Tour de France 2018 Rumours

[phanatic]

Re:

MTT. NO SKY TRAIN IN A MOUNTAIN STAGE

Assuming they aren't the last five riders

 

[Tonton]

I wasn't too far off, actually ...and I'm still in the mix (2nd place - which is good ) in the 2017 predictions. .

The 2018 prediction design is bad, but I see how it will attract ratings. So back-loaded. It's a cry for Quintana and Movistar to do well, as they should, in the TTT, and the AdH chrono (no Sky train as mentioned before) should on the paper favor pure climbers...

I stand by the "riders make the race" statement. TdF designs often play with strengths and weaknesses of the expected riders. The AdH chrono is good on the paper for Bardet, but a long (more than 5km) ITT is not. WTF? We (the French)'ll need 500 helicopters to stand a chance.

All in all, it's garbage.

Thanks Netserk for messing with me .

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

I am still waiting for a cobbled time trial. Do something new and include some harder sectors of Paris-Roubaix in a time trial.

When the sun rises in the west, sets in the east.
The seas go dry, and the mountains blow in the wind like leaves
Then will we have our cobbled TT.

Eric Cantona, is that you ?

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Holy **** did they not learn from this year? Why are they repeating this years route?

This.

If that route is true it would be horrible design!

So what is it with this guy, does he want to be the "gourmet route designer"

He thinks that he is an innovator.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

Holy **** did they not learn from this year? Why are they repeating this years route?

This.

If that route is true it would be horrible design!

So what is it with this guy, does he want to be the "gourmet route designer"

He thinks that he is an innovator.

That's my point...on Bastille Day...guillotine.

 

[lenric]

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

There was a series of such predictions posted a couple of months ago (haven't got time to look for them right now) but no more than hopes/guesses: does this amount to any more than that?

Let's not despair yet.

 

[railxmig]

I guess there'll be plnety of changes. Superbagneres won't stick, because such is life. Besides aluding to peeing, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle looks like a random Basque village, so i doubt it's set for a rest day. Didn't ASO had problems in 2004 with overcrowding on l'Alpe ITT? Personally i have nothing against Sarenne-l'Alpe, even if i think Sarenne is not really that hard. Yet another Mende is just a disgrace, but i think ASO has a problem with a local half-marathon (Velowire) and just general traffic problems, so maybe it won't stick. I've seen rumours on Velowire about a finish in Méribel, while the l'Alpe stage would start in Brides-les-Bains. First heard about Bourgoin-Jailleu.

 

[Netserk]

I guess there'll be plnety of changes. Superbagneres won't stick, because such is life. Besides aluding to peeing, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle looks like a random Basque village, so i doubt it's set for a rest day. Didn't ASO had problems in 2004 with overcrowding on l'Alpe ITT? Personally i have nothing against Sarenne-l'Alpe, even if i think Sarenne is not really that hard. Yet another Mende is just a disgrace, but i think ASO has a problem with a local half-marathon (Velowire) and just general traffic problems, so maybe it won't stick. I've seen rumours on Velowire about a finish in Méribel, while the l'Alpe stage would start in Brides-les-Bains. First heard about Bourgoin-Jailleu.

Surely that means it'll be BlB - Madeleine - Galibier - Sarenne - l'Alpe? It'd be quite pointless to use Glandon/CdF, imo.

Quite fine stage (in itself), especially on the back of a MTF. Even with room for additional climbs between Madeleine and Galibier.

 

[dacooley]

after mont du chat finally being used i wouldn't be too much surprised to see superbagneres or any other good old climb coming back. the increasing of time trial is obviously a great thing which hopefully sticks.

 

[Ricco']

I guess there'll be plnety of changes. Superbagneres won't stick, because such is life. Besides aluding to peeing, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle looks like a random Basque village, so i doubt it's set for a rest day. Didn't ASO had problems in 2004 with overcrowding on l'Alpe ITT? Personally i have nothing against Sarenne-l'Alpe, even if i think Sarenne is not really that hard. Yet another Mende is just a disgrace, but i think ASO has a problem with a local half-marathon (Velowire) and just general traffic problems, so maybe it won't stick. I've seen rumours on Velowire about a finish in Méribel, while the l'Alpe stage would start in Brides-les-Bains. First heard about Bourgoin-Jailleu.

Surely that means it'll be BlB - Madeleine - Galibier - Sarenne - l'Alpe? It'd be quite pointless to use Glandon/CdF, imo.

Quite fine stage (in itself), especially on the back of a MTF. Even with room for additional climbs between Madeleine and Galibier.

I saw a picture some time ago (don't know if here or on Twitter), showing a vast amount of regions in the Alps where the Tour wasn't going next year. One of them was the region where the Galibier is. Anyone knows if it's true?

 

[Netserk]

Ugh, I had completely forgotten that. https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/905869529959542788

I hope that isn't true.

