Tour de France 2019

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Wanty Groupe Gobert won the Europe Tour for the 3rd year in a row.
The Tour starts in Belgium and passes through Binche, hometown of Wanty..
2nd highest procontinental team in the 2018 CQ ranking behind Cofidis.

I really wonder why they're in.

But they rarely do anything in the Tour apart from your regular 3-man morning break (which of course has value). But in terms of biggish names, they have just one which is a rider in the mold of Louis Meintjens. The other teams simply have more interesting, big names who actually can do something on the biggest stage

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Wanty Groupe Gobert won the Europe Tour for the 3rd year in a row.
The Tour starts in Belgium and passes through Binche, hometown of Wanty..
2nd highest procontinental team in the 2018 CQ ranking behind Cofidis.

I really wonder why they're in.

But they rarely do anything in the Tour apart from your regular 3-man morning break (which of course has value). But in terms of biggish names, they have just one which is a rider in the mold of Louis Meintjens. The other teams simply have more interesting, big names who actually can do something on the biggest stage

I really don't think, that we should rate sporting values too high. Actually I believe it's all about how close these teams and the owners are with ASO and Prudhomme. It's the Tour. The Tour is way bigger then any rider. It's of no matter, who these guys are, who are animating the race in the first four hours of tv coverage. It's good, when they are from France, so it's possible to tell a nice story on television. That's it.

 

[Breh]

Re: Re:

Wanty Groupe Gobert won the Europe Tour for the 3rd year in a row.
The Tour starts in Belgium and passes through Binche, hometown of Wanty..
2nd highest procontinental team in the 2018 CQ ranking behind Cofidis.

I really wonder why they're in.

But they rarely do anything in the Tour apart from your regular 3-man morning break (which of course has value). But in terms of biggish names, they have just one which is a rider in the mold of Louis Meintjens. The other teams simply have more interesting, big names who actually can do something on the biggest stage

What did Greipel, Terpstra and Barguil offer last year? Or anyone from Fortuneo/Direct Energie?

These accomplished, bigger names did nothing of note while WGG won the Europe Tour.
Terpstra had a nice classics season.

 

[yaco]

Some are overly complicate things - First two rated PCT get a wildcard - It's nothing to do with sponsorship or being chummy with the ASO.

 

[asdfgh101]

Wouldn't this be a better WC system:

2 based on ranking
2 discretionary

Top 6 Pro-Conti each get 1 GT on ranking with Top 2 having first choice etc.

If a team passes on a race 2 years in a row then they can't be awarded a discretionary place in the 2nd year.

Wanty riding the Giro and Vuelta with their second string while other squads sit at home will be terrible.

 

[Koronin]

Wouldn't this be a better WC system:

2 based on ranking
2 discretionary

Top 6 Pro-Conti each get 1 GT on ranking with Top 2 having first choice etc.

If a team passes on a race 2 years in a row then they can't be awarded a discretionary place in the 2nd year.

Wanty riding the Giro and Vuelta with their second string while other squads sit at home will be terrible.

Plus we already know the Vuelta doesn't even want them as they would prefer the 3 Spanish Pro Conti teams plus Cofidis as they are a major sponsor.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Direct Energie and Arkea-Samsic are invited.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Remember that there will be eight bonus sprints in the race, at the summit of various cols & côtes.

Prudhomme has said they'll grant 8 seconds, 5 seconds and 2 seconds each.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Remember that there will be eight bonus sprints in the race, at the summit of various cols & côtes.

Prudhomme has said they'll grant 8 seconds, 5 seconds and 2 seconds each.

I won't lie. I actually like the idea in theory.

But naturally the execution is terrible, it's just way too much and naturally it's also a substitution for good route design.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Remember that there will be eight bonus sprints in the race, at the summit of various cols & côtes.

Prudhomme has said they'll grant 8 seconds, 5 seconds and 2 seconds each.

I won't lie. I actually like the idea in theory.

But naturally the execution is terrible, it's just way too much and naturally it's also a substitution for good route design.

I think you are too negative in this case. The hilly stages are really well designed this year so if they put the bonus sprints at the right points this could genuinly lead to interesting racing.

 

[Anderis]

Re:

Remember that there will be eight bonus sprints in the race, at the summit of various cols & côtes.

Prudhomme has said they'll grant 8 seconds, 5 seconds and 2 seconds each.

Someone on one of the Polish cycling forums was talking about this idea years ago. I have always liked it.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Remember that there will be eight bonus sprints in the race, at the summit of various cols & côtes.

Prudhomme has said they'll grant 8 seconds, 5 seconds and 2 seconds each.

I won't lie. I actually like the idea in theory.

But naturally the execution is terrible, it's just way too much and naturally it's also a substitution for good route design.

I think you are too negative in this case. The hilly stages are really well designed this year so if they put the bonus sprints at the right points this could genuinly lead to interesting racing.

