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Tour 2014 Route Rumours

Sep 29, 2012
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VELOWIRE.COM ARTICLE ABOUT THE RUMOURS

I'm talking about Stage 4 and onwards, from July 8 to July 25. Because we already know the first three stages.

Basically, it seems that the shape of the route will be close to the 2012 one.

Fourth stage may start from Le Touquet, and might be a time trial. It's also pretty sure a stage will feature some cobbled sections à la Paris-Roubaix. Lille should also get a stage start.
The next stages should go east to commemorate the first World War, having started 100 years ago. Rumours talk about finishes and starts in Belgium (Ypres), in the plain of Bouvines, and also Verdun.

The end of the first week should take place in the Vosgian mountains with another MTF at La Planche des Belles Filles. There will be probably only one stage in the Vosges, and it could go through the Ballon d'Alsace before the stage finish at La Planche. The city of Arbois, expressed his interest for a stage start.

Also, it's pretty sure that the rest days will be on tuesdays, as July 14 is a monday and there wasn't a rest day on July 14 during many years. The race could go towards Saint-Étienne, as another Time Trial could take place.

Then there would come the Alps stages, and three MTFs are rumored (but I think only two will make it): Plateau des Glières, Chamrousse, and Risoul. Risoul is nearly 100% sure and it will be probably a stage starting from Grenoble. Another MTF rumored was La Rosière but it's highly unlikely considering its position. Then a transition stage between Tallard and Nîmes was also talked about. The route should go towards the area of Toulouse before the first stage in the Pyrénées.

The Pyrénées have four things that are nearly confirmed:
- Stage finish at Saint-Lary-Soulan or Pla d'Adet
- Comeback of Pau
- Tourmalet on the route
- No stage finish in Ariège (so no Ax-3-Domaines or Plateau de Beille)

Then a stage going to Bordeaux is rumored, the usual TT 24 hours before the finish in Paris. However, some people are believing there could be an ITT in Paris on the very last day, as it would mark the 25 years of the 1989 ITT that permitted LeMond to win the Tour for 8 seconds over Fignon.

So here's what we can have. There's not so much information on the route right now and we'll get more in the following weeks until the reveal on October 23rd. Some stages are purely guesses and are based on hotel bookings and candidate cities.

Saturday, July 5 - Stage 1: Leeds - Harrogate (flat stage)
Sunday, July 6 - Stage 2: York - Sheffield (very hilly stage)
Monday, July 7 - Stage 3: Cambridge - London (flat stage)
Tuesday, July 8 - Stage 4: Le Touquet - Lille (flat stage)
Wednesday, July 9 - Stage 5: Ypres - Wallers Arenberg Porte du Hainaut (cobbled stage)
Thursday, July 10 - Stage 6: Arras - Reims (flat stage)
Friday, July 11 - Stage 7: Epernay - Nancy (flat stage + hill at 5 km from finish)
Saturday, July 12 - Stage 8: Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine (medium mountain stage + MTF)
Sunday, July 13 - Stage 9: Gérardmer - Mulhouse (hilly/medium mountain stage)
Monday, July 14 - Stage 10: Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles (mountain stage + MTF)
Tuesday, July 15 - Rest day
Wednesday, July 16 - Stage 11: Besançon - Oyonnax (medium mountain stage)
Thursday, July 17 - Stage 12: Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne (flat/hilly stage?)
Friday, July 18 - Stage 13: Saint-Étienne - Chamrousse (mountain stage + MTF)
Saturday, July 19 - Stage 14: Grenoble - Risoul (mountain stage + MTF)
Sunday, July 20 - Stage 15: Tallard - Nîmes (flat stage)
Monday, July 21 - Rest day
Tuesday, July 22 - Stage 16: Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon (mountain stage)
Wednesday, July 23 - Stage 17: Saint-Gaudens - Pla d'Adet (mountain stage + MTF)
Thursday, July 24 - Stage 18: Pau - Hautacam (mountain stage + MTF)
Friday, July 25 - Stage 19: Maubourguet - Bergerac (flat stage)
Saturday, July 26 - Stage 20: Bergerac - Périgueux (ITT)
Sunday, July 27 - Stage 21: Evry - Paris Champs-Élysées (flat stage)
 
This looks too good to be true. Lots of MTF. Cobbles. And a great hilly stage in England. Furthermore, it's likely the Bastille Day stage will be hilly, given where they are.

Knowing ASO, they will screw it up, but it looks promising.
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Flat stage on the penultimate weekend again, this needs to stop.

That is not ideal.

Assuming this is close, however, there wouldn't be too many sprinting stages. It looks to me like we would get 7 mountain stages (including PDBF), two hilly stages (three if you count stage 1, which we should), one cobbled, three time trials.

So only 7 potential sprints. And surely they will put some difficulty into these days.