Then I fear it'll be this (or worse, with CdF) with the 20km of valley before Sarenne:

 

[Navegante]

There appears to be hostel bookings in the Poitou region at the end of July (Saintes / Niort cities more specifically).

If this is true, this could mean that the last week would be something like :
- three stages in the Pyrénées (with probably a final stage in the Basque country)
- 2 flat stages to go to Saintes + 1 final long ITT on Saturday ?

Other rumors I've heard :
- a hilly stage that ends in Alençon
- 9th stage from Compiègne to Verdun, no cobbles, remembering of WW1 (I definitely believe this one)
- There will be an arrival at Mende for stage 14, this is almost certain, but I don't think it will be Valence > Mende, I think there will be two medium mountain stages --> a first one through Ardèche, a second one through Cévennes, possibly starting in Alès. This works imo because I'm not buying the ITT to L'Alpe d'Huez.

If all of this is true, so we have the following structure :

1 Flat Noirmoutier-en-l'Île > Fontenay-le-Comte
2 Flat Mouilleron-Saint-Germain > La Roche-sur-Yon
3 Team Time Trial Cholet > Cholet
4 Flat La Baule > Sarzeau
5 Hilly Lorient > Pointe-du-Raz
6 Flat Pontivy > Rennes(?)
7 Hilly Rennes(?) > Alençon
8 Flat Dreux > Amiens(?)
9 Flat Saint-Quentin/Compiegne(?) > Verdun

10 High Mountain Annecy > ??? (will be an MTF)
11 High Mountain Brides-les-Bains > Alpe d'Huez (via Sarenne)
12 Flat ??? > Valence
13 Medium Mountain Valence > ??? (Ardèche)
14 Medium Mountain Alès > Mende (probably through Pré de la Dame, Finiels, possibly with gravels)
15 Hilly Millau > Toulouse(?) : possible to create an interesting hilly stage around Toulouse, don't know if ASO will use it though

16 High Mountain Toulouse > Superbagnères ???
17 High Mountain ??? > Pau ???
18 High Mountain Basque Country ???
19 Flat Basque Country > Saintes ?
20 Individual Time Trial around Niort ?
21 Flat ??? > Paris - Champs-Elysees

 

[Valv.Piti]

Unless its a long time trial (around 50 kilometres) I wouldn't go the the Tour if I was Dumoulin. ASO really *** on him.

 

[railxmig]

Re:

Ugh, I had completely forgotten that. https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/905869529959542788

I hope that isn't true.

Then I fear it'll be this (or worse, with CdF) with the 20km of valley before Sarenne:

Yep, that's what i was thinking of, with the atrocious Oisans valley. I doubt any of the balcony roads are secure enough for a bike race. Maybe Dauphine will show some balls one day, but doubtful about Tour. Sarenne on it's own won't do that much, unless someone is Pantani. As for the Meribel rumour, for some reason ASO has an allergy to Mottaret. There's enough space available, so i don't know what's the reason. The Alps were pretty bad this year, for now the next year doesn't look like a big improvement.

 

[ice&fire]

Looks like given a pair of start and finish locations finding the less obvious and worst connecting route is the new trend.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Unless its a long time trial (around 50 kilometres) I wouldn't go the the Tour if I was Dumoulin. ASO really **** on him.

How much time do you think will sunweb against sky in an over 30 km long TTT?

 

[Singer01]

Re: Re:

Unless its a long time trial (around 50 kilometres) I wouldn't go the the Tour if I was Dumoulin. ASO really **** on him.

How much time do you think will sunweb against sky in an over 30 km long TTT?

Will gain, or will lose?

 

[Tonton]

Toss-up IMO. Assuming that Sunweb shows up with their best lineup.

I still don't understand what ASO is trying to achieve with a design like this one. If the goal is to keep it close, I must be missing something...congrats on your 5th, Dawg .

 

[Robert5091]

If Mr Lappartient becomes Mr Président, I reckon there'll be not a lot of tt kms!

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

Hear My Train A Comin'

This year TdF was a prep race for Vuelta, next year it will be for Froome chasing the rainbow jersey in Innsbruck.

 

[Durden93]

Can we get Zomegan to design one stage please?

 

[dacooley]

the tour must remain the tour, so no games in zomegnan and just a few gc-eventful stages in week one. i would be quite content with this supposed parcours providing penultimate stage is a long time trial.

 

[hayneplane]

Another yawnsome Kittel fest in week 1 and surely the weekend stages cant be as weak as are being projected as that would be pushing the bounds of stupidity even by Tour route standards.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

the tour must remain the tour, so no games in zomegnan and just a few gc-eventful stages in week one. i would be quite content with this supposed parcours providing penultimate stage is a long time trial.

The Tour should be the best it can be. It's quite the opposite