Tour de France 2013

[Magnus]

Annecy would pay for it (i.e. "Annecy-Semnoz").

Annecy seems guaranteed to have a stage in 2013 or the year after.

Could be another ITT though.

Makes sense I guess. Maybe they have some money to spare after missing out on the 2018 winter olympics.

Would be cool with an Annecy TT. Maybe they could use Col de la Forclaz this time around. Could make for a cool tt with 30 km flat and 20 km up/down.

 

[Ferminal]

Thomas @ Velowire has posted his draft:

http://www.velowire.com/article/657...-rumeurs-sur-le-parcours-et-les-etapes--.html

With only 4 mountain stages (8, 16, 18, 19; Pyrenees, Ventoux, 2x Alpe, ???).

....................

 

[airstream]

ok route. in my view, to expect a mountain extravaganza was a bit presumptious. Something like in 2003 is a ceiling.

 

[McLovin]

I saw myself that prediciton of Thomas a few days ago. In the last two years (since I follow him) he had decent 'results'. This first version, though, I don't think it's very accurate. He let out a lot of strong rumors like Milau, Bonascre, Albi and a stage finishing in Luz/Argeles Gazost/Lourdes/Hautacam.
Plus he has no stage in Haute Savoie, which it was kept for this Tour ( no stage since 3 years). ASO has a routine lately to make a stage in Dauhine and then use it a year later in Tour. Like with Touissuire. So logic, we will have Morzine with Joux Plane next year.
Plus he predicts 3 (T)TT and only 4 mountain stages, while Preudhomme said this is going to be a Tour for climbers.

 

[roundabout]

I am having the exact same bad feeling as in 2008.

Nantes to Ventoux part of the race would be one long snooze fest.

 

[ILovecycling]

I saw myself that prediciton of Thomas a few days ago. In the last two years (since I follow him) he had decent 'results'. This first version, though, I don't think it's very accurate. He let out a lot of strong rumors like Milau, Bonascre, Albi and a stage finishing in Luz/Argeles Gazost/Lourdes/Hautacam.
Plus he has no stage in Haute Savoie, which it was kept for this Tour ( no stage since 3 years). ASO has a routine lately to make a stage in Dauhine and then use it a year later in Tour. Like with Touissuire. So logic, we will have Morzine with Joux Plane next year.
Plus he predicts 3 (T)TT and only 4 mountain stages, while Preudhomme said this is going to be a Tour for climbers.

Oh noo, I would like to see one TTT and one ITT.And of course bit more mountain stages like 6

 

[Nastyy]

Probably not gonna happen but I would love to see a MTT on Ventoux. Would be so so so so very epic.

 

[jens_attacks]

i would prefer an alpe itt myself
keep the ventoux for a road stage
also i really hope that the prediction is wrong,hautacam as a mtf needs to be there too

 

[Cimber]

Eventhough there might be fewer mountain finishes than expected there seem to be more hilly stages than normal

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

i would prefer an alpe itt myself
keep the ventoux for a road stage
also i really hope that the prediction is wrong,hautacam as a mtf needs to be there too

It's not so much wrong as it is incomplete, IMO. Hautacam and Joux Plane / Morzine are still very much a possibility.

 

[Mellow Velo]

It's not so much wrong as it is incomplete, IMO. Hautacam and Joux Plane / Morzine are still very much a possibility.

I sure hope you are right.

Put it this way: If Thomas is right and you are wrong about his blanks, then it's another steaming pile of horse manure mediocrity.

 

[roundabout]

Where would those mythical hilly stages be?

Montpellier? No.

Marseille? No.

Having 2 stages in Corsica, maybe 1 to Lyon and maybe 1 to Gap and maybe 1 more maximum won't make up for the lack of high mountains

 

[Ferminal]

I thought 2012 was the year of the "medium mountains"?

 

[guncha]

Thomas @ Velowire has posted his draft:

http://www.velowire.com/article/657...-rumeurs-sur-le-parcours-et-les-etapes--.html

With only 4 mountain stages (8, 16, 18, 19; Pyrenees, Ventoux, 2x Alpe, ???).

....................

Does it mean just one high mountain stage during the first 15 days of racing and 9 months of interviews about the toughness of final week?

 

[luckyboy]

This looks terrible, Pyrenees look horrible.
The route Capablanca and me posted a few pages back looked a lot better

 

[Descender]

2013 is shaping up to be the worst year route-wise in ages.

 

[airstream]

2013 is shaping up to be the worst year route-wise in ages.

whatever. the main thing is race should be good.

 

[McLovin]

2013 is shaping up to be the worst year route-wise in ages.

I'm more worried about 2014 Tour. Remember the routes after the centenaries. 2004 and 2012!

 

[cineteq]

2013 is shaping up to be the worst year route-wise in ages.

It seems no matter what you'll never be satisfied.

 

[the asian]

What more do you expect with Prudhomme in charge?

 

[airstream]

It seems no matter what you'll never be satisfied.

exactly... what do you want guys? 10 gc wise signigicant stages? no, it won't be like that.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Thomas @ Velowire has posted his draft:

http://www.velowire.com/article/657...-rumeurs-sur-le-parcours-et-les-etapes--.html

With only 4 mountain stages (8, 16, 18, 19; Pyrenees, Ventoux, 2x Alpe, ???).

....................

5 mountain stages now. Looks like there will be NO stage with a start or finish in Pau and TWO stages in the Pyrenees. The second one could include the Tourmalet, Soulor and Spandelles (and I guess Hautacam).

 

[Ferminal]

With the Ariege stage the day before?

It will be a very pleasant shock if there is a second Pyrenees stage which isn't a Pau/Tarbes/Lourdes one.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

With the Ariege stage the day before?

It will be a very pleasant shock if there is a second Pyrenees stage which isn't a Pau/Tarbes/Lourdes one.

Yeah, looks like Friday could be the now typical Pailheres - Ax 3 Domaines stage, as usual preceded by > 150 kms of flat-ish roads. Thomas only mentions Ax 3 Domaines, but it seems a safe assumption

...and Saturday possibly the Tourmalet - Soulor - Spandelles stage that could finish in Lourdes or Hautacam, I guess. I'm assuming they go with Hautacam.

 

[airstream]

damn, that would be excessive generosity to include ax-3 in years of both the centenary of the pyrenees and the 100th tour. the climb obviously doesn't match that level of fabulosity. they'd better hit plateau de beille surely! hautacam would be great, though i dream of recurrence of monumental range mente-peyresourde-portillon-azet-plat-d'adet