It has been said before, but I will say it again. Stage 2 is a thing of beauty. Ripe for carnage.

So I am optimistic about the Tour.
 
Linkinito said:
Then there would come the Alps stages, and three MTFs are rumored (but I think only two will make it): Plateau des Glières, Chamrousse, and Risoul. Risoul is nearly 100% sure and it will be probably a stage starting from Grenoble. Another MTF rumored was La Rosière but it's highly unlikely considering its position. Then a transition stage between Tallard and Nîmes was also talked about. The route should go towards the area of Toulouse before the first stage in the Pyrénées.

The Pyrénées have four things that are nearly confirmed:
- Stage finish at Saint-Lary-Soulan or Pla d'Adet
- Comeback of Pau
- Tourmalet on the route (probably Hautacam)
- No stage finish in Ariège (so no Ax-3-Domaines or Plateau de Beille)

Stages to Chamrousse and Risoul could be interesting, but depend very much on which climb they use earlier on the stage.

A stage finish at Pla d'Adet sounds very good. Something i've been hoping for for the last couple of years. Hopefully they will do a stage similar to the one in 2005 where they climbed Mente, Portillon, Peyresourde and Azet before finishing at Pla d'Adet.
 

airstream

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Pla-d'Adet and Hautacam? Everyone should prepare to suck in 1' 30'' relatively Froome on both MTF's. :( It would relate to any route, though.
 
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OlavEH said:
Stages to Chamrousse and Risoul could be interesting, but depend very much on which climb they use earlier on the stage.
From Chamorusse maybe a downhill to Grenoble. Stage to Risoul (starting from Greboble) 99% with Lautaret and Izoard. Adding Croix de Fer and Galibier would make it to long.
 

airstream

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18-Valve. (pithy) said:
On this year's last two MTFs he lost time to and was visibly weaker than Quintana and Purito, but next year it will be the reverse apparently(?)

i rather joked basically but its perspectives are quite real with ventoux motoattacks,no?
 
18-Valve. (pithy) said:
On this year's last two MTFs he lost time to and was visibly weaker than Quintana and Purito, but next year it will be the reverse apparently(?)

Purito didn't launch any major attacks in Pyrenees though as he was unwell and Quintana was working for Valverde there too. Froome got his time in the bag early on and rode reasonably defensively after Ventoux. The others got more aggressive as the race went on.
 

airstream

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18-Valve. (pithy) said:
Not to me. Quintana was at least as strong on Ventoux.

Post factum. In reality if a rider attacks from 12 km to go, he does it because he thinks he has a bigger chance to succeed than fighting against Froome mano-to-mano. So it was Quintana's decision and mistake.

i don't see what Quintana can offer Froome in the mountains. Froome is significantly stronger.
 
argyllflyer said:
Purito didn't launch any major attacks in Pyrenees though as he was unwell and Quintana was working for Valverde there too. Froome got his time in the bag early on and rode reasonably defensively after Ventoux. The others got more aggressive as the race went on.

Yup, attacking pretty much at the foot of Alpe d'Huez when you're in the yellow jersey with a 4 minute+ lead is riding defensively alright. Or maybe not.
 
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OlavEH said:
Stages to Chamrousse and Risoul could be interesting, but depend very much on which climb they use earlier on the stage.

A stage finish at Pla d'Adet sounds very good. Something i've been hoping for for the last couple of years. Hopefully they will do a stage similar to the one in 2005 where they climbed Mente, Portillon, Peyresourde and Azet before finishing at Pla d'Adet.

Hmm. I am not a big fan of having lots of MTFs, sure they are spectacular, to some extent, but they tend to suffocate the rest of the rate which becomes limited to ITTs and MTFs, which to me are almost ITTs as well, ie Wattage does the talking, the tactics involved are very limited.

This year my favorite stage was the Bagnères one, and my biggest regret is that the Grand Bornand stage, stuck between Alpe d'Huez and Semnoz was, which makes sense, completely skipped by the top riders.

I would rather have high and medium mountain stages that can bring chaos and disorder, rather than 4 or 5 MTFs...
 

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JRanton said:
The craziest thing was to launch an attack that far out on Alpe d'Huez when there wasn't a team car behind him for the previous 30km and he hadn't eaten enough.

Apparently he was very bored.
 
airstream said:
Post factum. In reality if a rider attacks from 12 km to go, he does it because he thinks he has a bigger chance to succeed than fighting against Froome mano-to-mano. So it was Quintana's decision and mistake.

i don't see what Quintana can offer Froome in the mountains. Froome is significantly stronger.

Of course it was a mistake, one he won't make again.

But as far as time trialing goes, yes. That's why Froome will likely be the overwhelming favorite again, not because of his alleged superiority in the mountains.
 

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