Tour de France 2013

[roundabout]

Hmm, so it's flat first stage then Vizzavona with 50 to go the next day and then Marsolinu the main difficulty on stage 3 with 20 to go (nice scenery on that stage).

 

[just some guy]

Velonews blah re 1st 3 days 2013 - http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10487/More-details-emerge-of-likely-route-for-2013-Tour-de-France-start-on-Corsica.aspx

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

No stage in Corsica is not complete without the Porto-Vecchio to make the racing interesting, but odds on that not happening?

What are you talking about? Porto Vecchio is a coastal town in southern Corsica. What is "the Porto-Vecchio"??

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Don't forget Aspin, guys.Maybe they'll find a way to make that an MTF, like they've done with Galibier and Tourmalet recently. And then they'll do it twice, cos that's totally not played out.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Hmm, so it's flat first stage then Vizzavona with 50 to go the next day and then Marsolinu the main difficulty on stage 3 with 20 to go (nice scenery on that stage).

Yep, not a single stage is selective enough for the GC contenders. When you know what Corsica has to offer that just doesn't compute.

The third stage is not too bad, though. Marsolinu is no wall, but pretty steep from both sides, though only 3rd category, of course.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Till the official leak i will keep my hopes up .

 

[greenedge]

As long as they have a mountain ITT i will be happy. If they do one hilly stage in Corsica i am fine with that as well.

Will the route around France be Clockwise/ or Anti-clockwise???

 

[Ferminal]

There are some rumours for the first three stages.

That first stage has to be almost dead flat along the coast

Worse than a prologue.

With the three stages all being short, it sounds like they are saving their miles for a few monsters in the second two weeks.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Rumours of first 3 stages don't sound too great. An alright start would be a prologue (or actually I would prefer about a 15km ITT like in '09), then sprint stage, then medium mountains/possible effect on GC stage.

For the high mountains:

Surely we bring back the finish on Plad adet, with full rollercoaster stage of 5 or 6 mountain passes. Hautacam MTF too. And Arcallis MITT. Just an idea.

Then in the Alps may I suggest we have the Alp, but just use it as a mid stage climb if logistically possible. We should return to the Ju-Plaix as not used since 2006. Col de Romme/Columbierre can provide us with a second classic descent after a hard climb finish. The other alpine stage could be Madeleine (probably 19km 8% side from 2010), maybe MTF if possible or to have it not far from finish. Or how about the return of Courcheval, as not used since 2005, and TDF's selective climbs should have differences; this would be the long grind that is not very steep one.

Either Venteoux or Mende stage in-between the main mountains to break things up.

Long ITT late on.

Probably no TTT. Bring back time bonuses.

 

[McLovin]

Will the route around France be Clockwise/ or Anti-clockwise???

Pyrenees first.
And may I ask again Col du Granon?

 

[craig1985]

One day I will take over the world and the peloton WILL do the Mont du Chat:

 

[airstream]

Pyrenees first.
And may I ask again Col du Granon?

Is it eventual? Based on 2008 and 2009, ASO doesn't always follow the rule of the alternation.

I'd love to see a bunch Port de Pailhères-Plateau de Beille. There's nothing harder in the Pyrenees. Probably they just saved Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin for 2013.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Ventoux in-between the main mountains.

Absolutely no time bonuses. This is the Tour de France. It would be sacrilege.

 

[McLovin]

Is it eventual? Based on 2008 and 2009, ASO doesn't always follow the rule of the alternation.

they made that thing beacuse the centenaries of 2010 and 2011, so the Pyrenees be the last in 2010 and Alpes in 2011.
Also, in 2003 (100 years) Pyrenees were decisive. Now, in 2013 (hundred edition) is time for Alpes.

le: there is a nice climb near Cirque de Gavarnie, I don't think they ever used it. Can't remember the name, but could be a good one.

 

[guncha]

Corsica stages seem to be OK - some mountains of medium difficulty. It doesn't always make racing better when there are early stages for GC, e.g. everyone is fresh and stage more likely will be wheelsucked.

Since it is 100th edition I bet they'll visit all six cities of inaugural TDF - Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Paris. If they visit Mediterranean coast first and then head to Pyrenees we might have a lot of transitional stages between Pyrenees and Alpes unless they have long transfers.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Since it is 100th edition I bet they'll visit all six cities of inaugural TDF - Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Paris. If they visit Mediterranean coast first and then head to Pyrenees we might have a lot of transitional stages between Pyrenees and Alpes unless they have long transfers.

It's anti-clockwise, isn't it? So I think they'll fly from Corsica to the north west, and then they can head down to the Pyrenees, taking in Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse, head across to the Alpes, taking in Marseille and Lyon, and then up to Paris.

 

[barmaher]

It's anti-clockwise, isn't it? So I think they'll fly from Corsica to the north west, and then they can head down to the Pyrenees, taking in Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse, head across to the Alpes, taking in Marseille and Lyon, and then up to Paris.

The rumour I heard is that they are taking the ferry from Calvi or Ajaccio to the mainland, and then heading to the Pyrenees first.

Any chance of a hilly ITT from Nice to Grasse or something on stage 4? That would be nice.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

le: there is a nice climb near Cirque de Gavarnie, I don't think they ever used it. Can't remember the name, but could be a good one.

Col de Tentes.

The nearby Cirque de Troumouse is harder, but both climbs are partially in a national park, so I guess that's why the Tour never uses them. I don't know if that has ever been done in the past 10 or so years, a stage finish inside a NP.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Corsica stages seem to be OK - some mountains of medium difficulty.

There will only be one mountain of medium difficulty, the one they use in the second stage. The perhaps more demanding third stage will only feature 3rd and 4th category climbs if the rumors prove to be correct.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

The rumour I heard is that they are taking the ferry from Calvi or Ajaccio to the mainland, and then heading to the Pyrenees first.

Any chance of a hilly ITT from Nice to Grasse or something on stage 4? That would be nice.

But heading that way would be clockwise. I'd have thought that 2013 would be time to celebrate the traditions, not break them. As a nostalgic old fool, I'd like to see as many references to the past and tradition as possible - the original cities, the historic climbs (Tourmalet, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez), a tour entirely in France...hell, even a drugs scandal or two.

 

[killswitch]

As a nostalgic old fool, I'd like to see as many references to the past and tradition as possible....

Riders using trains to gain advantage...

 

[theyoungest]

But heading that way would be clockwise. I'd have thought that 2013 would be time to celebrate the traditions, not break them. As a nostalgic old fool, I'd like to see as many references to the past and tradition as possible - the original cities, the historic climbs (Tourmalet, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez), a tour entirely in France...hell, even a drugs scandal or two.

You do know that if they were to do it entirely in the traditional way, there would be no MTFs? Look at the reaction with only two MTFs this year, think of what would happen then.

 

[Siriuscat]

Riders using trains to gain advantage...

Worked for Armstrong......

 

[Siriuscat]

I mentioned the original race in the design thread but playing around on MapMyRide and Bikemap, I can't make it work without some monsterous transfers, adding Corsica into the mix just complicates matters even more. I think it'll be a struggle. The classic mountains are simpler to factor in but I'd hoped for something better. I'll hold my cynicism in until we see the whole route but I can't say I anything different from the mundane.

 

[roundabout]

Could be 2009-like in terms of route direction. Pyrenees and then a transfer somewhere else.

Although I would prefer to see a stage to Carpentras over the Ventoux somewhere in the first week before the Pyrenees.