3ème étape (8 juillet) : Côte de Mutigny, au km 199 de l'étape Binche > Epernay (214 km).
6ème étape (11 juillet) : Col des Chevrères, au km 138 de l'étape Mulhouse > La Planche des Belles Filles (157 km).
8ème étape (13 juillet) : Côte de la Jaillière, au km 187 de l'étape Mâcon > Saint-Etienne (199 km).
9ème étape (14 juillet) : Côte de Saint-Just, au km 157,5 de l'étape Saint-Etienne > Brioude (170 km).
12ème étape (18 juillet) : Hourquette d’Ancizan, au km 172,5 de l'étape Toulouse > Bagnères-de-Bigorre (202 km).
15ème étape (21 juillet) : Mur de Péguère, au km 147 de l'étape Limoux > Foix Prat d'Albis (185 km).
18ème étape (25 juillet) : Col du Galibier, au km 189 de l'étape Embrun > Valloire (207 km).
19ème étape (26 juillet) : Col de l’Iseran, au km 85 de l'étape Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Tignes (123 km).

 

[Valv.Piti]

I like that. The climbs where the seconds are awarded actually make sense. I dont think you can complain too much over this. If this little change just provides action from the GC-contenders that otherwise wouldnt have happened one time its a success.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I don't mind this bonus seconds on the penultimate climb idea, but will this only lead to a sprint over the final 200 metres for the seconds? Will the peloton chase down the breakaway earlier in order to gobble up these bonus seconds? And the biggest question: Will a genuine long range GC attack occur, as a result of the extra incentive of bonus seconds?

I think probably not. If you attack 5kms from the top, 40kms from the finish, the 8 seconds that you gain will most likely be more than lost on the final climb. Maybe a 20, 12 and 8 bonus on the genuine high mountain stages would be better, though the more that you go in that direction, the more that you make the yellow jersey competition like the king of the mountains.

 

[Nirvana]

Even if the official site is not updated yet apparently the profiles of all the stages are already out.
http://www.cicloweb.it/2019/05/29/tour-de-france-2019-altimetrie/

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Even if the official site is not updated yet apparently the profiles of all the stages are already out.
http://www.cicloweb.it/2019/05/29/tour-de-france-2019-altimetrie/

Lots of nice stages to start the Tour off with, but the rest is kinda underwhelming.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re: Re:

Even if the official site is not updated yet apparently the profiles of all the stages are already out.
http://www.cicloweb.it/2019/05/29/tour-de-france-2019-altimetrie/

Lots of nice stages to start the Tour off with, but the rest is kinda underwhelming.

Lack of ITT is extremely frustrating, but I like the mountains. Stage 6 to Belles Filles will be fairly decisive early (a good climb, even if it is being overused). The final Pyrenean stage 15 is excellent. I love stage 18; classic and hard alpine stage, and stage 19 is not as hard, so I think we will see good action on the Galibier. MTF on stage 20 is epic, could be huge time gaps there.

 

[SafeBet]

Is the lack of time trials going to be a rule until Pinot and Bardet are in their prime?

 

[Laplaz]

Only 2 (maybe 3) sprint stages in the first week, not bad. The rest is kinda meh.

 

[Lequack]

Ineos 1,2,3?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Re:

Is the lack of time trials going to be a rule until Pinot and Bardet are in their prime?

Probably, at least we get a good first week.
Make the TTT and ITT and switch the finishes of stage 19 and 20 so that they still have the same start, but both of the get Madeleine early in the stage, that would already fix many of the flaws.
Ineos will smash the ttt, the itt and the short tourmalet mtf to get a sizeable lead and then they just ride conservative till the end and win the whole thing...

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

Is the lack of time trials going to be a rule until Pinot and Bardet are in their prime?

They might return if Latour steps up

 

[Escarabajo]

The lack of TT is the main issue with the route. But other than that, taking a second look at the parcours, it looks good to me.

Stage 19 is hard. And so other stages that have altitude changes. Be careful with the fact that there are a lot of altitude changes this year at the Tour. L'iseran is 12.9 km @ 7.5% and its peak is at 2770 meters. That sounds very hard to me. Tignes is crested at 2113 meters.

Val Thorens is crested @ 2365 meters. Tourmalet @ 2115 meters. On stage 18 even though people see it as not as hard its 3 peaks of Vars, Izoard and Galibier are crested at 2109 m, 2360 m and 2642 meters. I don't remember when was the last time that I saw so many peaks over 2000 meters.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Re:

The lack of TT is the main issue with the route. But other than that, taking a second look at the parcours, it looks good to me.

Stage 19 is hard. And so other stages that have altitude changes. Be careful with the fact that there are a lot of altitude changes this year at the Tour. L'iseran is 12.9 km @ 7.5% and its peak is at 2770 meters. That sounds very hard to me. Tignes is crested at 2113 meters.

Val Thorens is crested @ 2365 meters. Tourmalet @ 2115 meters. On stage 18 even though people see it as not as hard its 3 peaks of Vars, Izoard and Galibier are crested at 2109 m, 2360 m and 2642 meters. I don't remember when was the last time that I saw so many peaks over 2000 meters.

The stages are hard and there is a lot of high altitude climbing, even if only one mountain stage has over 4,000m of altitude gain.
The problem is that 3 mountain stages have u23 stage length and the pacing of the alpine mountain stages, the big MTF only comes on the 3rd day.

 

[Laplaz]

The best designed stage is LPDBF imo