadn't been used the two previous Tours)

As the foundations for another Japanese offshore city.

Edit: if I really have to use it in a stage, then Tourmalet-Hourquette d'Ancizan-Azet-Peyragudes-Balestas-Superbagnères.

 

[SafeBet]

The Pau-Hautacam stage makes me want to kill babies.

I'd never want to grow a family close to where you live.
Every time a route comes out an infanticide is in the cards

 

[Netserk]

You could actually make a nice stage from Pau to Bagnères-de-Bigorre via (Marie-Blanque)-Aubisque-(Spandelles)-Tourmalet. I wouldn't mind such a stage, especially if it's not followed by a big MTF or ITT.

 

[rghysens]

You could actually make a nice stage from Pau to Bagnères-de-Bigorre via (Marie-Blanque)-Aubisque-(Spandelles)-Tourmalet. I wouldn't mind such a stage, especially if it's not followed by a big MTF or ITT.

There would still be 30km descent after the Tourmalet. You could add a bit variation by including the Col de la Courade and the Col du Couret, then there's only 8km or so descent after the last climb.

 

[roundabout]

1 - poor, characterless opening

It's a pretty interesting road between Threshfield and Aysgarth.

Barely 2 cars wide in places with stone walls on both sides. Some of the roads through villages would also be pretty hairy for a 200 rider field.

 

[Netserk]

There would still be 30km descent after the Tourmalet. You could add a bit variation by including the Col de la Courade and the Col du Couret, then there's only 8km or so descent after the last climb.

Same distance as from the top of Hourquette d'Ancizan, but with more of it on real descent. Madeleine was (3-4km) further from the finish:

Compare with the suggested stage:

 

[el_angliru]

I'm trying to see the positives. The Tourmalet-Hautacam combo gave us a great stage in 2008: Big tactical battle, wild chasing in the valley and much bigger time gaps than we usually see this early in the tour (it was stage 10).

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd never want to grow a family close to where you live.
Every time a route comes out an infanticide is in the cards

Grow a family?

"On this field we have the babies, crop should be pretty good this year."

 

[Von Mises]

Yes good route. The stage to Risoul is the most promising in terms of GC. It will be Galibier 2011 Déjà vu except it will not be Andy Schleck attacking.

Risoul is itself relatively easy climb, steady, wide rodes, often quite windy, not very suitable for long attacks. An Izoard is also very far out (and not too tough).

 

[BigMac]

Risoul is itself relatively easy climb, steady, wide rodes, often quite windy, not very suitable for long attacks. An Izoard is also very far out (and not too tough).

Tour de France 2011 stage 18, the day of Andy Schleck's epic attack...

...on the Izoard.

 

[Netserk]

Tour de France 2011 stage 18, the day of Andy Schleck's epic attack...

...on the Izoard.

The other (harder) side...

 

[BigMac]

The other (harder) side...

Doesn't really mather. There will be attacks there.